juicer is an indie rock band from Brooklyn, NY consisting of James Pratley Watson (guitar/vocals), Donovan Edelstein (drums), Carlo DiBiaggio (bass) and Greg Crotty (guitar). They formed in early 2023 and have since enmeshed themselves into the vibrant indie rock community of NYC and beyond, playing at clubs in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Boston and Philly. Of course, what really caught my eye is the fact that the title of their debut album, Retire the Fences, is taken from the Beach Boys’ song “Feel Flows,” so I couldn’t turn down an opportunity to chat with Watson about, among other things, his music and his interest in the Beach Boys…
You had the idea to form juicer after moving from Los Angeles to New York. What prompted that move?
I had been coming to NYC to visit friends and family pretty frequently. One night I was out at Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook and met someone. We started dating long distance and within a few years I had moved here to be with her. We’re getting married in June!
Congratulations! How did the move inspire your music?
My first impression of NYC was that people wanted to know what you’re really about. It felt like the city was asking me, “What are you really good at? What do you have a genuine history with and connection to as an artist?” For me, that was playing in indie rock bands. I had done a lot of different things musically throughout my career, but writing and performing songs in a band was what I felt like I brought to the table, and it would be how I’d find my place here.
How is the music you’re making with juicer different from your earlier music?
It’s much more focused. I’ve explored a lot of different genres, maybe spread myself too thin in the past. WIth juicer it’s a direct homage to the indie rock and shoegaze that I love.
The title of your new album, Retire the Fences, is taken from the Beach Boys’ song “Feel Flows.” What do you like about that song—and that era of Beach Boys music, say from Sunflower to Holland?
There’s this idea of prosody in songwriting, where the melody matches the lyric. A simple example would be singing a melody that moves upward while talking about flying. In ‘Feel Flows’ the prosody is much more complex. The melodies fit perfectly to lyrics about the interconnectedness of the universe, the capricious nature of everything, and the glow of the earth. I mean, you have to be on acid to write this stuff, but still, it inspired me as a teenager to seek that magical combination of word and music to express things that either alone could not. As far as that era for the Beach Boys, after making an album like Pet Sounds you really have nothing to prove. That era feels like their “mature” era. Their songs had become more complex thematically and lyrically. ‘Feel Flows’ is so clearly inspired by an acid trip, yet it has this clear, resonant theme of, “Hey, no matter what life throws at you, everything is going to be alright.”
Beyond the title of Retire the Fences, are the Beach Boys an influence for juicer?
There’s this song on Sunflower that has one of my all time favorite songs, ‘All I Wanna Do.’ It’s so joyful and appreciative of the simple things in life. The positivity the Beach Boys are able to capture in their music is made more powerful by the fact that Brian Wilson struggles so deeply with mental health. For him to experience and express joy amidst that chaos is a precious, inspiring feat. There’s also these amazing themes of perseverance and resilience in this era that I find so uplifting, ‘Long Promised Road’ from Surf’s Up and ‘Sail On, Sailor’ from Holland to name a couple.
Before juicer, you opened for Haim. Can you talk about that experience a little bit?
Yeah my old band Pratley opened for them at the LA venue formerly known as The Bootleg Theater. They weren’t huge yet, I think Aquarium Drunkard had put on the show. We were just happy to be there. There were a bunch of trees and stuff on stage, it was fun.
Based on your press materials, it looks like the current lineup of juicer is different from the team you put together to record Retire the Fences. Am I understanding that right?
Yeah exactly. I started recording the album with hired musicians and a producer, then halfway through my friends Greg and Donovan said they wanted to join the band, so we recorded and produced the other half of the songs together as a band. Trickin, Family Man, Heirloom Crimes and Strawberry Life are from that initial era and Let Go, Dream, Bomb and Why Don’t are part of the later era, when we had started acting as a band.
How did juicer come together?
I originally set it up as a kind of solo project disguised as a band. It was a godsend when Greg and Donovan came around saying they wanted to be a part of the band in the real sense – splitting responsibility and input among all of us. It’s such a gift to be in a band with your friends, there’s really nothing like it, we laugh like crazy.
Your press materials also mention that since its formation, juicer has enmeshed itself in New York’s indie rock community. Who are some bands that you admire from that community, and what do you think makes for a good scene?
So many great bands here. We love the ones we’ve gotten to play with and who have shown us love by reposting our stuff etc. It sounds miniscule but it really makes us feel welcomed and supported when our fellow bands shout us out. Among these – Old Friends, Tonks, Paul Spring, Joanna Sternberg, Trinket, Hausholding, PFFU, The Meeks, Stephen Becker. I think what makes a good scene isn’t so much the homogeneity of the sound or aesthetics of the bands, it’s more about how you support one another (coming to each other’s shows, reposting etc.). It’s such a fast paced world, to make a small effort here and there to show where your heart’s at and who you’re rooting for, to me, is what builds a community.
What’s next for juicer?
I’m so excited for our next album. I mentioned how this album is half stuff I started when juicer was a solo project and half when it started to become an actual band. The next record is going to be exclusively a band effort, and I can’t wait to see what it brings.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me!
Thanks for the thoughtful questions, this was fun!
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