This week I had the pleasure of meeting with Juniper, a five-piece band based out of Massachusetts. They exude chill vibes while maintaining a crisp and bold sound. Through fourteen song releases presented by two EPs and five singles, (Links here — Spotify, Apple Music) Juniper has grown into a cohesive alternative-pop-rock sound appealing to all listeners. All starting in one basement on Juniper Rd, the evolution of these guys has been incredible to watch and I’m so excited to see what they have in store for the future.
First off, tell me about the band members… Names, where they’re from, what instruments they play?
Juniper has seen some iterations over the last two years of its existence. However, Scott has been there since the beginning, and in the last 14 months has formed the band to what it is today. Alejandro, the drummer, is from Brookline, MA, and rocks the f*ck out on drums. Him and Scott met on the first day of college and hit it off ever since, and 10 months later he was in Juniper. Cam, the lead vocalist, is from Wellesley, MA. Him and Scott both went to high school together and have been performing on the same stage together for the longest out of the other band members. Through musical theatre and jazz ensemble, Cam is able to have a super dynamic and powerful voice that is quite versatile. This dude’s got the stamina of a horse (but don’t tell him that lol<3).
Seb plays the keyboard/synth. He’s literally the love child of Prince and George Michael. Seb is from Watertown, MA. He and Scott met at BU in February of 2019. Seb is a force of energy; his voice is resonant and his keys playing is soo tasty. We love pretty much everything that comes out of his brain. Shreeve is the guitar player of the band. He’s our center of gravity. Never seen a better musician in our lives. The output from that man’s cranium is unbounded and spectacular. He’s from Northborough, MA. All of us are 19-21 years old, and we’re just getting started.
What brought Juniper together? How and why did you all get involved with music in the first place?
Music has always played a monumental role in our lives. Sharing that commonality with each other allowed us to get really close, really quickly. We all share the same dreams, same destinations. It’s hard to find 5 people that can all agree on that.
How would you describe your commitment to music as a group? Is it a side project or a potential career one day?
This is our lives. Objectively and subjectively speaking. And the best part is it’s impossible to imagine anything being less than that. It’s uncertain knowing if dreaming big is a good or bad thing, but we do it regardless haha. But we know it’s a ladder. Just a matter of how long it takes to climb it.
Who are some artists that majorly influence the band?
Big question, bigger answer. The untouchables–Stevie Wonder, Coldplay, Marvin Gaye, John Mayer–are the foundation. From there we spread the web, but interchanging constantly: Prince, Anderson .Paak, Tame Impala, Kasey Musgraves, Fleet Foxes, the list goes on. But those are the major influences. A writing session with any of those artists…. Woah man.
Do you have any work coming out soon?
We do! We just released a single on Friday, October 18 called Concrete Ocean. Took a big effort to make but we love how it turned out. We also recently released our EP For the First Time on September 6. The four song EP saw a re-recorded, re-mixed and re-mastered Regret, which we had previously recorded and released after making in Scott’s basement in an as DIY setting as possible. But we did it, and released it. We still love it, always will. The other previously released song that made the EP was Here for the First Time, a July feel. We dig this one, the music video for this was hilarious to make. 97º in a random field, and then almost got rained on.
(Check out Juniper’s Instagram linked above for live updates)
Where and when can we find your next shows?
We’re playing in November at Thunder Road in Somerville, MA on the 29th. We also are set to play January 3rd at Sally O’s. We’re Lots of good stuff ahead, we’re so excited!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3sWnCTDAIr/
Anything you’d like your audience to look out for when they’re listening to a Juniper song?
Our songs come from our lives. If you resonate with that, then that just proves we’re all people, and we all feel emotions that are real.
What makes you different from the normal alternative/pop bands today?
We are Alejandro, Scott, Seb, Shreeve, and Cam. We are us. Nobody else is us, but us. And that has to account for something, right?
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