Outfitted: AJ Jackson and Greg Erwin of ‘Saint Motel’
If you aren’t already listening to these guys, you damn well should be.
It was a random afternoon when the boys of Saint Motel decided to form their indie pop band back in 2009. “Our origins go back to film school in Southern California,” lead vocalist AJ Jackson tells Maxim. “I met Aaron and we bonded over a shared taste in music, Dak was a sushi chef in the area, and Greg went to a school nearby.”
After the group’s creation, success came at a steady pace, with the release of several eclectic EPs with a full length studio album thrown in the mix. It was in 2014 with the release of their latest EP, My Type, that propelled Saint Motel into stardom with multiple tours (both US and international), a main stage Coachella performance, and late night talk show appearances. These were the guys you wanted to be listening to.
“Maybe there’s just something timeless and fun about this collection of songs, and lucky for us, we’ve struck a chord with a much larger audience on this EP,” drummer Greg Erwin tells Maxim. AJ believes they owe their unique sound to the in-house style, brought to you in part by the rough sounds of east Los Angeles mixed with coastal Santa Barbara. “There’s a certain roughness to the recordings that you get from DIY, like sirens bleeding into the mics and beer bottles breaking in the background,” he said. “Plus, we laced the album with highly addictive narcotics, that might help separate it a bit.”
Whether it’s their unique sound or their strong breakfast game (AJ and Greg say they take the morning meal “very seriously”), Saint Motel has managed to set itself apart in an industry where standing out in a crowd is the most important way to live. With a new album somewhere on the horizon, prepare to see a lot more of this on-the-rise LA indie band very, very soon.
AJ and Greg talked with Maxim about their favorite music to listen to, personal style, and versatile curse words.
AJ: My favorite curse is ‘scram!’ When you tell some kids to ‘scram,’ it’s amazing. You have to try it.
Greg: I would say I’m an ‘F’ word guy, really. It’s just so versatile, beautiful, and effective.
AJ: One of the perks of spending a lot of time in Italy is that we’ve come across some really great clothes. I have a closet full of Italian tailored suits that I like to experiment with. They get a bit beat up at our live shows cause I tend to roll around on the ground or jump off things a lot so they have this ‘tattered jeans feel’ to ’em.
Greg: I think everyone in our band has a favorite shirt or two that are allowed to be worn twice before laundry day. Mine are both shirts I got in Italy, a long sleeve black/white paisley, and a short sleeve Southwestern style print, both collared, and both spicy. Both really, really sexy, too.
AJ: One artist I can listen to over and over without getting bored of is Bowie, all the way.
Greg: I’d go with Kendrick Lamar & Fleet Foxes. If they ever made an album together, I might implode.
AJ: Every man, no matter his style, could benefit from outlandish socks. A little subtle flair to spice it up a bit.
Greg: Every guy must have dressy shoes or dressy boots. C’mon guys, show off those puppies that get you around so well.
AJ: If I’m looking for new clothes, I’m a big fan of Ben Sherman, Ted Baker, and some of my more recent Italian finds like Boglioli and this great brand call OVS.
Greg: As a high fashion guy with expensive taste and thick thighs, I find that the best fitting skinny jeans on the market for me are at.. Target. So yeah, mic dropped.
Need some style inspiration? Check out all our other ‘Outfitted’ columns here.
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