Take a Walk Through Juliet’s Apartment: A Band Interview
I asked what I should call her, laughingly suggesting groupie? And Keena Kabir told me to say she’s recorded a few demos for them, Juliet’s Apartment. I’ve known Keena, an MTSU sound engineer student, I think for half a decade now, and when we were catching up a few months ago, she introduced me to her boyfriend’s band. I listened, got their contact info, and am pleased to share with you this Tennessee-spawned group. Keep reading below for a short bio, and beyond, the questions!
At the door, Parker Greets You
The first kindlings of Juliet’s Apartment came into being back in like May 2019. Ethan and I met during orientation at MTSU and immediately hit it off — we were even wearing the same outfit. That August Ethan asked if I wanted to start a band, and soon after we acquired my then-roommate Seth. We started writing songs pretty much immediately, with Ethan writing chord progressions and me putting lyrics over top and haven’t really stopped since. After a handful of lineup changes we’re here:
The Roommates
Ethan Concors on vox/guitar from Lexington, KY.
Parker Milley on guitar from Clover, SC.
Seth Crumley on keys from Ellicott City, MD.
Casey Allison on bass from Bristol, TN.
Reed Herring on drums from Albany, LA.
The Interview
1. Cinderella Songs is your latest release, and my favorite of the two EPs. It’s different though: less theatrical, less experimental than Romeo & Rosaline. How do you think your music has evolved over the two EPs?
I think the main thing that changed between the two EPs is that we started to really find our voice and what it is we actually wanted to do as a band. I think both of those EPs were big learning experiences for all of us, learning how we work together and how the whole “being a band” thing works.
— Parker
Yeah, the biggest change was finding our voice. We definitely retained a good amount of the synthy bits from the first EP, but leaning more into the emo/pop-punk sound really brought the songs to another level. The material we’ve been working on recently is a continuation of the sounds on Cinderella Songs, but we have more dynamic and experimental themes going on. I really think we build off of each release. You can hear bits of EP1 in EP2, and that is going to be the case for the newest project.
— Ethan
Very cool. Yeah, it’s an interesting time because of the internet. You can watch bands in the midst of finding their sounds and follow from the ground up pretty easily. I’m curious about the possible blend of the first two EPs into this next one; kinda feel like I’m talking to my friend’s kid: Oh, you look so much like your mother. Hand to heart, but you have your father’s eyes.
2. What’s the story behind “(If I Drink Some) Vinegar”? It’s an amusing, angry song. Who hurt you, haha?
Honestly, there really isn’t much of a story to it outside of being angsty little college freshmen. For pretty much all of the songs written up until Cinderella Songs the lyrics were patchwork. I keep a note on my phone of one-off lyric ideas, be it a single line or whole stanzas, and for “Vinegar” specifically, we went through that note and pieced together a song. If I had to say it’s about something though I guess I’d say it’s about getting older, watching life change around you, and not really understanding that feeling.
— Parker
It’s nice you can make use of your notes. Sometimes I can’t for the life of me A. remember the context for something that was apparently important enough for me to write a note about it, B. find a place in my writing to put it, or C. end up using it, it sounds bad, yet I won’t get rid of it because I get attached.
3. I also like “Favorite Color”! Talk about it a little.
“Favorite Color” is always going to have a special place in my heart. Instrumentally it’s probably one of the ones I’m most proud of. I remember it being one of the first 5 JA songs, alongside “Room Temp,” “Vinegar,” “Metaphor,” and “Garage Sale.” We 100% want to revisit it and bring it back into our shows.
The whole song is in E Major, but the verses revolve around a progression from a different key while still keeping the E Major key signature. For any music theory nerds, the verses are in B Mixolydian and the choruses are in E Ionian. (I have music theory brain rot.)
— Ethan
Hahaha, love the brain rot.
4. So you guys have titled your EPs after famous love stories. Why specifically Cinderella and Romeo and Juliet? Did the songs or concepts come first?
So initially, we had the idea to have our first three projects be connected EPs with the main through-line of the EPs being framed through the lens of a play/story, hence the intro and outro of Romeo & Rosaline being “Act I” & “Act II.” With Cinderella Songs we wanted to keep that idea but have the connection not be so in-your-face; we wanted each EP to be able stand on its own. So we kinda switched gears and thought “well what about just doing literary stuff.” I remember having this whole big discussion about how to name the intro of Cinderella Songs that ended with us pulling up a website of screenplay terminology that we combed through until we landed on “A Complication (Aside).”
I think the songs kinda developed parallel to that idea, and that idea continued to grow and change shape along with the songs. Though some of the songs on Cinderella Songs, specifically “When You Cry” and “Strangers,” had been written and marinating since 2019 and 2020 respectively. As far as why we specifically chose Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella: We went with Romeo and Juliet for the obvious layup. Cinderella Songs, on the other hand, is very much an EP about endings and beginnings and I think it’s kinda like — Cinderella left at midnight to (presumably) never be seen again. There’s gotta be some emotional turmoil in all that and I guess we were trying to draw a parallel there? Really though, it just sounded cool.
