Juliana
Theory
Interview and Photo by Dustin Klein
I’m
sure that by now you have heard of the band The Juliana Theory.
Maybe through casual conversation with know it all record store
clerks, on one of the millions of on-line music e-zines, or
you are “cool” and you just know. Regardless, it is
getting harder and harder to avoid The Juliana Theory buzz that
has been steadily sweeping across…well, basically everywhere.
A portion of this new found recognition is because they have
and will tour with both hardcore bands and emo bands alike,
which is starting to become a common thing these days thanks
to bands like The Juliana Theory. Another reason, they play
exceptional music with pure emotion and power on stage and in
the studio. The only way to describe these five young gents
is as naturals that have a brand of heart filled pop/punk/rock
that bands will without a doubt attempt to duplicate without
coming close to The Juliana Theory. Like it or not they are
here to stay and will be getting bigger and bigger. Watch out
Staind, you’re about to get bumped.
Was the band created just for the Juliana Theory (experiment),
or was it formed through friends and then added to the experiment?
The band was formed to play music. We were just a group of friends
who came together in order to write a few songs and play a few
shows. The experiment is really not a part of what we are doing
anymore. The people working on that project have pretty much
halted what they were doing. We are just a rock band. Do you find that people pass judgment against the band because
you guys are on Tooth & Nail?
I think there are probably a few people who might disregard
us because we have records out on Tooth and Nail. I think this
would be the case with any label we might be on. Some people
do not listen to anything on major labels for instance. Everyone
has their own views. I would hope that people can look past
what method we use to distribute our music. In all honesty,
that is all that a record label really is. A label is merely
a way for musicians to get their music out in the market place.
We, as musicians, need the resources of record labels to promote
our music. If a person is so close minded that they would not
want to listen to our music because of the record label that
we are on, so be it. Because you are on Tooth & Nail do you have strongly
religious kids ask you to sing more about God and religion?
We have encountered that in the past. I think this is becoming
less and less of an issue for us. Just about everyone knows
that we take no stance spiritually as a band. We are not, and
never were a band with any religious agenda. We are a rock band
and are not concerned with catering to people’s opinions
on what we should or should not write music about and for. What do or don’t you want people to take away from your
music?
Our goals are simple. We want people to enjoy our music. Is there a story behind Josh Kosker joining the band and
Jeremiah Momper leaving it? Was it a messy break up? Did you
get Josh just because the band was on the rebound?
There is no major story behind Jeremiah’s departure and
Josh’s entrance into the band. Things were just not working
out artistically with Jeremiah. He had far different goals from
the rest of us, so we parted ways. Josh was an old friend of
ours, and we knew he was the man for the job. Does the band get any strange or creepy fan mail? If so like
what?
We do not usually get anything too strange. We have received
a few messages from people who said that they cut and scarred
themselves while listening to our music. That is terrible. How do you feel about major labels, would you guys consider
joining one?
We have no problem with the idea of signing with a major label.
If the right label offered us the right type of situation, we
would certainly consider signing. By the “right type of
situation,” I am referring to a label whose people really
understand our music and our goals. We would only sign with
a label that we feel has a firm grasp on what we are and what
we intend to be as a band. The label has to understand our direction
so as not to portray us as something we are not. We also need
to know that we will have the creative control over what we
are writing. I heard that if you had to classify your music you would
put it in the classic rock vein, so wouldn’t that be considered
modern classic rock? Can you see it taking over like “grunge”
or “alternative” did, or is that what you have been
planning all along with the Juliana experiment?
I don’t think we would consider ourselves “classic
rock.” We certainly are not classic yet. But honestly,
we are a rock band. It is fairly simple. I don’t really
have any idea why everyone is obsessed with labeling bands and
categorizing music. Music is what it is, and we are what we
are. We just play the music that we love.
I’m
sure that by now you have heard of the band The Juliana Theory.
Maybe through casual conversation with know it all record store
clerks, on one of the millions of on-line music e-zines, or
you are “cool” and you just know. Regardless, it is
getting harder and harder to avoid The Juliana Theory buzz that
has been steadily sweeping across…well, basically everywhere.
A portion of this new found recognition is because they have
and will tour with both hardcore bands and emo bands alike,
which is starting to become a common thing these days thanks
to bands like The Juliana Theory. Another reason, they play
exceptional music with pure emotion and power on stage and in
the studio. The only way to describe these five young gents
is as naturals that have a brand of heart filled pop/punk/rock
that bands will without a doubt attempt to duplicate without
coming close to The Juliana Theory. Like it or not they are
here to stay and will be getting bigger and bigger. Watch out
Staind, you’re about to get bumped.