Juice Comes Home

Juice, a seven-man boy band originally from Boston College, returned to their home city on Feb. 22 for a high energy, soulful performance at the Paradise Rock Club. Unconventional for both the rock and boy band worlds, Juice used violin solos, rap verses, and multi-part harmonies to express their rich, unique musical style. Unrestrained instrumental interludes embedded in almost every song made well-known songs new, and converted the venue into a full-on, awe-inspiring jam session.

The crowd erupted a couple times before the actual show began due to some technical difficulties, but eventually a vintage movie countdown initiated the music video for Juice’s newest single “DiCaprio (Love Me All the Time).” Mixing ‘90s aesthetics and urban boyhood, the video showcased the charm and camaraderie of the band for both new and longtime fans alike. Cheers for the film crescendoed when Juice walked out to “Vossi Bop” by Stormzy. Walking out to music from another artist fits their down-to-earth appeal. The eclectic seven-member band both filled and towered over the stage, sharing their excitement to be back in Boston.

With barely any verbal introduction, the band jumped into “Workin’ on Lovin,’” the title track of their 2018 EP and most streamed song on Spotify, transporting the audience to paradise. The swelling, extended track featured bass and guitar solos, the soul and range of Ben Stevens’ sonorous vocals, and most notably, an electric violin interlude that could have lasted forever without getting old. Juice violinist and vocalist Christian Rose shredded away on his metallic electric violin to the pulsating shouts of the crowd. Juice could have walked off stage after this song and the crowd would have received their money’s worth.

Fortunately, they didn’t. “Workin’ on Lovin’” rolled directly into “Peace of Mind,” one of Juice’s three 2019 singles, with a flawless instrumental interlude. “Peace of Mind” features a tamer bass melody with much more tender lyrics, making the instrumental transition all the more impressive. Vocalists Stevens and Kamau Burton displayed their skills beyond beautiful harmonies by overlaying separate verses to create the emotional crux of the song.

Juice continued their set with vigor. Whenever Stevens stopped to tell the crowd he loved them, it was out of fatigue or an overflow of joy. At several points, a minute-long break would occur with no lights, no music, no talking — the band simply needed water. Although not the kind of breaks expected from a band in their home city, they were justified by the members’ intensity on every song, especially Stevens’. Although every member of the band had their fair share of solos, practically every song was a showcase of Stevens’ range and soul. With falsettos and melodious groans, Stevens made music out of every note. His bellowing vocals carried the night.

For the eighth song of their set, Rose led the poetic rap ballad “DAVE (turn the music down).” Here, the power of the vocalist trio of Stevens, Rose, and Burton faltered from its typical smooth tone. Although talented lyricists and beautiful in harmony, the combination of the three on spoken lines was overwhelming. Juice’s rap verses were jumbled and noisy in live performance, and best utilized as accents to their melodic choruses. Nonetheless, the lyrics remain captivating and meaningful. For “DAVE,” some lyrics took on new significance this year — after a Kobe reference, the band stopped mid-beat in a moment of silence for the fallen NBA titan. If only for that moment, the room remembered the world outside Juice’s intoxicating sound.

The night continued with more energetic solos, as well as several stunning acapella harmonies, in “Sugar.” Before they replayed their latest single, “DiCaprio (Love Me All the Time),” Stevens introduced the entire band, including Daniel Moss and Michael Ricciardulli on guitar, Rami El-Abidin on the bass, Miles Clyatt on drums, and the aforementioned Rose and Burton. Finally, Juice ended the night with their emotionally charged track “Stupidfreak.”

“It’s not exactly easy to figure out what genre it is… but I like it,” said Annie Brennan, audience member and Tufts student, when asked about Juice’s music. There isn’t a more straightforward way to express the emotions Juice’s music makes you feel other than, perhaps, Brennan’s later comment — “They’ve got some jams!”

Cannon, the night’s opening artist and a former classmate of some of Juice’s members, also had some jams. Following the show, Cannon praised Juice’s music and related to their audio style.
“They formed in the same way my team kind of formed at Boston College, so it’s a very similar story which I kind of relate to,” Cannon said. The solo artist isn’t studying music at Boston College, however. “I’m an English major, but you know… ‘words.’ Words are important, that’s my shirt,” Canon shared, referring to his merch table. The Boston College camaraderie went a long way to bring this night together for both artists and the many students and alums in the audience on Saturday.

Not long after “Superfreak,” the band came back for an encore. Stevens jumped clear off the stage in the heat of the music, bringing the energy back up to full intensity to officially end a glorious evening of music.

—Staff writer Jacob R. Jimenez can be reached at jacob.jimenez@thecrimson.com.