Justin Pierre was raised in Mahtomedi, Minnesota. During his childhood, he enjoyed skateboarding and listening to hip-hop such as Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys. Pierre attended Mahtomedi High School, where he developed an interest in indie rock. Pierre played guitar and sang in a band called Slide Coaster, who released an album in 1995 titled Thrown. The group eventually disbanded, leaving Pierre to focus more on his hobby of making short films. However, his friend Joshua Cain convinced him to continue making music and recruited Pierre to join his band, which would eventually become Motion City Soundtrack.
Musical career
Justin Pierre formed Motion City Soundtrack in 1997 with friend Joshua Cain, becoming the lead singer as well as playing rhythm guitar. He and Cain both previously took stints on the moog synthesizer in the band, until the foundation of the current lineup. Pierre was the primary lyricist for the band, noted for his pronounced sideburns, wild hair and glasses. Motion City Soundtrack released its third album on September 18, 2007 entitled Even If It Kills Me. Pierre has struggled with alcohol and substance abuse problems in the past, and during the recording of the albumCommit This To Memory, he relapsed and binge drank due to the ending of a relationship. Pierre suffers from asthma, having to use his inhaler on stage at times. The band released its fourth album, My Dinosaur Life, on January 19, 2010. Pierre recently was "trucking along on The Dino Trail" to promote the album. He began his promotional tour in Chicago on November 1 and was making his way around the United States doing "meet ups, impromptu performances, in store appearances, and other shenanigans that will surely ensue along the way." The band's 5th album, Go, was released on June 12, 2012. The band's sixth album, Panic Stations, was released on September 18, 2015.
Film making
Pierre makes short films, went to Minneapolis Community and Technical College for film, but did not complete a degree. He now works on independent short films while at home, recording, and on tour. His most famous is titled "Karen" and was in a few film festivals early winter and spring 2007, including the 3rd annual Griffon International Film Festival and The Sacramento International Film Festival. Pierre has been involved in the direction of music videos for fellow bands. He co-directed the music video for "Big Drag" by Limbeck, as well as co-directing with Shane Nelson the video for Sing It Loud's "No One Can Touch Us", which was produced by MCS' guitarist Joshua Cain.
Other works
In addition to singing for Motion City Soundtrack, Justin has sung guest vocals on Fall Out Boy's "Chicago is So Two Years Ago", Small Towns Burn A Little Slower's "Alias: The Bookkeeper", Metro Station's "Kelsey", Sing It Loud's "We're Not Afraid", The Rocket's "Shadow" and is thought to have been heard singing numerous times on the Limbeck album Hi, Everything's Great. He also sings and helped write a song with Michigan City band, Grown Ups, called Are You Kitten Me? Justin Pierre was featured in Revolution on Canvas, Volume 2: Poetry From the Indie Music Scene, a compilation of poetry from the indie music scene, inputting a short story about the love and loss of a certain person in his life who was also addicted to alcohol. Pierre also produced two songs on Metro Station's self-titled debut album. Pierre recently joined sci-fi legend Lance Henriksen, horror icons Bill Moseley, Danielle Harris and Tiffany Shepis, as well as AFI'sDavey Havok and Battlestar Galactica's Nicki Clyne in the cast of the "illustrated film" series Godkiller. Pierre voices the lead role of Tommy, a boy on a mission to save his dying sister in a post-nuclear wasteland. Pierre is also in a band called Farewell Continental, which until recently he wasn't revealed as a member. The group's first full-length album was released on May 10, 2011, followed by a United States tour. Pierre and his wife, Lindsay Pierre, host a podcast called Book Narcs, in which the couple ask guests about their book history and interests. Pierre and his wife welcomed their first child, a daughter named Max, in early 2015. In 2017, Pierre announced The Rapture Twins, a rock collaboration between himself and Game InformerExecutive Editor Andrew Reiner. The band's lyrics and branding reflect themes from the world of video games. Their first single, "Would You Kindly?," was released on February 14, 2017. It was followed by the group's second single, "Eternity," which was released during Game Informer's November 2017 Extra Life charity event, with all proceeds from the single's sale going to Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare.
Equipment
Pierre plays a variety of Fender Telecasters from Fender Telecaster Deluxes, to Fender Telecaster Customs to American Fender Telecasters. He has also played a Gibson SG in the past.
