With their
first-ever music video “Etiquette,” punk rockers MAJORS tee off with blood,
laughs, and golf course chaos. We spoke to lead singer, Justin Camarena, about
music, murder, and mastering absurdity.
1.
Congrats on the release of “Etiquette”! It’s your first-ever music video — what
was it like seeing your music translated into visuals for the first time?
Thanks so much! Seeing the first cut of this was so awesome. The director,
Peter Schnobb, had a wild idea of killing someone on the golf course. He
approached the idea with some hesitation, but we were 100% on board. He took
over and we are thrilled with the final product.
2. The concept behind “Etiquette” is both hilarious and relatable. What
inspired you to write a song about a terrible golf partner?
Well, we always say that golf is our favorite thing to do other than playing
music. That’s how this whole band came about. Anyone who plays has had a round
where the person they were paired with is mildly annoying. We just took that
idea and multiplied it by 1,000.
3. You mentioned that the video ends with “murdering a guy.” How did that
wild idea make its way from concept to final cut?
That goes back to my previous answer with Peter. He mentioned it and then we
all just started laughing and making ideas of things we found funny. Things
escalated and blood was involved.
4. What was it like working with Juno Award-winning cinematographer Peter Schnobb on the video? How did that collaboration come about?
I used to live in Ottawa when I was in my previous band, The Fully Down. This was back in 2007 and I knew Peter from around that time. He was already well into making videos and I had seen some of his stuff and knew he was very good. Our new guitar player, Nate, is very good friends with Peter and he asked if he would be willing to work with us on this. Once he was on board, he exceeded any expectations we had about this video. He does this for a living and it was awesome to see someone that good at their job willing to help us out.
5. The video was filmed at Irish Hills Golf and Country Club in Ottawa. How supportive were they of the not-so-golf-club-friendly storyline?
This was my big question! I was like, “Are you sure you guys are cool with this? We are going to kill a guy on your course?” Jeff and Pete (Pete and his dog Beethoven have a cameo in the video) were so pumped on making this happen. They offered so much support. Pete even offered driving an old golf cart into a lake OR disposing of the body in their new wood chipper for the shoot! Sadly, we did not have the manpower for those kinds of special effects, but it gives you an idea of how much they were down for the cause. My biggest concern was staying out of the golfer's way while we were shooting. This meant very early mornings and late nights for the two day shoot.
6. Your music blends early 2000s punk energy with golf-themed storytelling — not a combo we see every day. How did that unique identity evolve?
Bricks and I were in a band together way back in 2007. We were both working on new songs for The Fully Down and I mentioned that I only found inspiration for lyrics on the golf course. I figured I would write silly lyrics about golf and we could always go back and change them later. It got more serious as we went on our annual golf trip and we decided to just do it. Yes, it is ridiculous, but it’s so much fun.
7. “Etiquette” was mixed and mastered by Dean Hadjichristou, known for working with bands like Parkway Drive. How did his production style elevate the track?
Dean is what makes these tracks sound “real.” I am in Charleston, SC and the rest of the fellas are in Ottawa. We have home studios and can get the songs sounding decent, but when we get them back from Dean, it takes it to another level. He is the fucking best and such a great dude.
8. Your 2024 EP Songs in the Key of Golf already hinted at your direction, but this single feels even more refined. What growth do you see in your sound since then?
We like to write the same kind of songs we grew up listening to. I feel like the music you really latched on to in your formative years will always be what you love the most. And the songs we are writing are all based on that. We don’t really have big plans of “what we want to sound like.” We just make songs that we want to hear. Currently, we have about 26 songs we are working on for our first full length record. Our plan is to finish those, pick the 10-12 we like best and take it from there.
9. What’s the writing dynamic like within the band? How do you balance humor with genuine punk energy?
The music always comes first. I always lean towards fast songs and have to be told that we can’t have the skate-punk beat on every single song (I beg to differ but it is what it is.) On our first release, it was just me and Bricks writing and recording all the songs and instruments. I would say that it was more drum and vocal focused. Now that we have a full band together, the newer songs have a lot more cool parts where everyone can add a little spice in.
10. You’re all seasoned musicians with previous bands like The Fully Down and We Were Sharks. How have those experiences shaped the chemistry in MAJORS?
It’s great playing with guys that can nail their parts and play well. Our first show was on May 10th in Ottawa. I flew up from Charleston and my first time playing with the band was the night before. We just went right through the set and played the show the next day without any major issues. This was a huge difference from when I was in bands in my early 20s struggling to not fuck everything up.
11. You've hinted at more singles and a full-length album on the way in 2026. Can fans expect more golf-themed anthems, or are you expanding the concept?
For now, MAJORS is all about golf. I understand that is absurd, but that is what I like about it. Could there be a time where we write a “real” record about real life problems? Maybe, but we have a good 10 full-length records about golf before we need to think about that.
12. Finally, if you could challenge any famous golfer to a round — who would it be, and what MAJORS song would you play on repeat to throw them off?
My god, what a fantastic question. The easy answer would be Patrick Reed while playing our song “Liar.” Golfers have seen the clips of him improving his life in the rough and in the bunkers… And the song “Liar” is about playing with someone who always cheats.
However, I am not here to throw shade. So, I would pick Viktor Hovland for the good vibes. He is a pro golfer who listens to death metal so he has to be cool.
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