The Juliana Theory | |
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Origin | Greensburg and Latrobe, Pennsylvania, United States |
Genres | Emo, rock, indie rock |
Years active | 1997–2006, 2010 |
Labels | Tooth & Nail, Epic, Paper Fist, Abacus, Mightier Than Sword |
Associated acts | Pensive |
Website | www |
Past members |
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The Juliana Theory was an American rock quintet from Greensburg and Latrobe, Pennsylvania. They signed to Tooth & Nail Records, and later to Epic Records for the release of the album Love. They released four studio albums before disbanding in 2006. The band played eight reunion shows in Summer 2010.
The Juliana Theory was formed in 1997 by Joshua Fiedler and Neil Hebrank (formerly of the band Noisome) along with Chad Monticue (former singer for Pensive), Jeremiah Momper, and Brett Detar (who also split his time as a guitarist for Zao and Pensive at the time).
Detar and Monticue were childhood friends while Fiedler met Detar as classmates at a nearby high school. The members formed The Juliana Theory in 1997 as a side-project while they played in other bands. "We really started out as a joke," recalls Detar. "Slowly, we started to like the music we were making in The Juliana Theory more than the music we were making in our regular bands. Eventually, everyone committed to make this their full-time band".
According to an interview on the website Tapout Zine, 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. 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". In an interview lead singer Brett Detar told Lina Lecaro of the Los Angeles Times that the band's name was "pretty stupid," adding, "Let's just say this: Every band has a name and for better or worse, this is ours".
Their first performance was at a concert at Saint Vincent College booked by Christopher Pecoraro, as an opening act, but their fame grew quickly. They were spotted by Brandon Ebel of Tooth & Nail Records on the Cornerstone Music Festival impromptu stage, which showcased unsigned talent. A split EP with the band Dawson High on Arise Records marked the band's recorded debut. Shortly after The Juliana Theory signed a multi-album deal with Seattle-based Tooth & Nail records.