60. The Band She Almost Never Started — Pearl Fontaine on Fear and Pop Punk

Ep.60: Pearl Fontaine dropped out of a lyric writing class in college because she wasn't ready to share herself. Years later, a bonfire in rural North Carolina changed everything.The lead singer of Post American Gothic grew up singing with her gospel-singing grandfather, chasing musical theater, and getting rejected from arts school… twice. After a stint at Berklee, a year in Brooklyn that ended with COVID, and a stretch of not making music at all, Pearl landed back in her small-town North Carolina roots with a new mission: start a band. What came out of that bonfire jam session with her now-husband Brandyn is a pop punk project with prog rock edges, hip-hop-influenced production, and a sound that defies every box Pearl spent years trying to fit into.IN THIS CONVERSATION, WE GET INTO:Getting rejected from arts school twice and how it redirected her entire creative pathThe COVID bonfire that accidentally launched Post American GothicWhy self-consciousness is still the biggest thing holding her back — and how she's fighting itPlaying three-hour sets that are 80% originals in a town with no real music venuesThe real meaning behind their single "Hello, Hello" — a letter to her younger selfABOUT PEARL FONTAINE:Pearl Fontaine is the lead singer of Post American Gothic, a pop punk band from Elizabeth City, North Carolina. With a background in musical theater, flute, and a year at Berklee College of Music, Pearl brings a classically trained voice to a band whose sound pulls from prog rock, emo, hip-hop production, and indie. She also works full-time at a local arts nonprofit where she teaches music to youth.CONNECT WITH PEARL FONTAINE / POST AMERICAN GOTHIC:Instagram (Band): instagram.com/postamericangothicInstagram (Pearl): instagram.com/pearl_fontaineLinktree: linktr.ee/postamericangothicSpotify: open.spotify.com/artist/2ueAojdjjzcLqGCmE6U4WXApple Music: music.apple.com/us/artist/post-american-gothic/1654095587Listen to "Hello, Hello": open.spotify.com/track/6mlIAityeBZjoyu3ngttA3MORE RESOURCES:Follow the OFFICIAL "loves music" playlist on Apple Music:https://music.apple.com/library/playlist/p.4Y0J406i03DQrX"loves music" playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qE3kq89oyg3tFNbmRfHEO?si=vopaKQnNS8OHn0r2fFTVBgCheck out the "loves music" podcast website: https://www.podpage.com/loves-music/Julian on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julianjones417/Julian on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@julianjones417Check out Julian's book: https://a.co/d/0hzWNkiDThis podcast is managed by Wildwave Podcasting: https://www.wildwavepodcasting.comMUSIC MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Songs:"Hello, Hello" — Post American Gothic"Take Your Medicine" — Post American Gothic"Porcelain" — Post American Gothic"Carried by Birds" — Post American GothicArtists & Bands:Post American GothicParamore / Hayley WilliamsCirca SurviveBon IverSweet PillPool KidsDead Poets SocietyAziyaMagnolia ParkFirsunThe WarningSleep TokenSara BareillesIngrid MichaelsonRegina SpektorBloc PartyLed ZeppelinThe EaglesBeck