Most Precious Blood have gone through the proverbial fucking ringer in their illustrious musical careers. They have parted with singers, drummers, and guitar players and still managed to outlast their peers and remain relevant. Most Precious Blood have done what was necessary in order to keep the band afloat. This could be mostly credited to Justin, the bands guitar player as well as the principle songwriter. Justin took some time from his busy schedule touring the world to answer some of my questions. Here ya go…

Dominicanedge: You guys have gone from your original singer Tom to Artie (Millhouse) back to Tom again, now you’re with Rob (One King Down). This type of attrition is usually attributed to drummers. What’s the deal with you guys and vocalists? What led up to Tom leaving, again?

Justin: Haha, I don't really know what our deal is. I'm on good terms with both Artie and Tom so I don't know... I guess we just treat the vocalist/singer or whatever you wanna call them, as another member of the band, another instrument, like a singer should be treated, as part of a team. There isn't any ego David Lee Roth bullshit, so if a problem came up, we just dealt with it, just like you would a drummer or anyone else in the band. We were all equal, and I guess since I've always done a majority of the writing for the band, music and lyrics, we never felt like replacing a singer would be a crippling move. We could always retain the majority of our material as long as I was in the band. So I guess I'm pretty much the asshole. I don't know... I mean obviously there were reasons why we parted ways with Tom and with Artie, but I love what we did with both of them in both bands. I mean, I've known Tom for over a decade, we always worked well together and I guess sometimes other shit just got in the way, same with Artie. But I don't regret anything really. I'm proud of what we did with Artie and Tom and I'm proud of what we're doing now with Rob. I think it just comes down to everyone in the band being happy. We're at a point now with MPB where this is all we do for work, we pay our rent and bills and stuff from the band, but we aren't Metallica or some shit where we make SO much money that we'll just deal with someone we aren't getting along with in the band because its a job. Its not like we're co-workers and we just smile and deal with each other because we're all getting paid at the end of the week, its still important for everyone to get along. Having fun should be the top priority. I think the line up we have now with Rob, is the best yet, and as far as behind the scenes shit, we all get along real well, no one fights, theres no bullshit, its really cool. For the first time, everyone seems to be on the same page.

Dominicanedge: Is Rob working out or will we be seeing Tom for the Three-peat?

Justin: I think I answered this one with my mouth diarrhea on the last question. I guess I should learn to read ahead. Now I feel like I fucked up on a Scantron test. Rob is working out great.

Domincanedge: Should we expect a brand new Most Precious Blood with the addition of the new vocalist or is it going to be business as usual?

Justin: Business as usual. No crazy changes, we're still doing a lot of the same songs and its still going to be me writing the majority of the new music, so its gonna be the same old shit you either love or loathe.

Dominicanedge: Why the change of name from Indecision? You guys could’ve just ridden the wave with old name.

Justin: Yeah, especially with getting Tom back, I think it would've been more than justified but I think at the time we just wanted a fresh start and a new paint job on the whole thing. I'm still glad we did it. I'd feel like we were dragging things through the mud if we were still Indecision at this point. Plus changing the name means everyone can romanticize about the good ole glory days of Indecision. Trust me, it wasn't that great and half of you weren't there anyway. But I'm proud of Indecision and all the stuff we accomplished, no matter what or where I stand with all the ex-members.

Dominicanedge: The Most Precious Blood songs seem to take a more Metal approach to the songwriting, while still maintaining a hardcore sensibility. Was that a conscious decision to make this project something a little fresher than your last project or was it purely accidental?

Justin: Really? I think the total opposite. The final Indecision record, "Release The Cure", was the most metal we had ever laid down. We should've all had long hair on that record. I think the MPB stuff is a lot more stripped down, and that was our plan. We wanted to strip everything down and just give you the meat and potatoes. I was getting sick of the metal at the time, everyone was doing the same shit, the same triad chords and sweeping arpeggios. Suddenly guitar solos were cool in hardcore. So I wanted to do a reactionary band that brought back the style we all grew up listening to, the classic NYC shit like the Mags, Sick Of It All, AF, etc and the West coast stuff we all loved like Unbroken, Undertow, Outspoken... shit like that. That was our vision at least, I think what wound up coming out was a little off target but we're happy with it. And now people say "Release The Cure" was their favourite Indecision record. I don't get it. I like that album a lot as well, its probably one of my favorites too, but I couldn't write those same songs today.

Dominicanedge: What lies ahead for the band with regards to touring and a new record?

Justin: We keep getting offered tours so its hard to say no and just sit down and record the new album. Its a tough juggle because both things are very important to us right now, especially recording new stuff with Rob now on vocals. But we've managed to squeeze out 7 new songs so far. We're gonna demo the songs before the next tour and then try to hit the studio for real this summer. We just did a few weeks with Biohazard, which was awesome. Now we're off for a few weeks and then we hit the road with A.F.I., after that we go out with Bane and Terror and then we hit Europe with Madball for a month or so. So we're pretty busy.

Dominicanedge: How does it feel to be one of the only bands still standing while most of your peers from the mid 90’s hardcore scene have faded away? What do you think makes you guys different?

Justin: What makes us different isn't really for me to say and I really have no idea, except the fact that we're all sincere and no-bullshit-type people. We don't have any fantasies or delusions. We love what we're doing, we take it seriously and we try to do it well. Its crazy going to shows now and thinking that we've been doing this for over 10 years now. I never thought I'd be one of the older guys in the scene and I guess I'm really not. I still feel like I'm 12 going to see Merauder at the Crazy Country Club and getting chairs thrown at me. I think we're still here because we love the music and we always have. I know a few of the old Indecision guys never even looked at their instruments since we broke up. I couldn't imagine that. I guess I'm just in a state of arrested development but I mean after 10 years of this, we're finally paying our rent and stuff with the band and that’s something that we never even set out to do. We never had goals like that and we never thought we'd get to that level so I guess its cool and rewarding for sticking around for a while, but age and time spent in the scene doesn't mean shit. If your heart is in the right place, thats all that matters. The people that scream the loudest are always the first ones to go anyway. I/we may have been around for a while now, but you won't find me crossing off days on my calendar. I just do this because I truly love it.

Domincanedge: Since I hate almost everything, what’s some good new shit I should be checking out?

Justin: Nah, there’s nothing out there. I listen to the same shit over and over. Lately I've been rocking a lot of Stevie Wonder and Elton John. No, I'm not gay.

Dominicanedge: If you could’ve written one song from the past, what would that song be and why?

Justin: "Rise Above" by Black Flag because that was the first song I ever heard that really inspired me. I think that song alone formed a million bands. If I could be that passively influential and inspiring, I would be psyched.

Dominicanedge: I hear that you have, what some might consider, an obsessive preoccupation with dogs. What’s the deal, yo?

Justin: My obsession is mostly with pit bulls, because in my opinion they are the sweetest and most human breed. They sleep under the covers and snore like freight trains. They know when to lay in your lap and when to attack. They are also the most misunderstood breed. Dogs are the only sincere thing left on this planet. They are honest with all their emotions. They beg and have no shame. They're loyal and great for comic relief. No bullshit, no drama. I am really "into" rescuing dogs and adopting dogs. I think buying dogs should be illegal. Rachel and I adopted two pit bulls from kill shelters, Budgie and Basil. They are the love of my life, no shit. The more people I meet, the more I love my pit bulls. Check out petfinder.org before you go to a pet store looking for a new friend.

Go peep the vid for “Less Than Zero” at http://www.mostpreciousblood.com/