Interview: Brett Detar
Former Juliana Theory band member Brett Detar recently recorded his first solo album 'Bird In The Tangle'. LTTM spoke to the singer to find out about the album and what else he has been doing since Juliana Theory finished.
Tell us a little bit about your solo album Bird In The Tangle, how it came to be and what the inspiration behind it was.
Well, the record came about in a rather natural sort of way. It was not without mis-starts and hiccups in the process of getting rolling but the album came out of an honest journey of self-realization I guess. My old band broke up. We went through a pretty rough couple of years and I was already quite discouraged with the music business and with being a songwriter in general. I lost faith in myself as a writer and basically quit music completely. I moved to LA and opened a shop selling vintage dresses. During that time I still wrote songs but they were solely for myself and without much of a pointed direction and also with little hope of seeing the light of day. I knew that I wanted to do a record of, more or less, old school country music because that was the only kind of music I had been listening to for a number of years but I didn’t want anything to be forced. After songs started stacking up on top of each other, so to speak, in my little digital mini recorder I think I finally decided to stop kidding myself and make the album I wanted to make. It took a little while after that to actually make it all happen but I met some great players in Nashville and ended up going down there for a few days and I tracked the record live 4 or 5 songs a day. The inspiration for making a record of Americana roots music country, blues, folk, and bluegrass just came from my heart. That was the music I had been listening to for years and I guess I just had to make the music I loved. Deciding to make a record of folk music certainly isn’t the path to riches or stardom but it was the music that kept beckoning me and sometimes you gotta’ heed the call, right?
Which is your favourite track on the album and why?
If I had to pick a favorite it would be “This City Dies Tonight.” It was the first song that I really tracked for the album. I did it a bit earlier than the rest of the record and it was the first time I had ever heard one of my songs with pedal steel, upright bass, mandolin and all of that and I was pretty floored hearing all of those amazing players on the song. That was a magical moment for me so the song holds a special place in my heart. Plus it’s also my lady singing on the song with me and it’s the first time she’s ever sang anything before so that adds to the song for me personally as well.
You've said in the past that you never had any desire to be a solo artist - has that changed now?
I am more comfortable with it now, if that’s what you mean. But I haven’t played any shows yet so we’ll see just how comfortable it feels then. Haha. I think that what I meant was that I always loved being in bands and I never set out after the band broke up to be like “Brett Detar goes solo!” That idea never appealed to me. I always enjoyed the process of writing with other people and collaborating on ideas. I never had some strong urge to do everything by myself. It seems to have its rewards but it’s a bit lonelier. Haha.
What's your song writing process?
These days, when I write for myself 90% of the time I just sit with a guitar and come up with a song. Occasionally I will just write the song with no instruments and sing it into a recorder or sometimes it’s lyrics first just written out. Usually though I just write in a quiet room by myself on my acoustic.
What can you tell us about the feature film you've written the score for, and is that something you're enjoying?
I did the music for a film called 'The Devil Inside' with my buddy Ben Romans. It was a lot of hard work but also a lot of fun. It's a very scary movie that I think is coming out in 2011.
When you look back at your time in The Juliana Theory, What was the highlight for you?
I couldn’t pick one highlight. That’d be too tough. I was fortunate enough to get to spend 10 years of my life making music with some of the best dudes on earth. I love those guys and we share a lot of great memories. We grew up together doing what we loved.
Were you surprised at the popularity and success the band achieved?
Yes. I definitely was. The ‘Theory started out as a joke side project. All we ever had planned on doing was playing a couple of shows and putting out a 3-song demo tape! We never expected to tour the world and record 5 albums.
What advice would you give to any aspiring songwriters or bands out there?
I usually offer the same advice to everyone (besides telling them to quit now while they still can and go to college haha). Write the best songs you can. Work really hard and make the music you love. Don’t follow trends. Do what you believe in. Make the music that’s in your heart. There are enough people out there making music just to be famous. Make music because you love it.
You're stuck on an island, it's hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your mp3 player. What track is it?
It’d probably be an old hymn sung by Loretta Lynn or Hank Williams.
What does the next year hold for Brett Detar?
I’m working on a number of different musical projects. I’ll definitely be continuing with my solo thing and hopefully I’ll be able to get out on the road for a while with that. I’ve already written a decent amount of contenders for the next record so hopefully I’ll be able to start working on it sooner than later. I’ve got a completely different side project kind of thing in the works that I am really excited about and I’ll continue writing with other artists and whatnot. I try to keep everyone up to date on things at my Facebook so join me there for the latest as it happens and if you haven’t downloaded my new record yet, it’s free so what have you got to lose? Please grab a copy at BrettDetar.com.
