The Juliana Theory is a five man band
from Pennsylvania that is one of the
better bands of the emo/punk/indie
genre to hit the scene. The band
started back in 1997 and have eight
releases to date. Interview done with
Juliana Theory frontman Brett Detar.
In past interviews when asked about the significance of the name “The Juliana Theory”, you have
said the band was thinking about changing the name to “The Theory”. What was the original concept
of the band’s name?
There was never a real concept behind the band’s name. We used to have an elaborate story that we
told involving sociology students and a huge experiment involving music and people’s responses to it,
but we got tired of telling the story. Now we tell the truth. The band was supposed to be a side project
that wouldn’t last and we just came up with a name before our first show. It has no meaning at all.
What was the main band that Juliana Theory was a side project from?
We were not a side project of any band per se, because most of us were in different bands. Chad and I
were in a band called Pensive. Fiedler and Kosker were in a pop punk band called Noisome. Kosker
was also the lead singer of a band called Dawson High. I was playing guitar for Zao at the time as well.
What caused the band to part ways with Tooth&Nail Records?
After Emotion is Dead was out for a good while, the label stopped doing anything at all to promote our
band. Most things that we asked them to do for us they couldn’t do or didn’t do. Now, almost everything
we asked for at the time is just protocol for the label. They do all of the stuff we wanted them to do back
then very well now. We just wanted to spread our wings a bit.
Juliana Theory does a lot of touring and as a result you meet a lot of your fans. What is the craziest
fan experience you’ve had?
I can’t think of anything too crazy. Our fans are the best fans in the entire world though. They are very
dedicated and extremely loyal. We have a huge number of fans that continually come to see us every
single time we are in their area for years now. I love our fans.
What bands are you currently listening to?
That’s a tough question because there are five of us and at most times all five of us are listening to very
different things. Currently, I am digging listening to Lovedrug every night on this tour. I am also on a big
Waylon Jennings and Bob Dylan kick. For the past year, it has been a lot of The Takeover UK, and I have
to admit I like the new System of a Down record a lot.
In past interviews you’ve stated that you don’t like explaining the meaning behind your lyrics
because you like people to formulate their own thoughts. Who was the song “Understand The
Dream Is Over” directed at and can you expand at all on the meaning of the song?
I can not pinpoint exactly who I wrote the lyrics of the song to. I am pretty sure I meant it in a somewhat
broader sense. A lotof it is about not believing everything you are told or taught. It is a song about
questioning authority. At least, that’s how I see it right this second.
You’ve been playing songs off the new album at shows and getting a good response. What should
fans be expecting with the new release in comparison to “Love”?
The reaction has been awesome so far. We are very excited by how kids have been digging the new
tunes when we play them live’s really more of a live record than we have ever made and the songs
seem to come across a lot better at shows. Deadbeat SWEETheartbeat is quite a bit different from Love.
First off, it is upbeat and fast. Love was mostly all mid tempo. Deadbeat is a good bit more raw and a lot
more stripped down. The songs have less overdubs and layering and have a lot more urgency and
excitement. The record soundsl ike we do live, not all processed and overdone like Love was at times. I
look at Deadbeat is a culmination of all of our first three records but with a more explosive edge and a lot
less friendly vibe, it’s like Emotion is Dead on crack.
You begin a tour tomorrow, what are you looking forward to most on this tour?
Well, we are just excited to be playing a new set of songs every night. It’s been a good couple of years
that we have been recycling songs in our set. We are finally debuting all kinds of new songs and really
changing the set list up every night. It is great to be finally bringing in some fresh blood into the setlist.
We still do lots of the old classics, but we get to add in a good bit of the new record every night. We are
also extremely happy to be able to tour with Lovedrug. We absolutely love that band. We plan to tour as
much as we can in support of this record. We’ll be doing the whole US and then heading over to Europe
and then Australia and Japan. Hopefully we can just make this thing work.Thanks a lot for the interview.
RIP JULIANA THEORY
(this is straight from the band themselves)
The Juliana Theory is Dead.
February 9, 2006
It’s a very sad moment for us. The time has come to say goodbye. This letter is the explanation and the official seal that
the 5 individuals who have been known as The Juliana Theory are leaving the band behind. Yes, what we are saying is
that we are broke up. There will be no final tour. Our last show was in Cologne, Germany on January 28, 2006.
When the band formed in 1997, our goal was to record a 3-song demo tape and to play a couple of shows in the
Greensburg/Pittsburgh area. Looking back on everything that weve done, we far surpassed anything we ever thought
possible when we started this thing. It’s been a wonderful ride and we all have many, many fond memories. We have
chosen to end the band for practical reasons. There is no fighting between the 5 of us. We are as close as we have ever
been. We just know it is time to say goodnight. We’ve been blessed in so many ways to have been able to do this for 9
years. However, many things have led to the decision to stop, although the thought of our die-hard fans has made it
much more difficult. We wanted to thank all of you who have bought our records, come to our shows, bought our
merchandise, downloaded our songs, shared our music with your friends, set up shows for us, housed us, fed us, worked to
promote us, shared the road with us, and shared your experiences with us. We are nothing without you all. We know it
sounds clich, but we couldnt be more honest. We have some of the sweetest and most loyal fans, family, and friends in
the world. We are indebted to you all. Everyone who has worked along with us, and all of the fans that have stuck with us
deserve our deepest praise. We have been honored by the love that has been poured out on us for the past 9 years.
Thank you all so much.
In short, that’s all there is to say. We could easily end this statement here, in fact, we are happy to end it here. But, to
end speculation, those of you who are inquisitive can read below the dotted line for the extended story (and when we
say, “Extended,” we mean it. It might as well be a book).
Thank You Sincerely,
Chad Alan, Josh Fiedler, Brett Detar, Josh Kosker, Josh Chip Walters