Interview with Jesse Moore of Blvck Pvssy

If you read this site much, you know that I enjoy interviewing bands quite a bit. With today being Friday the 13th, I thought that it would be fitting to post my interview with Jesse Moore, singer of the band Blvck Pvssy. Blvck Pvssy are from the huge town of Vicksburg, Ms, and are one of the more intimdating live bands you’ll ever see. You can check out Blvck Pvssy HERE.

How did you get introduced to the punk/hardcore/metal scene, and at what age?

It was 1987. Some older guys used to skateboard in the alley behind my moms house. They had gnarly asymetrical haircuts, and it seemed like everything they wore had skulls and violence. They had a ramp and would charge it all day while blasting the scariest music Id ever heard out of a ghetto blaster, cranked. I fucked with it. Within 6 minutes, I knew what I wanted to be for the rest of my life. Theres more to the story than that, but what ends up happening is that they put me in the skateboard gang and started giving me mixtapes with shit like Suicidal Tendencies and Ice T on them. I went home that day and pretty much told my mom she was going to buy me a skateboard. Within a few months, I had a subscription to Thrasher Magazine and I read it like it was the holy fucking grail. Whatever bands were covered in Thrasher must have been what skaters were jammin, so I paid very close attention and schooled myself. Thrash was at its height and Gangsta Rap was creeping up heavy and I cant speak for everyone, but if you skated you “felt” bands and rappers the same way. It was aggro. I read Pusheads column and that lead me to Septic Death which was my real introduction to the most extreme bands around at the time. I kept at that speed for a few more years and started going to punk shows at my mom’s friends bar. He would have all these trippy bands from Austin, Tx play on the weekends and as long as I came with my mom, he would let me stand in the corner and bug out. By 13, I was fully immersed, and hustlng rides to any show I could find. Through the DIY hardcore scene I made friends with some other punkers that went on to be From Ashes Rise. I would ride with those guys to go see bands like Man Is The Bastard, Spazz, Assuck, His Hero Is Gone and Eyehategod. Whatever it took to be at shows, I made happen. I collected fanzines and records, buying shit from all over the world. I used to write letters to people like Chris Elder from Despise You and Max Ward from Spazz/Plutocracy to buy from the labels they ran and they always wrote back recommending me records to buy, or sending me flyers and stickers. At the same time, I was always trying to start bands but nothing ever went anywhere. A couple house shows at the most, and then someone would quit. Eventually, years and years later, I stayed with the whole punk/hardcore/metal (and hiphop/rap as well many forms of music) scene, and looking back, its a fact that I have dedicated the bigger part of my life to it and there isn’t anyone who can dispute that fact.

So you’re what would be referred to as a “Lifer”, correct?

Yeah, in a sense. I’m sure when people see me they get that impression. Do i care about the scene as a whole? not really. I’m going to stay tuned with what I like, but just because someone is in “the scene” doesnt make them family. There are alot of fuckboys at shows that id rather not have anything to do with. I can deal with being called an asshole by someone I despise, but not a “bro”

What are your thoughts on the current state of the music industry, particularly metal and punk/hardcore? How do you feel about downloading music?

Music is pretty dope. Its all a matter of what you’re trying to hear or buy. The internet age made it where every twink ass fuckboy with a broadband connection is either an anonymous super critic, or in some tired ass band. The really fucked up part about it is that they now have an audience. It doesnt matter though, thanks to gas prices blowin up and venues becoming more scarce, most of these unnecessary bands arent really hitting the road, so be thankful that you have to actively search for complete bullshit, rather than have it shoved down your throat at every $5 show. The real motherfuckers are out busting ass to play for your little shithouse town for 10 people. Downloading music is fine with me. The whole game changed and if you still think theres any reason to bitch and moan about people downloading your fucking album, then release something on vinyl that looks awesome and it will sell. You cant really download a tshirt, so bands need to shut the fuck up. Your music isn’t worth 10 dollars, 9 times outta 10. To quote one of my favorite punk bands Born Against “This Trash Should Have Been Free”

If you could change anything about the current state of the underground punk/hardcore/metal scene, what would it be?

