It’s probably not very often that you hear the term ‘Baroque n’ Roll’ used as a genre for a particular band. To be honest, I had never even heard of this term until it was thoughtfully used by Scott Masson, the drummer of the band The Juliets, to describe his band. ‘Baroque n’ Roll’ … le duh! Why didn’t I think of that?! According to Scott, it is a genre that an “old 1960s group, The Left Banke” was given and, in my opinion, it’s a pretty great way to categorize The Juliets.

The young band, fronted by Jeremy Freer, formerly the front man of Freer, has a very unique sound and has already gotten a lot of buzz in the Detroit area and beyond. The first time I laid my ears on the band I knew it was love.

Listen HERE for yourself.

I had the opportunity to ask Jeremy and Scott a few questions about the band. Here’s what they had to say:

How did everyone in the band come together to form The Juliets?

Jeremy: I met Kaylan (cello) at the end of 2008. We got to chatting about music and found we had a lot in common. Specifically that we both wanted to make music with more classical leaning where the strings weren’t just background or novelty instruments. I had a bunch of these songs laying around but I hadn’t met the right people to do them with. I played them for Kaylan and we started rehearsing within a week. We clicked right away and decided to make a go of it. Kaylan knew Sarah (violin) from school and she came on shortly after. We played a few shows as a 3 piece in the beginning of 2009 and the response was good. Scott is a long time friend and collaborator who had just recently moved back to Michigan from Chicago

Scott: Jeremy and I go back to our teen years in the Detroit punk/emo/space rock band called Fieldtree. We’ve worked with each other for half or our lives, whether it’s been on Jeremy’s music, or the music I make. After I saw them [The Juliets] at their 3rd show, I definitely thought the songs needed a lil’ backbeat behind some of the songs, so I suggested that they let me be their drummer/percussionist. I’ve got some concert band/showtunes chops, so I knew I’d be an alright fit for this type of ensemble.

Jeremy: Kip is another old friend who heard the music and wanted to be involved so it all happened pretty naturally.

Scott: Plus, Kip’s a huge Lady Gaga fan, and that is a requirement for anybody who even hangs out with us.

What bands, new or old, inspire you and influence your music?

Scott: Jeremy’s probably influenced by Chopin and some blues artists quite a bit as well. The ladies dig their Brahms and Lil’ Wayne. To me, Paolo Conte is the biggest influence on this type of songwriting. When we were recording the album, we were sonically referencing a lot of Left Banke, early Beatles, Motown, some mid-60s Brian Wilson, and even some Dr. Dre at certain points. In order to make a quality record, you really need to open up your mind, not worry about following any specific rules, and just test that encyclopedic knowledge of music you’ve been borrowing from throughout your entire life. Throw it all together into one primordial soup and hope that it works. The Juliets really do reference up to 20 artists within one production. Music is a borrowing game.

From what I’ve heard, you guys already have a really cohesive sound. Being a new band, was it difficult to achieve that so quickly?

Jeremy: Not really. I got lucky writing a few good tunes and everyone involved is so incredibly talented that it was a lot easier than it should have been. Don’t get me wrong. We worked hard on the record. It was no picnic but when things are right musically working hard on a record is a lot of fun.

Scott: I think when you have 5 musicians who are really good at playing multiple instruments/multiple genres in one band, it’s not going to take more than 5 seconds to make something decent. Not to mention, we aren’t limited in our scope, nor do we follow any flavor-of-the-month. Most importantly, when you have somebody like Jeremy writing the songs for the group, the arrangements fall into place quickly. His songs are just so well written. The recording is an extension of that comfort we all have with the composition, and a good song makes the entire production run smoothly.

When’s the new album called “Parade” going to be released?

Scott: The end of January, 2010. We’re putting it on the internet for free. It’s a bit much to ask for any money these days if you’re living in Michigan’s economy, and we’re so proud of this music, that we really just want people to hear it for now. The band is really just concerned with sharing this album, and performing with a lot of energy.

What do The Juliets have planned for the new year?

Jeremy: Putting the record out and playing shows locally an out of state of course. We are also working on a music video for the single “This Just In” which is being directed by the wonderful Katie Barkel who has directed videos for locals THE SILENT YEARS and some others from the Detroit area. The video should be out by the end of February.

Want more? Visit myspace.com/julietsband

(JoJo Yang)
Jojo Yang is our resident musician/DJ/producer/badass.. and YOU can follow her on twitter @yojojoyo