One of the best parts of living in Boston is, ironically enough, what comes out of it—or, in this case, what goes into it. The city is a Mecca of creativity: a person can walk ten feet in any direction and find art that someone has created. At a Takeover Tuesday event, three bands played at the House of Blues Foundation Room on Dec. 8, 2015: Berklee College of Music’s Fern Souza and DWill, and Boston College’s Juice.
The doors of the Foundation Room opened at 8:30 p.m. The venue was surprisingly posh—thickly carpeted floors, luxurious seats, and a wide array of drinks. People mingled and talked, waiting for the performers to arrive. As both Fern Souza and DWill took the stage, the audience applauded, but anticipation was clearly building for Juice’s entrance. Fern Souza played an excellent set of electronica songs, riling up the audience, and DWill’s intense, pulsating rap shook the room with its fiery ambience. Still, nothing could compare with the moment that Juice took center stage—the audience erupted into cheers for the band.
Every BC student should make a point to see a Juice concert at some point in their college career, because it is a unique experience. As the sound of stringed instruments filled the room, listeners lit up with joy. Bathed in the glow of multi-colored spotlights and backed by a mural of a neon-colored elephant, Juice began its performance. Christian Rougeau, Ben Stevens, and Kamau Burton’s vocals were as strong as ever, a fitting conclusion to this semester’s set of concerts. Miles Clyatt’s drum work is as unrivaled as ever, driving home every beat the band moves along to. It is sometimes said that drums are the heartbeat of music—if this is true, Clyatt brings life to Juice.
Daniel Moss, Michael Ricciarduli, and Rami El-Abidin stole the show with their guitar and bass work, and Chris Vu’s keyboard beautifully rounded out what was an altogether spectacular performance. The band played many of its biggest hits, and the audience, surrounding the band almost entirely, felt every note it struck. Listening to Juice play is something of a religious experience—each member has a way of connecting with listeners in a way that no other college band can recreate.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to find flaws in the band’s performance on Tuesday night. Perhaps the most standout track played was “How You Gonna Do Me Like That.” It is a masterful blend of R&B, classical, and rap—a qualification that seems strange, but comes very naturally. The level of creativity exhibited just in this song rivals that of many popular artists today. It isn’t surprising to see Juice garnering so much attention from the Boston area.
It is sad to see the semester, and thus Juice’s semester performances, come to a close. The past several months have been an impressive time for music at BC, and it is an exciting prospect that more is still to come next semester. If Juice continues on the path that it’s currently on, it would be no shock at all to see it rise to very high levels of (much-deserved) fame.
Featured Images By James Clarke / Heights Editor
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