More violence/danger at shows. Not so much people getting beat down, but just that sketchy, scary, dangerous feeling that the bands I grew up going to see had. When I used to stand in the front row of a His Hero Is Gone show, it would send a chill down your spine, and the feeling that everything was going to fall apart was real. Now its all people getting tagged on facebook and trying to “network”. Fuck all that shit, man.

Have there been any albums released yet this year that will be on your top albums of the year list? Also, what bands are you most anticipating new albums from in 2012?

LIL UGLY MANE – MISTA THUG ISOLATION will be my favorite album at the end of 2012. It sounds and feels like someone dug up a time capsule and unearthed a lost Memphis G Rap classic. I grew up on rap too, and the average metal/hardcore kid isnt going to know this, but Memphis had a very strong (and very violent and Satanic) underground Rap scene in the 90s. Guys were taking drug money and self releasing these over the top albums that were ultraviolent, hypersexual, and menacing, evil shit about being possessed by cocaine and the devil. Normally it was lo fi and just refused to conform to anything that was happening in the mainstream at the time. They were performing in hole in the wall juke joints where the violent dancing made hardcore/metal shows look just pussy as fuck. Of course, Triple Six Mafia were the frontrunners, and eventually won a grammy, but during its time it was the true definition of DIY in the south and was as brutal as anything a metal band has done. I’m sure most of your readers dont care, but I do, and If anyone wants to get into a longer conversation about Memphis Devil Shyt, just ask me at a show. I can talk about the shit all night. Back to Lil Ugly Mane, he put together an album that pays tribute to the scene I was just talking about, and takes it to new places. It’s bugged out and slammin. The best shit i’ve heard in awhile, I cant stop playing it at all. As far as metal goes, i’m looking forward to the new Torche record. I love everything they have released, and they are one of the best live bands going. I can’t wait for new Weekend Nachos this year. That’s a band that just annihilates, and reminds me of why I fell in love with power violence and sludge in the first place. I can’t really think of anything else.

As far as your band Blvck Pvssy goes, I would have assumed that your band name was pretty unique, however, another band with that name attempted to sue you for rights to it, correct?

Yeah. Fuck them and fuck that shit they pulled. They get no respect, and no one had our band confused with that bullshit. Fuck them. I can’t wait for the day we cross paths. Ive definitely got something for them.

Other than dealing with that, what have you guys been up to lately and what are your plans for the future of the band?

Trying to have fun with it. It’s not about success, it’s about us as homeboys going out and having good times together as a group. Getting some action in our lives and writing music that is fun to play. We plan on keeping it going as long as we can, death or the jailhouse. We’re definitely a band who loves the road and playing out as much as we can with all our friends, but not playing so much that people don’t care anymore. It’s hard for us to tour, and not because we don’t want to, but the fact is, we have responsibilities. When it’s time to play, we always put on a show and no one can take that from us.

I know that in your various bands you’ve been in through the years you have played alot of shows in alot of different places; what is your favorite story from a show or tour?

This one time, we made a couple hundred bucks at a show and drank free. I felt like Pantera. It was tremendous.

You have also played shows with bands like Cough, Rwake, and Goatwhore to name a few; if you could play a show with any active band, who would it be?

If we could play the Thrasher Magazine Texas Deathmatch next year at SXSW, I would shit my mind in joy. My life would have come full circle

You tend to write very angry songs that, I assume are based on real life, however, if you could have only written one song ever, what would it be and why?

A platinum Booty Shake record. Not even joking. If I wrote something that made every girl in the country want to fuck me with the lights on, and it paid me enough money to live comfortably enough to run air condition 24/7/365 with no regard for the law, I could die an extremly happy motherfucker.