Bugs, Blood, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

While drinking after a show in Europe last year, Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner and Blood Brother vocalist Jordan Blilie decided to start a thrash band. They drunk-dialed mutual friend and Locust bassist Justin Pearson at 10 a.m. Pacific to see if he wanted to play -- and maybe bring along Gabe Serbian to play drums.

"I actually was just, like, 'Oh, yeah, cool. Whatever,' not thinking that it would ever amount to anything," Pearson laughed during a recent interview. In January, Zinner, Blilie, Pearson, Serbian, and Blood Brother Cody Votolato met in San Diego to record what would become the debut Head Wound City EP, due out November 9.

Pearson says, "Cody had most of the riffs, so he and [drummer] Gabe were working on some part, and...he's, like, 'Gabe, you know, I think it's working out really well, but, uh, it's kinda sounding like sorta metal, and, like, maybe you shouldn't use the double kick.' Gabe just sat there staring straight at him. He didn't say anything at all.... And then Cody's, like, 'Oh. Okay, well, uh, never mind.' And we just kept writing."

Pearson says he gets drunk-dials all the time (but they don't result in seven songs of bombastic thrash). Instead, they come "mainly from people I don't know and who don't really like me. Those are the main drunk-dials. People just call me and are, like, 'You fucking faggot.' I'm, like, 'Oh, that's cool. It's three in the morning. I appreciate it.' "