Juliana Theory passionate about `Deadbeat`

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Friday, October 7, 2005
Juliana Theory passionate about ‘Deadbeat’
By Bill Greenwood
Ever since its release in 2000, The
Juliana Theory has been haunted by the
spectre of its underground-embraced second full-length album, Emotion Is Dead.
The record, widely considered to be the
group’s finest work, has been held up
as the standard against which all future
Juliana Theory albums will be judged.
However, according to lead singer Brett
Detar, Emotion Is Dead can’t even hope to
hold a candle to his band’s latest release,
Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat.
“It’s like, Emotion Is Dead this and
Emotion Is Dead that, but if you listen
to Emotion Is Dead, it’s kind of long,”
Detar said. “I think there’s some songs
that could have definitely been left off the
record, and this record has no songs that
should be left off. There’s no filler at all.”
Such talk isn’t uncommon from the
group’s members. They’re not egotistical or stuck up in any way, just confident in their new record, which Detar
has proclaimed the band’s “best album.”
According to him, one of the main reasons
for Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat’s superiority
is the way in which it was recorded. The
band members, gathered in one room,
recorded all of the album’s instrumentals
at the same time, with only Detar’s vocals
added to the mix later.
“We’ve been trying to make a record
for a long time that captures what we
sound like live, and we’ve kind of failed
at that miserably in the past,” Detar said.
“This record actually sounds a lot more
like what we do when we actually play in
a room together. That was something that
was really important.”
Bass player Chad Alan agreed, adding
that the process lent the record a more
energetic feel.
“We went for takes more than precision, sitting in chairs and playing precisely,” he said. “We just wanted to go
for more energy, more feeling. I think we
accomplished that.”
Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat, described by
Photo by Al Viciedo
Juliana Theory lead singer Brett Detar, rocks out during a performance at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, N.J. on Tuesday, Sept. 6.The band, which recently wrapped up its tour of
the East Coast, is currently performing in the Midwest and West in support of its latest album, Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat, which was released on Tuesday, Sept. 13.
Detar as “a combination of all our other
records that we’ve done in the past, all put
together in a blender on speed,” has been
raising eyebrows due to its faster, more
rocking sound. According to Alan, the
decision to go for this kind of style was a
conscious one, fueled by the band’s desire
to distance itself from its previous album,
Love.
“We’ve always done that with each
[record],” Alan said. “I remember when
Emotion Is Dead came out, I was worried
because it was so different from the first
one [Understand This Is a Dream].”
Also contributing to the band’s apparent distaste for its previous album was the
interference of major label Epic, which
signed the band in 2001 (the group has
Dark Knight set to brighten BLC this weekend
By John Schulter
Photo copyright Warner Bros. Studios
Christian Bale, the new face of Batman, follows in the footsteps of Michael Keaton
and others in Batman Begins, which is playing in the BLC Theater this weekend.
100505entertainment_spread.indd 1
since returned to its indie roots, releasing
its new album on Detar’s Abacus Records
imprint, Paper Fist). While Epic did not
interfere in the band’s creative process in
any way, the label did have a strong say in
which tracks actually made their way onto
Love, according to Alan.
“Some of the tracks that they wanted
to put on the record were a couple more
than we would’ve put on the album,” he
said. “Personally, I think maybe three
could’ve come off that album.”
However, the band’s approach to
recording was the main reason for Love’s
failure, said Detar.
“The biggest thing that affected our
last record was that we rushed and tried to
do it really quickly, “ he said. “[For] this
record [Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat] we spent
a really long amount of time, maybe too
long, writing all the songs.”
With a new album inevitably comes a
new tour, and The Juliana Theory certainly hasn’t shirked its duty in this respect.
The band recently wrapped up a primarily
east-coast tour with bands Lovedrug, Days
Away and The Goodwill and is currently
trekking through the Midwest and West
with bands JamisonParker, June and The
Fury. The group has been enjoying trying
out its new material on a live audience,
according to Alan.
“We were kind of nervous the first
couple of shows, but now it’s getting a
little bit easier to play [the new songs],” he
said. “It’s a comfort thing, for everybody
to get used to it.”
The band has also been modifying
some of its older songs, updating them to
fit in with its more recent work. One track
that has benefited most from this treatment has been “August in Bethany,” off of
Understand This Is a Dream, said Detar.
“We changed it up a good bit,” he
said. “It’s a little more dreamy now and
lush, with kind of a driving emotion.”
The jury is still out on whether
Juliana Theory fans will embrace Deadbeat
Sweetheartbeat with the same vigor as
Emotion Is Dead. However, even if the
fans’ standard remains fixed, the band
members can take pride in producing a
work that, in their eyes, far outshines anything they’ve done before.
“I think it’s our best record,” Detar
said. “Hands down.”
Batman, starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson,
took audiences by storm as they watched one of the most
legendary comic books of all time come to life in 1989.
This dark and twisted tale tells of a boy whose parents
were killed in front of his eyes. He then grows up to fight
crime dressed as a bat. This may sound crazy, but people
were able to identify with this character, which made him
so believable.
After its fairly solid sequel, Batman Returns, and two
more horrible films, Batman Forever and Batman and
Robin, it looked as if the Batman series, after a promising
start, fell flat on its face. However, director Christopher
Nolan (Memento) and actor Christian Bale (American
Psycho) teamed up for the resurrection that would reinvent Batman like never before. Batman Begins has a fresh
and innovative perspective, which deals with the origins
of the character while incorporating a fresh storyline.
