Interview with Brian Pretus of Pears

By Damien
with Ron Seyno

Empire Extreme are excited about the Pears show in Pittsburgh, PA on October 15th at Howlers. Before the show Empire Extreme talked to guitarist/vocalist Brian Pretus.

EE: Who in your life introduced you or inspired you to make music?

Brian: When I was a kid, my older brother, Jonathan, was always playing drums and guitar. He was in bands I’d always go see, and I loved watching him play. I would always ask if I could borrow his stuff and he would let me from time to time, but would always tell me just to get my own and learn, which I eventually I did when I turned like 8 or something. So yeah, my older brother was the one who introduced me to all the music I liked when I was young, and the one who inspired me to start playing music.

EE: What’s better: leaving for tour or getting home from tour?

Brian: They’re both great for their own reasons. There’s definitely nothing like getting home from a two-month tour and laying in my own bed next to my wife. But I get super stir crazy, and after a few weeks, I get what’s called “PTSD” or “post-tour stress disorder,” where I get super restless and don’t know what to do with myself. And while I do enjoy leaving for tour because I know I’m about to have a ton of fun with my best friends, but at the same time we all know it’s going to be a ton of work and stress too, so I’d say I enjoy coming home more than leaving for a tour.

EE: What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened on stage during one of your sets?

Brian: Last year we played a show in Denver. We were on tour with the (U.K.) Subhumans and having a great time. Great people, great shows, until in the middle of our set that night some kid jumps on stage and starts shouting about these Nazis in the crowd who are beating people up. We stop the song, and look into the crowd and sure enough, there’s a handful of big shirtless asshole nazis like beating people up and being dickheads. It took like 10 minutes and every security person in the building to get these idiots out of the building. We finished the show, and it was great, but the Nazis were waiting for us across the street the whole night, and now it’s kind of nerve-wracking every time we go back because those people are unpredictable, and we’d really rather not ever have to bump into them ever again, but you never know. We’re generally pretty peaceful people, but we’re always ready to punch a Nazi in the fucking face if we have to.

EE: What’s the one band/performer that you would like to see most (dead or alive)?

Brian: Nirvana. Duh.

EE: What’s a comfort food on tour?

Brian: For me, it’s Mexican food. Something snapped in my brain the past few years, and now Mexican food is the only food I crave or even give a shit about. Besides Mexican I prefer to eat pescatarian if possible, but if you put any kind of delicious Mexican food in front of me all my cares are thrown out the window, and I just daydream about all the delicious Mexican food I’ve had all over the world, and it’s super fun to compare Mexican food from different parts of the world to each other. I especially like local twists on traditional Mexican food like local seafood in burritos, stuff like that. To me, it’s like another way the entire universe is connected, and it’s really special.

EE: Given the option would you rather play a packed to capacity dive bar or a large festival?

Brian: They’re both great for their own reasons, but me, personally, I’d rather play a packed dive bar. It’s more personal, and it’s more fun because of that.

Get your tickets here: http://m.bpt.me/event/2989388

About Author

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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