Steve Juliano is a weird dude. He loves chick flicks, has a self proclaimed “unhealthy fascination with death” and apparently loves Cutting Crew. We had a chance to send Juliano some questions since his latest group, Requiem For The Dead, released a new EP on Valentine’s Day.
So, what brings you to launching a new EP on Valentine’s Day? Is this a gift for someone?
We finished the ep and found that all the pressing of our merch and cds and all that other good stuff was going to be done middle of February. We were talking with our label on when the release date should happen, and while I was looking at the calender, I saw February 14th just fit perfectly. I mean, 99% of my music is about love and loss anyways, so it just seemed absolutely perfect. I guess this is just a gift to our amazing fans and friends…
Are you a particularly romantic fella?
Well, you could say so. I’m a hopeless romantic in a way. I’m a firm believer in true love. Destiny. Two souls meeting and never letting go type of deal. I don’t know, what can I say; I dig chick flicks. Ha ha ha.
“I Am Ghost,” “Requiem For The Dead;” would you say you have a fascination with death and mortality?
Yes, I can honestly say I do have an unhealthy fascination with death. It began when I lost my grandfather, then lost some other loved ones that were very, very close to me. I have been to a lot of funerals in my life, more so than most of my friends. I guess it just kinda fucked me up in some sort of way, but be quite honest.
Is that one of the reasons you chose “I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight” to cover? I mean, that’s a weird fucking song for any newer band to cover.
It’s actually a song I have always loved as a kid and even into adulthood, it has never grown out of style through all the 80′, 90’s and the 2000’s. Its still sounds fresh. It was the first song I slow danced too in 6th grade. It just held a special place in my heart. I’ve always wanted to cover that song…
I would think that it would be an awkward song to bang to, have you tried it?
No… not yet. Not…… yet.
You should try it. It’ll be great. You have a shit ton of tattoos, do you have a favorite?
I regret all of them. I wish i was never tattooed. I swear to God. I got most of my tattoos when I was really, really young. When you’re 18 or 19 you tend to just jump into things with no thought of the repercussions. I think if I had planned them out better I might not care. But, since most of my arms and neck are done up, i guess I just say “why stop now…” type deal.
Really? That’s a bummer. Have you thought about tattoo removal?
Ha ha, no. That’s never crossed my mind. It’s way too far gone for that.
How does this band differ from any of your previous bands?
The biggest thing is pressure. With my last band in I Am Ghost, there was an intense sense of pressure when we signed with Epitaph. Then, after signing, it became a cluster fuck of touring and trying to write good songs and trying to make a million people happy, even thought I wasn’t very happy most of my time in the band. With Requiem for the Dead, its just me and my good friends hanging out, writing music, and just putting it out. I have zero pressure from anyone. Even when we signed with Veda and Isis I never felt any pressure what so ever. Its very strange.
Was the pressure mostly from the label, then? Did they want you to put out bro-anthems or something?
No, Epitaph was amazing. It was mostly pressures with the touring aspect and how I as a person got along with my band. I was miserable touring, even though I should have been completely stoked. It was mostly me, not my band. It was my issues not being at home, missing family and friends and girlfriends. I am just not a touring kinda guy. Some people absolutely love it. Some hate it like me….
So, you’re like a tall, tattooed hobbit, just want to stay at home and shit?
Ha ha ha. Tall? Wow. No one’s ever called me tall before. You could say so, I guess. I definitely saw a lot of crazy things on tour.
-Jonathan Yost