Hailing from North Carolina, the punk rockers Juniper Avenue dropped their sophomore record Chuck Rock on the 4th of April 2023, and today we’re going to chat with them and get to know more about their world.
Hello Juniper Avenue, we’re happy to have you here with us on Rock Era Magazine,
- I can hear heavy and diverse sounds and approaches in Chuck Rock, would you tell us about your early influences? And which ones still steer your writing till now?
Our early influences were all over the place, but classic rock, punk, metal, and jazz were the most we had in common. As we started writing our first album, we found ourselves playing pop music with tinges of grunge. Our vision for Chuck Rock drew inspiration from classic punk like Iggy Pop, early Chili Peppers; we were also really influenced by neo-psychedelia, and we wanted to present a soundscape to the listener. We enjoy venturing out into different moods and tones while still retaining our unique flavor in the midst.
- How did you guys meet? And what inspired the band’s name Juniper Avenue?
The four of us grew up in a small town outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. We had all mutually known each other but Jeremy, Luke, and Cody met in a high school jazz band class. Jeremy and Graham had been jamming together for a little bit, so we all grouped together and played a bunch of covers at a local food truck rodeo for our first set. We were originally called “Hummingbird,” but one day we passed a street near our hometown… one of us read “Juniper Avenue” aloud and it stuck.
- You have a diverse multi-layered sound and structures, would you tell us about your writing process? What usually initiates writing a new song?
Since we have been living across our home state for the last couple years, writing has been a little difficult over the internet but we prefer writing together in the same room. One of us usually presents a riff, chord progression, something catchy, or sometimes an entire song to the rest of the group. We’ll prepare songs to play them live, but we have enjoyed incorporating the songwriting process through our studio recordings. After recording Chuck Rock, we’ve been placing as much as we can from the studio recordings back into our live performances.
- How would you describe your sound to someone who wants to get into Juniper Avenue?
Usually when asked about our sound or genre we always define ourselves as “chuck rock.” To flesh out the genre of chuck rock, we have a blend of modern rock, punk, funk, and more progressive elements from each of those. Though some may say we don’t perfectly fit into a specific genre or musical space, we pride ourselves in conforming and molding our sound to compliment other bands we’ve playing with, the venues we’re performing in, or what kind of mood we’re feeling when we’re writing.
- Chuck Rock has an organic consistent dynamic flow, is there a theme or concept binding those songs together?
- What song would you pick out of your catalog to introduce your band to new fans?
We would recommend our singles “Disfunction” and “Judy Byrd” for introductory listening; these early tracks show our deep love for a traditional song structure. Each track on Chuck Rock retains their own uniqueness; our first single from the album “Bumfuzzle” is a great place to start, as well as the title track. Danny Fanatic, Victim, and Karen are some deeper cuts that display more of our personal interests.
- What are your plans for 2023/2024? Got anything exclusive for us?
- Thanks for your time guys, wishing you the best of luck.
