Blair Gun: Changing the San Diego Music Scene

"We bring an intensity that no other band brings..."

"We bring an intensity that no other band brings..."

Imagine this— you’re 22, about to board a plane with your three best friends, to travel to a state you’ve never been before, and record an album with label executives you randomly me on Reddit. This sounds absolutely crazy. Almost too good to be true, right?

Well, that’s exactly what happened to local San Diego band, Blair Gun, this past summer. Joedin Morelock, Alland Mendivil, Jake Richter, and SDSU’s own, Zach Cavor, make up the punk quartet and they still don’t know what to make of the chance encounter. “We feel like we cut the line at Disneyland,” Cavor says. “There’s this unavoidable imposter syndrome…we believe we’re unique but it’s always different showing your art to someone else and not knowing how they would react.” The band started off with just Cavor and Morelock. They both met each other on Bandmix.com, a musician networking website, and met up nearly every day for two years to write songs and jam out in Morelock’s garage. After some time, the two guitarists realized they needed to flesh out their sound in different ways, and added Mendivil on bass guitar and Richter on drums. About two months later, the crew received a peculiar opportunity to join the record label company SonaBLAST! Records, based in Louisville, Kentucky, and record their debut album there. It’s an offer you’d be insane not to take. So they took it. And now that their album is getting final touches before its release early next year, the four are jammin’ around San Diego, playing live shows and building their fanbase.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Blair Gun before their show at The Tower Bar here in San Diego and let me tell you— these guys are no joke. The San Diego local music scene is buzzing with surf-style bands that incorporate wavy sounds with a lot of reverb and simple chord progressions. Not that there isn’t anything wrong with that, but if you’re wanting to stand out, you’ve got to do something different. So, how does Blair Gun do just that? “Only one of us surfs, so that’s a start,” lead guitarist and vocalist, Joedin Morelock jokes. Mendivil adds, “We bring an intensity that no other band brings, but in a different way. The punk scene [in San Diego] is
hardcore— almost metal. We bring a sort of speed to our music, but stay true to the foundations of the late 70’s punk style, low gain, interesting chord changes.” And that’s exactly what Blair Gun does.

The guys started off strong with ‘Coke Syrup’, a fun dance track featured on their album. The whole crowd was movin’ and shakin’; even one audience member donning Blair Gun merch twerked on all fours. Blair Gun had us groovin’ along to some crowd favorites like ‘Lemondrops,’ made us feel like the ‘Man of The Hour,’ and debuted three songs to be featured on their 2nd album: ‘Bitter Men,’ ‘Hey Mister,’ and ‘Maybe It’s Time For Dancing.’ Their melodies differ from tracks featured on their upcoming album, Blaspheme Queen. Nevertheless, the crowd was enamored by what they heard; all cheering for one more song.

With themes of anti-masculinity and emotional detachment, Blaspheme Queen is full of anthems for the angsty, young adult, looking for a place to belong, but it’s also just about letting loose. From the ballad ‘Bennet’ to grungy ‘Genovese,’ Blair Gun’s songs are “absurd to just be absurd.” But nothing is absurd about how Blair Gun is changing the SoCal sound, one indie punk track at a time. As the band looks toward the future and the changes it may bring, they look forward to experimenting more with their sound and lyrics. “Every time we meet we’re always bouncing new ideas off each other… Most of the songs on Blaspheme Queen were written before I joined, so it’s a lot of fun being a bigger part of the writing process,” the newest member, Jake Richter, says. “[The new songs] still sound like Blair Gun songs, but there is definitely a new, fresh vibe to these.” The last thing they hope for? Mendivil adds, “I just want people to feel like we’re fun.” With the enjoyment I had at Tower Bar, Blair Gun is bringing a new kind of fun to the scene. If I can’t vouch for that, I’m sure the twerking man could. Keep rockin’ Blair Gun.

Blair Gun’s single, ‘Lemondrops,’ is out now on Spotify! Keep an eye out for upcoming shows and their upcoming album by following them on Instagram, @blair_gun_band.

Alyssa Kuhl — October 24th, 2022