Juniper

Mar 26

A dynamic trio with a handful of singles and 2 EPs, Juniper continues to climb the ranks of the bustling music industry. Currently comprised of Scott, the singer, and founding member; Shreeve, the guitarist; and Alé, the drummer, the band got its start in 2017 – Alé joined in 2018 followed by Shreeve about six months later. Besides an array of great music, their biggest accomplishment is perhaps their consistent sound, even with the changes in the group’s roster. The high-quality, professional sound never fades. That being said, Juniper’s music still has that homey, made-with-love touch that often loses itself with industry polish. And, with a debut album headed to streaming platforms in just a few months, we’re in for plenty more of that loveable, unique, Juniper sound. We recently spoke to Scott, Shreeve, and Alé about the albums that have influenced this sound, how a Juniper song comes to be, and more!

Tell us a little bit about yourselves. How did you guys each start making music?

Scott: Hey, I’m Scott, I’m from Wellesley, MA, and I’m a senior at Boston University and I’m the singer of Juniper. I first started making music in my basement with an unreliable interface, some cheap mics, and an outdated version of Logic. I was about 15, so the learning curve was tough, but eventually, things start to click after hours and hours of trial and error. I first started playing music at age 6-7. I would be mesmerized by family and friends that would play together in my home and how it made people feel, how it brought the energy in the room to a new place. I wanted to be able to do that for people, to transport them to a different place.

Shreeve: I'm Ahren (aka Shreeve); I'm from Northborough MA and I'm a full-time musician. I've always had a huge passion for music and I'm grateful to be the guitarist in Juniper!

Alé: Hey, I'm Alejandro, I go by Ale! I'm currently a senior at Loyola University Maryland, where I am a global studies major. I first started playing the drums when I was 5 years old since my father was a musician back in his day, so I always grew up playing music at my house and finding new bands by ravaging through my dad's CDs growing up. I also love playing rugby and different sports. Being in Juniper has only made me appreciate and love music even more, which I'm so thankful for. Can’t wait to play live again with these guys whenever that will be possible!

How did you guys come together to form Juniper?

Scott: Juniper started in 2017, the summer before my first semester of college. The lineup at the time was different than it is now; I'm the only founding member still in the group. For the early life of Juniper, we identified as more of a collective, with various friends and musicians joining in for shows and studio time, but the grounding point is the consistency of the songwriting, which I have been doing most of since the band's inception.

I met Alé on the first day of college– in a first-year seminar class actually. There was some random ice-breaker event and he was standing on the other side of the room, also people watching other people meet each other for the first time, so I said to myself “this guy seems smart.” I walked up to him and we immediately found lightning in a bottle: we geeked over music tastes and various artists with eerie similarity. We continued to be close friends all year but didn’t end up playing together till some months later (with him behind the kit). I think that helped the band in the long run though because we lived so much life together before he even joined the band, which didn't happen until the summer of 2018. It made our friendship to this day come first before all else. I was writing a lot of music at the time, being in a new place like that is an explosion of newness and creative energy, but he was always the first one I showed something new to.

Shreeve and I met in February of 2019, about 6 months after Alé was officially a part of the group. I had just transferred away from Alé to Boston University at the start of my sophomore year, and Shreeve was transitioning to becoming a full-time professional musician, both of us only 19. One rainy day I walked into the Guitar Center behind Fenway Park in Boston to hear the most genuine, fluid, and emotional guitar player I've ever seen literally 20 feet away from me. I was so mesmerized that somehow, something came over me where I just went right up to him after they had finished playing the song and essentially word vomited about how good he was and that we were in need of a new guitar player for our upcoming summer plans to tour and record another EP etc. Yes, I was his first stan (and still am to this day). He slowed me down and said something along the lines of “Well let's at least play for a bit.” Long story short we ended up playing in this Guitar Center for 40 minutes, with a crowd gathering and all, I got his number, and well the rest is history.

Over this past year, Alé, Shreeve, and I have worked to consolidate the band's sound and image and made, what we believe, is our best music yet and are excited to be able to share it all with you in the form of our debut album.

Where does the name Juniper come from?

Scott: In all seriousness, I was in the passenger seat of a car with the need for a band name at the top of my priority list when we drove by a street sign in the neighborhood I grew up in that read “Juniper.” I loved the way it felt when I said it aloud; no real profound meaning--at least not yet ;)

2017, your professional debut, was already four years ago. How do you guys think you’ve changed since then?

Scott: 2017 feels like a lifetime ago… As mentioned earlier, Juniper began as more of a collective. That being said, one of the biggest changes has been our lineup, from the original 2017 group, I, Scott, am the only founding member. Since the Fall of 2020, we have consolidated our sound, image, and overall identity as a band.

I think our most notable change is that we’ve grown up. I wrote “Staring Cross The Water” when I was 17 years old, with a completely different mindset behind making music. I was trying to find the answers to “what makes a good song,” but that only gets you so far. You can think about theory and the complexity of arrangements and all that, but everything is about how you feel, not what someone else thinks the right way to feel is. There is no right way to be a songwriter. It just needs to be most representative of who you are, what you want, what you believe in, and what you experience. We’ve matured, the content of the songs have matured, both due to the fact we’ve lived more life! Time gives you perspective, perspective makes for the best songwriting.