— Parker
Dude, gotta say, I’m relating lately to the prince. Poor guy got ghosted for real. But fairytale hopping is a neat idea, especially from people who are transitioning to full-fledged adult life — feels metaphorical. Even if you’re not trying to retell or reimagine these stories, there is a certain sentiment that really does set the scene.
5. What do you hope to bring to the music industry that’s unique? Likewise, what do you hope people take away from your music?
I think the thing that makes us unique is our sound, as cliché as it sounds. The whole concept of genre has become really murky, so being able to play a fast more punk-y song like “Vinegar” and a synth-pop song like “The Disconnect” in the same show (sometimes right next to each other) is pretty commonplace for us. Don’t be afraid to be weird with your music!
— Ethan
Yea, and while there are plenty of bands we love operating outside of a traditional genre label (Topiary Creatures and The Low Blow to name a few), I feel like our particular blend of weirdness is something unique. As far as what we hope people take away from it? I really don’t know… We make music like we breathe: we just do it. Of course we make stuff with the intention of people listening and all that, so I guess if anything we’d be happy if you can hear how much fun we had making it.
— Parker
Lots of people debate how evidently an artist should appear in their work. Like are artists more vessels for work or are they parts of the work themselves? I think it depends on the form though. You can’t really disassociate performance art from the performers, for instance, so I like that you just want people to have fun listening and also see you guys having fun while you play. It’s a good thing to ask for. Getting in-time feedback is a luxury I think musicians have (unless you’re bad I guess, haha. Maybe not so much then.)
6. Who are some of your influences? For people who haven’t listened to your music, what comparisons can you make to other artists?
We take influence from a lot of different artists! Earlier on we had a more raw indie pop sound, but recently (instrumentally at least) we’ve been drawing from a lot of 2nd/3rd wave emo and 90s screamo like The Get Up Kids, I Hate Myself. The Promise Ring, and dance punk like Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand. I’m also a big fan of weird synthy stuff and UK electronic garage music, so trying to work that into our songs is always a fun exercise (slamming my head against my laptop while Pro Tools is open and seeing what happens). I also need to mention the first Panic at the Disco and Fall Out Boy albums; they’re fantastic albums and a huge source of inspiration for us.
— Ethan
It’s a little all over the place, yea. For me, though, the big influences have been: Fall Out Boy, Arctic Monkeys (circa 2007), the good Weezer, The Format, Frightened Rabbit, Cheekface, The Happy Fits, and a bunch of other stuff. Honestly, I’m just gonna link this playlist because I could count pretty much anything on here as an influence.
— Parker
Ahhh, no don’t break your laptop. Spare him. He is only trying to help.
7. What are your top stories from the road?
Buc-ee’s, no contest. Also Knoxville is always a great experience, they really have something special there. Shoutout Bee, Shane, Max, Forrest, Asheton, and all the Knox homies.
— Ethan
I’ve never confirmed this but I’m like 95% sure that when we stopped at that Buc-ee’s it was their opening weekend. We were on our way to Knoxville and when we stopped it was like near shoulder-to-shoulder busy. I don’t know about the rest of the band but that was my first time at a Buc-ee’s and I still think about how hard that sucked sometimes. We’ve been back since though and yea it absolutely rules.
Also, when we went to Abingdon, VA to play with our friends in Basement Days!! We love those dudes so much!
— Parker
I really need to try Buc-ee’s. I’ve heard it’s truly an American phenomenon.
8. What advice would you give to younger musicians trying to curate their style?
Experiment with your sound! We’ve gone through so many different styles of music. Inspiration can be pulled from everywhere. Also, allow yourself to make mistakes. Not every song is going to be perfect. But when you do write that great song, it’s all the more special.
— Ethan
Don’t think too hard about it. Like obviously put some effort into it but, for us at least, our style has emerged over time, growing and changing right along with us. Just make music and have fun and everything else will fall into place in due time.
— Parker
Mistakes are really kind of underrated. I feel like if you can’t look back at your former work and go “that sucks” your stuff probably sucks currently, haha. I have so many bad drafts, but it does make my more recent stuff look better and it feels rewarding to see where I’ve come from.
9. So what’s next? Where are your upcoming shows? If you can choose, which are you most excited for?
We’re in writing mode for our next projects. Pretty much all of the next EP is written and learned so we’re just ironing the finer things out (transitions, lyrics, etc.). Once that’s done, it’s just a matter of recording, mixing, and mastering. As for what comes next, we want to do an album. We have a few ideas that we’re workshopping in tandem with the EP that I’m really excited about.
— Ethan
Like Ethan said, next stop EP3! I’m particularly excited about EP3 because it feels like the first project where I knew exactly what each song was about going into writing the lyrics, whereas before it was either a vague idea or patchwork lyrics. Plus, we’ve been fine-tuning these songs in a way we never really have before so it really does feel like our best work to date.
— Parker
I’m so happy for you guys! I’ll make sure to keep up to date on your stuff and watch for that album.
10. Anything you want to say to your fans!?
Gwimbly’s Iconic Victory Dance
— Ethan
You should start a band.
— Parker
No, I really shouldn’t. I can only sort of play the violin, and that’s cat-scratch. But anyone reading this who can write a word and play a note, go for it.
