“If you’re gonna be an artist in Detroit, there’s a creativity here that there isn’t in every other place. Your art has to be a vehicle for the imagination,” said Jeremy Freer, guitarist, pianist and vocalist for Detroit band The Juliets. “I feel like musically were doing something that nobody else in Detroit is doing. I’m proud to say that I’m from Detroit, because the musical heritage that we have is amazing.”
Local independent band The Juliets, which boasts dual citizenship in Detroit and Ypsi, consists of Jeremy Freer on guitar, piano and vocals, Sarah Myers on violin and vocals, Anthony Machese on cello, Ashton Hopkins on bass and vocals and Jax Phillips on drums. The group plays ornate pop music with classical influence, including the use of orchestra instruments as well as rock rhythms and lyrics that will stick to the inside of your brain.
The Juliets’ drummer Phillips and string players Myers and Machese, graduates of Eastern Michigan University, offer classical training to the band’s musical repertoire, giving the group a spiritual texture from the blend of instruments and quality of sound.
“I can fake it, and I’m a good hack, but they’re actually classically trained,” Freer said. “They’re actually good musicians,” he says with a laugh.
Constantly learning other people’s music can make you “too rigid,” according to Freer. “Classically trained musicians are not always loose and open. I’m coming from the other side where I taught myself everything, and my band mates can really roll with that.”
Violinist Sarah Myers enjoys the freedom of working with The Juliets.
“It gives me room to pursue my own music creatively,” Myers said. In other venues of music like an orchestra, “you don’t get to write your own music, and here I can.”
Jeremy might be a self-taught musician, but he brings a distinct song-writing style to the table.
“Everybody writes about the same thing, they just write about it in different ways. Life, love, God; everything that we live. Everyone focuses on different angles, but that’s what everyone writes about. Lyrically, I try to make it hold up to the melody, which is the most important part,” Freer said.
In their three years together, The Juliets have produced two albums, 2010 self-titled album “The Juliets” and their most recent album from 2011, “Perfect Season”.
“The first album, ‘The Juliets,’ is a little darker,” Freer said. “I was thinking about God and love in more of a negative way than the new album. I imagine it’s because both have positive and negative sides, and depending on what’s going on in your life, you’ll be influenced to look at it in a different way. Unfortunately people are not influenced by reason and logic. We’re also really heavily influenced by circumstance and the actions of other people.”
While these influences are part of the creative process, when it comes down to it, the music must come from within.
According to Freer, “Making good art means, when it’s time to create, it’s time to ignore your influences and think about the moment, the instrument, get in your head and your soul, and play.
“You learn as much as you can, and when it’s time to actually do, you try do something that’s unique and yours. Sometimes you make shitty things that sound like something else. Every once in a while, you can come up with something good and original.”
Myers believes The Juliets has, “a totally different sound than people are used to hearing.”
He isn’t alone, according to Freer, “There’s a 50 percent chance it’s better than whatever you’re
listening to right now. It can be pretty relative, but if you’re looking for something that’s extremely full with multiple melodies layered on to the end and lyrics that aren’t just cheeky or cool, then you might want to listen to it.”
To do so, visit their website www.thejuliets.bandcamp.com and have a listen to their albums. A hard copy of “The Juliets” is going for $6 and “Perfect Season” for $8. The band is playing at Blind Pig at 208 S. First St. in Ann Arbor at 9:30 p.m. March 29, and in Chicago, Ill. on April 11, catch The Juliets performing at Schubas. “It’s worth checking out,” Myers said.
