Juice is the Boston-based band we recently saw perform their first show in Cleveland at the Beachland Ballroom. Their new single, “Peace of Mind,” was released on August 7th and the rest of the new EP, you are simply magnificent, is out today, August 23rd. The band’s captivating live experience and our brief conversation with Ben after their show in Cleveland left us wanting more. Learn more about Juice from our interview below and be sure to check out the new single.
Why did you choose to release “Peace of Mind” as a single?
I mean, it’s gas.
Do you play covers at practices or shows? Favorites?
We know a bunch of covers because we used to play all types of events in college, some of which required us to play for several hours before we had much original music. We did a video of Billie Eilish’s “Bellyache” this past spring, but that’s the last cover we learned. We still play that sometimes. If you come to 50 Juice shows, there’s a chance you’ll catch us playing an old favorite like “Gold Digger” at one of them.
What do you typically do post-gig?
It depends on the gig and the city and how tired we are. Sometimes we all go back to the hotel and sleep. Sometimes we’ll have a lot of close friends at the show, so we’ll go out and have a good wholesome time. It’s usually combinations of people doing a combination of things. Personally? I like to cry.
Did you do anything fun while you were in Cleveland?
Nothing crazy. One of the cooler things that happens on tour is that you meet people that you’d never meet otherwise. The Cleveland show was super lowkey, but I did get to meet the childhood friends of some of our buddies in New York and hear some embarrassing stories about them.
Three words to describe the band?
With the gang… or… with the fleet.
Who is the pickiest eater?
Michael and Rami are the most conscious of eating clean on the road. I mean, look how handsome they are. Nobody’s super picky.
What’s the story behind the band’s name?
The story goes that the band loved Buddy Holly and his group “the Crickets.” So the two went through several insect names and finally arrived on “Beetles”.
Stu thought of “The Beetles,” but then John, who loved puns and wordplay, thought of changing the spelling to “Beatles,” as they were a beat group.
Fav 90s Jam?
90s music is cool, I guess. I mean, it’s not 80s music or 70s music or mid 2000s music or “Old Town Road” but like The Lion King was pretty cool, and Green Day put out Dookie.
How would you describe your writing process?
There are no rules. Every song happens a little bit differently. Sometimes people bring songs that are 10% of an idea to the group and they become Juice songs after several months of slow working in small groups and revising. Sometimes we’ll all be together in a space and an entire song will be written in an hour.
How long and often do you practice?
We talkin bout practice?
When we were in the earlier part of college, there were some weeks leading up to big events and shows where would practice for several hours on every weeknight. I think by the end of college it was something like twice a week for three hours a night. We’ve been touring more than practicing lately… but we’re off tour for a few months so we’ll see what the schedule ends up looking like.
What has been your biggest challenge as a band?
There isn’t one single greatest challenge to overcome, but there are a number of small challenges that can be frustrating to manage. I think we’ve had to learn how to keep our environment comfortable and relaxed. When you’re on tour trying to find the energy to play your seventh show in ten days, or when you have a release coming up and you’re constantly thinking about how to make the song a little more perfect, or when you’re trying to decide what the best way is to house seven or eight people for three months in New York…. things can get stressful. There are a lot of really smart guys in the group, and there are always a lot of important decisions that have to be made. Everyone needs to feel respected and comfortable, and that can be difficult when people aren’t getting enough sleep or eating well.
We’re always feeling a lot of pressure to succeed… whether from social media or our families. I think in the United States there’s a socially reinforced idea that music isn’t a valid lifestyle. When the band is in more taxing stretches, that subconscious influence can make stressful environments more troublesome to navigate.
Are aliens real?
Twelve inches is a foot.
Kryptonite Music Magazine 