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Jemina Pearl refuses to spill the beans on BYOP break-up, talks solo project

12:41 p.m. · January 16, 2009 · by Andrew Winistorfer

Former Be Your Own Pet frontwoman Jemina Pearl is set to make her solo debut this weekend in Brooklyn, and she recently caught up with Pitchfork to (not) talk about BYOP's break-up, her new solo project, and that Ramones cover she did with Thurston Moore.

Pitchfork: When I heard Be Your Own Pet broke up, part of me was like "that sucks" and another part was like "that kinda makes sense" considering your unpredictable reputation...

JP: I was kind of surprised along with everyone else that the band was breaking up, to be honest. I felt like I was the last one to find out. I didn't feel like I had to stop-- it wasn't like, "Oh my God, this is horrible!" But we could only take that band so far.

Pitchfork: Usually when a band breaks up people assume that the lead singer is the main reason why, but you're saying that wasn't the case?

JP: Yeah, it was more brought to me. We broke up in June and waited a while to announce it because of technical things or whatever. All summer I was going stir-crazy because I didn't have anything to do. I was really shell-shocked after the experience. I knew I was going to keep working but I was like, "Where do I go from here?"

Pitchfork: Do you want to go into any more detail about the breakup?

JP: That's a loaded question, my friend. I probably shouldn't! I feel like it's been a scab that I keep picking at. It's just now starting to heal, so I need to leave it alone. I'll probably talk about it eventually, but right now it's too fresh.

I'm guessing that Jonas Stein (guitar) and Nathan Vasquez (bass) have something to do with the break-up, since BYOP drummer, John Eatherly is now Pearl's guitarist.

Pitchfork: Fair enough. Let's move onto your new project, which includes BYOP drummer John Eatherly, right?

JP: Yeah, me and John started writing songs when BYOP was still a band. We'd write these kind of 60s girl group-sounding songs. Once the band broke up and I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, John brought me some music that he'd written, but he was having a hard time coming up with lyrics and vocal parts. He moved into my house in Nashville and we would just stay up all night writing and it felt really natural.

Pearl says her new project (which doesn't have a name yet)  will sound like "Becky," and that her and Thurston Moore don't watch Gossip Girl, and they barely rehearsed for their cover of "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker." For the whole interview, go here.