Batman Begins offers a new and enlightening story
of billionaire Bruce Wayne (Bale) as he transforms into
Batman. From watching his parents get brutally mur-
dered to his time in jail, Wayne discovers his true calling:
to become a crime fighter who attempts to bring justice
to an immensely corrupt city, Gotham. His fears and lust
for revenge fuel his training with a mysterious instructor
named Henri Ducard (Liam Nelson), who is associated
with a secret cult called the League of Shadows. However,
when he realizes Gotham City is in need of justice,
he must turn his back on the League of Shadows and
save Gotham from villains who cause chaos in the once
peaceful city.
Batman Begins is a terrific start to revive this once
dead series. It really holds true to what Batman is all
about. It was not turned into an action kid’s movie, but
is a realistic and dark tale of how a boy, having dealt with
a terrible tragedy, grows up to try to validate it. Wayne’s
constant internal struggle with the death of his parents,
and whether or not to pursue his quest for revenge, is
evident throughout the film.
The performance of Bale is remarkable as he brings a
dark and conflicted Bruce Wayne to life. Liam Nelson is
great as well. Also the supporting roles played by Michael
Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman were on the
money and each played an essential role in Wayne’s journey.
The story was incredible and keeps viewers at the
edge of their seats. Batman’s background, which was
not revealed in this kind of detail in any of the previous
Batman movies, was told to perfection and ties in beautifully with the story. Batman’s look was dark and terrifying
which is the way it should be.
The music set the tone for the movie as well, supplying a dark and conflicted feel. Complaints about the
movie are minor. Some supporting roles are weak. Katie
Holmes as Wayne’s love interest, who appeared a little
young for the role didn’t really go the extra mile. Some
of the fight scenes were shot really tightly and too fast.
Also, the Batmobile shouldn’t have been substituted with
a huge all-terrain vehicle. Fans seemed to have liked the
more sleek and stylish Batmobile in the previous films.
All in all, this was a great movie that got the summer
kicking off in high gear. Rider students will surely enjoy
what this movie has to offer. It supplies good entertainment with a realistic and shady feel. The Dark Knight
truly soars once again.
Photo by Al Viciedo
Senior co-directors Matt Cook, left, and Arnaldo Ortiz gear up for Alpha Psi
Omega’s The Improv Olympics, to be performed on Saturday, Oct. 8.
Alpha Psi improv
goes for the gold
By Annmarie Mercieri
It’s one of the few times students
can be Mr. T, Abraham Lincoln or suffer
from chronic itching. They can return a
television that makes pizza and sing an
opera about an astronaut in the Congo.
You may be asking yourself, “Who are
these weird kids?” They are none other
than the cast of Alpha Psi Omega’s
Improv Show, The Improv Olympics.
“The cast is a group of students who
are on stage and play certain improv
games based on audience suggestion
and the rules of the game,” said senior
Matt Cook, co-director of The Improv
Olympics. “We know how each scene
ends, but how we get there is up to the
audience participation and us.”
Some of the more well-known
improv games that will be played include
Party Quirks, Lines From a Pocket, The
Dating Game, and Compilation CD.
Three or four new games have been
added to the list of existing games, some
involving the cast working with music.
One of these new games is also among
the director’s very own favorites.
“It’s a made up game,” said Cook.
“We take the audience’s suggestions for a
household activity and two cast members
work together to complete it.”
The real fun comes in when the
music starts. Right when the scene is
about to begin, music from a movie or
TV show is played. The cast member
then must change his or her mood to fit
the song that is playing. He or she then
must finish his or her everyday task while
going through these different moods.
“It’s so much funnier watching
someone fold laundry when you go from
Titanic to a Sin City fight scene,” said
Cook.
“It’s about getting people with the
talent and who are willing to learn,” said
senior Arnaldo Ortiz, co-director. “We
have a really good cast who is willing to
work together.”
Senior Pam Gersht and Cook are
entering their fourth and final year of
this “spectacular show.”
Improv looks like a piece of cake
on the television show Who’s Line Is It
Anyway?, but in reality it takes practice.
“You have to make it up on the spot,
saying whatever comes to your head
first,” said Gersht. “It gets hard trying to
think of things. You have to be quick on
your feet and spontaneous.”
“At first I think it took time to get
used to some of the games,” said Scuilli.
“It was like a tight rope walk. I came to
auditions without knowing many people,
but now we really feel comfortable with
everything.”
The Improv Olympics promises to
make audiences laugh till they cry. The
only concern is filling the seats. Usually
an Alpha Psi Omega production, especially one as small as this, is held in the
Studio Theater, but The Improv Olympics
will be held in none other than the
Yvonne Theater.
Realizing it is an extremely different
atmosphere, the cast seems ecstatic about
performing for a larger crowd.
“There’s a whole new vibe with this
show,” said Cook. “Just the amount of
effort people put into it makes me more
confident and excited than I have ever
been for an improv show.”
“It’s our first time performing it
in the Yvonne which makes it great
because there are more seats,” said Ortiz.
“Audience participation makes up a large
chunk of the show.”
The community will have the opportunity to see The Improv Olympics on
Saturday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. in the Yvonne
Theater. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door.
“The bigger the crowd, the better the
show,” said Scuilli.
10/6/05 10:11:16 PM