You’ve released 2 EPs and a handful of singles, all of which are great, by the way. Do you prefer releasing singles or EPs? Why?

Scott: I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that question! I look at this as more of a release-oriented mindset, meaning if we have something to say and only need a single to do so, then we’re happy with it. If we have stories or experiences or themes or emotions that need more than one song, we’ll release in a higher quantity, like an EP. So I guess the answer here is it’s situational. We lean on the side of less is more (usually). I love the range of sound that comes from a bulk release though, especially when listening to other artists. It feels like such a clear window into their headspace. Releasing in single format is beneficial for growth purposes. Balancing artistry with business can be tricky to navigate.

How would you guys describe your sound?

Scott: Eclectic. Nostalgic, but new. It’s unique to us and it’s always changing. Every time we write a new song it unveils new pathways we didn’t know existed. Feels like we’re constantly chasing something, and that always pushes us to test boundaries and see how we can be innovative while still remaining true to ourselves.

“Out of Nowhere” Cover Artwork / Click to Listen!

Do y’all have any albums that you would describe as heavily influential towards your style?

Anything Coldplay, John Mayer, Foo Fighters, Leif Vollebekk, Bob Dylan, Daniel Caesar, this answer could get long…. Continuum and Parachutes, love Hot Tears by Leif, Marigold by Pinegrove. Mk.gee is also great. Huge fans of Brook and the Bluff, Shawn Mendes crushes it. This is all over the place but that represents our influences--literally all over the place. The more influences, the more ideas.

Let’s talk a little bit about the new single! What can fans expect from the release?

Shreeve: Definitely a different style than our last song ‘Daydream’, but we're super excited for people to hear it. It dives into an intense alt-rock setting with an outro that will get you amped. It's designed to be a beautiful and visual song, immersing the listener in the emotions, a good screaming in your car type song. However, it's still fast-paced enough to be in your everyday playlists!

Can you walk us through the inspiration for the song?

Scott: “Out of Nowhere” is about realizing that the energy you put into a relationship isn’t reciprocated. This takes a lot of honesty. It forces you to question yourself, creating feelings of self-isolation, doubt, and uncertainty. It is a challenge when you feel that the other person doesn’t understand you, your needs, and who you really are. And not just a romantic relationship! Friendships, family relationships, or even the relationship with yourself. This song was written in December of 2018 about a recent relationship, the oldest song from our upcoming debut album.

If you guys could open for any artist or band, who, or which, are you picking?

Shreeve: I would love to open for Pinegrove, The Backseat Lovers, or Harry Styles, just to name a few.

Scott: Shawn Mendes seems like a great energy on tour, that would be a dream”

How does the typical Juniper song come together?

Shreeve: There are a few different scenarios that tend to happen again and again. A lot of times, ideas just come out while we are playing together. One of us could be playing around with a riff or a groove and then the others join in. If it feels good, it usually sticks! Other times, songs are created while we're apart. Scott writes the lyrics for the majority of our songs, he’ll send us an idea, the voice memos app is our favorite tool, and we build from there! We'll send ideas back and forth, shaping it into a new song to what we all like.

How have you been holding up in the pandemic? Has this affected your music-making ability at all?

Scott: We have luckily been able to be together most of the duration of the pandemic. When we first started discussing this album, it was pre-pandemic times. We were starting to work with our amazing producer Philip Etherington, who at the time was located not too far from us at Berklee. At first, it definitely was a challenge to continue to create without studio access and with Philip moving back to the West Coast, but we knew we had an album to make so we made it work. Most of the vocals (if not all) were recorded in the closet of Scott’s bedroom, the drums were recorded in a home studio we set up in Alé’s house in Maine with Philip on FaceTime to make sure the mics were set-up right, and Shreeve’s guitar was recorded wherever we could get a good mic set-up, a combo of bedrooms, the studio, and a few other miscellaneous spots. With utmost caution and lots of COVID tests, we are able to spend time together up at our home studio in Maine. Now, Alé and I live together in the same apartment, and Shreeve is right down the street. We have been able to write a ton of music, which you’ll be hearing very soon…

What’s the best part about being a band?

Scott: The best part about being in a band is that it’s way more than that--it’s family. These guys have seen me at my best, and definitely at my worst. But that allows us to trust each other, love each other, and with the centering element being music, it makes our relationship with each other more real than most. That bond is what helps us write great music, have extremely high energy on stage, and when things are uncertain or even scary, we have each other to always rely on.

How do you guys pass time out of the studio?

Alé: We love being out in nature and going on hikes up in the mountains near our home studio in Maine any chance we get. There’s nothing better than getting some fresh air every day and surrounding yourself with the nature that is around you. I also love listening to new music and watching basketball and football - we all are big Boston sports fans! Scott and I are full time students right now, we are at the end of the line to get our degrees which has definitely been taking a lot of our time recently”

What can Juniper fans look forward to in 2021?

We will be releasing our debut album in June 2021. And then my God are we ready to PLAY LIVE SHOWS.

When Juniper makes it to LA, _____________.

We’ll cook you dinner. :)

Kenneth Tse

Juniper

Sam Loid

Noah Jack