5 minute read
Meet Elana Justin of Motive Black
from Highwire Daze #147
by highwiredaze
Interview by Ken Morton - Photos by Jack Lue
Based out of the legendary Los Angeles music scene, Motive Black is a hard rocking band you’ll be hearing a lot more from in the months ahead! Fronted by vocalist Elana Justin, Motive Black just unleashed their debut album entitled Auburn, now available worldwide via AFM Records. Amongst the guest who appear on Auburn are Carla Harvey of the Butcher Babies, Ray Luzier of KORN, and Marcos Curiel of POD
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Elana recently did a photo shoot with famed photographer Jack Lue in downtown LA It was there we caught up with Elana to find out more about the intriguing music of Motive Black. Read on...
How did you end up signing with AFM Records? It was during Covid and I kind of thought the project was dead to a certain extent – because I put a lot of my own money into it. We had done an EP. We were about to do a bunch of shows, and Covid just shut us down. My manager started shopping a recorded live performance of us to a bunch of different labels – and a few reached out – and AFM seemed open to letting the artists make most of the decisions creatively – and I was really into that. And they were great – and that’s how it happened.
You have Nick Rowe (Bloodsimple, Vampire Weekend) working with you. How did you wind up meeting and working with him?
I came out here to LA. I was living in New York and had a band in New York – and I had some songs I wanted to rework. So, I came out to actually do a few Warped Tour shows on the Shira Girl stage. And I reworked a song with Nick and I loved how it came up – so I just kept bothering him until he would do a bunch of songs with me. I ended up moving out here and it was really awesome. We work really well together. It’s a really great collaborative process.
Is there any story or concept behind the Auburn album title?
Yes! So Auburn is the title track of the album, and it’s written about my sister who passed away about a year before I started writing the album. She lost her battle with addiction. And she had red hair – which she always thought wasn’t red – it was auburn, but it sounded nicer. So, Auburn.
What was it like working with Carla Harvey of the Butcher Babies and how did that collaboration come about?
So, I wrote Lift Me Up with Nick and we recorded it. And we thought it would be cool to have another woman on it – because it’s kind of like a badass song. And again, my manager was out to dinner with Carla and a bunch of other people – and he played the song and she was super into it. At the time there were a lot of Covid restrictions, so Carla actually recorded her part in Chicago and sent it to us. And she and I talked on the phone a lot, but we never actually got to meet in person until filming the music video. She was lovely to work with – she’s super supportive. She’s so kind and lovely – and she’s so bad ass onstage. She’s warm, super talented, really professional – it was really a pleasure to work with her.
Ray Luzier from KORN – how did he become involved with the album?
The guy who mixed all the songs on the album – his name is Josh Wilbur – and I got connected with him – he was working with KORN at the time on their album and he’s good friends with Nick Rowe and he was giving us feedback on the songs as we would do them because we valued his opinion. And he played the songs for Ray, and Ray was like, “Oh, I would get in on that.” Ray came in and I think did six songs in two days – it was so fun. It was the only time we actually recorded in a studio, because most of the album was me screaming in Nick’s face in his garage studio. But it was really awesome – Ray was really cool – and he really brought up the caliber of the songs. His drumming is unmatched, I think.
Of course, Marcos Curiel from POD is involved with the first single Broken. Let’s talk about that song and about working with Marcos. So, Marcos was super nice. He came in for a few hours and was playing around with some new guitar stuff – just to add some layers. And the song is sort of about how you build up walls and you think you’re surviving in life – you are – you’re surviving – but you’re not thriving – so you kind of have to break those down to let people in to live more fully.
How did your recent show at The Bourbon Room go and what were some of the highlights?
It was really cool to get onstage with this lineup and finally bring these songs to life. There were a few technical difficulties on this first song as it happens – the sound went off on my mic, But in general, it went pretty well and the reception was pretty good. I’m super excited for the next shows – we’re planning that now. We’re hoping like Fall will be a heavy show time for us. But yeah, it was great to bring them to life.
What could one expect from a live Motive Black show?
I think it’s very much an emotional roller coaster that I try to pull everyone into. I’m a really emotional person. Also, with an acting background, every song is a journey every time I sing it I get wrapped into it. Almost weirdly wrapped into each song. And that’s what I think is so cool about live shows – feeling a connection with other people and having them feel what I’m throwing at them.
I saw you had an entry on IMDB. Is acting something that still interests you at all?
I’ll never say never, but it’s not something that my focus is on right now. I think that you really have to make it your priority. I went to school for theater and I did a bit of TV and film and a lot of plays and things like that, but I feel much more myself performing music onstage.
If you could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
I don’t think we have similar music, but I would love to open for Joan Jett at some point – just because she’s been such an inspiration for me as a kid – and like a woman doing music. That would be like a dream mash up. I don’t know if we really go together, but it would be great.
Do you have any messages for people who are reading this in the magazine right now?
Keep an eye on us – we’re posting shows soon. I’d love to hear how to songs touch you or how you receive them. Find us at motiveblack.com or at Instagram motiveblack. And that’s it…