Boston-Born: How a City Shapes Music

Boston is the kind of big-name city that attracts musicians from all over the world. With hundreds of musicians coming through on tours of hundreds of other cities, it can be easy to lose sight of Boston’s original music scene. This week, I spoke with the Boston-born band Juice about the impact of place on their music and how Boston has impacted their musical journeys. I spoke with Christian Rose, Ben Stevens, Daniel Moss, and Rami El-Abidin, but Kamau Burton, Michael Ricciardulli, and Miles Clyatt can also be seen on tour with the band.

Juice unofficially formed in 2014 as a group of seven undergraduate students at Boston College. Violinist and vocalist Christian Rose recounted how the band met through jam sessions, shared dorm hallways, and events around campus. Rose’s story was just like a coming-of-age movie, as the band went from jamming in dorm rooms to winning BC’s Battle of the Bands in their first year together. After their victory, the band began playing shows around the city.

Prescriptive Music Experiences

There are too many concerts happening on any given day to wait around for your favorite band to come to town. Going to concerts should surpass fandom and singing along to songs you know. From dancing with a stranger and discovering new artists to escaping from the outside world and being moved by unheard lyrics, the worth of attending a mystery concert is high.

Ode to Live Music

There were six radio presets and six CD slots in the 2007 Honda Pilot that I drove in high school. I was a master at flipping from FM to CD and could replace a disc in seconds. Wherever I was in town, I knew exactly which CD and track to switch to so that the song ended as I pulled into my driveway.

Even though my radio scanning prowess was off the charts, I often reverted back to Disc 4, Track 3: “Laundry Room” from the Avett Brothers’ “Live Vol. Four.” It was the ultimate song to drive home to, perfect for singing along in harmony and pounding the dashboard like a bass drum as the finale crescendoed. The way that the last chord so effortlessly transitioned into the next track is what cemented this album as my go-to.