JUICE

Toronto sextet Juice’s debut album Hit The Ground Running is proving to be a pretty accurate title. Recently releasing their first single “Wake Me Up”, which can be streamed and purchased on their Bandcamp page, it’s clear that they’re pulling out all the stops when it comes to catchy, well-produced songs. As an independent release, Juice are doing everything themselves, and just as you’ve come to expect from independent music these days, it sounds just as good as anything backed up by a label. The band sticks to standard length, dynamic pop-rock accented with effectively employed trumpet and sax elements to throw in something fresh. Juice aren’t really breaking any new ground here, but it doesn’t really matter because what they’re doing is done so well that these guys are guaranteed to have a lot of success with this LP. Hell, just to drive that statement home, last September Juice shot up in the ranks to the third best-selling band on Bandcamp just by linking their page to a Reddit article. You don’t need to be signed these days to be successful, but I wouldn’t be shocked if labels start moving on these guys when Hit The Ground Running is released on Bandcamp and iTunes July 16th. That’s a date that’s fast approaching, but the beauty for those in the KW area is that Juice are going to be playing a couple of shows in Waterloo on the 12th, so check it out. Details on upcoming shows are as follows: - Velvet Rope Magazine

The main stage at the University of Waterloo’s Canada Day celebrations was rocking last Friday with 10 musical acts including the band Juice that energized the crowd with a spirited performance. More than 60,000 people attended the 27th annual event capped off with a fireworks display over Columbia Lake. - The Waterloo Chronicle

We featured Juice in the very beginning of Stereofox and the response was (not surprisingly) very positive. The Canadians, who have this very friendly and plentiful sound, incorporate elements from the funk, rock, ska and r&b music. Later on, we started talking and decided to follow up the feature with an interview! - Stereofox.com

Along a splendid summer tour from Vancouver, Maxwell’s welcomed Five Alarm Funk with the long time favorites from Toronto, JUICE! The chemistry and energy these two bands alone put together could blow the top off the Waterloo venue, if not more. - Velvet Rope Magazine

Street performances take place between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. every night with artists performing three sets each on a somewhat flexible schedule. A few crowd favourites worth checking out are JUICE at 2180 Queen St. E. - BlogTo

JUICE is beginning to make waves in Toronto. Making their name known at such venues as The Horseshoe Tavern, The Silver Dollar Room and Lee’s Palace, their multi-genre style has stood out locally. After only a year and a half of being a band, they are already on the precipice of becoming a Canadian phenomenon. If you consider yourself a jam-band connoisseur, JUICE is definitely one to add to the collection. They formulate their soulful grooves by accenting the inhumanly on-time rhythm section with a funk horn ensemble, encompassed by a smooth vocalist. True Brothers of groove, JUICE bridges the gaps between genres opening the doors to the endless possibilities of sound creation. - Thenewhalifax.ca

The track I'm sharing with you is from their debut EP which, if I can recall correctly, I found while browsing the front of the Internet AKA Reddit. Great band, really positive vibe and would love to see them live. Check out their other stuff, they've got a nice thing going on. - Stereofox.com

"I think 'JUICE' shows promise on a few levels: musical intelligence, good songwriting, an understanding of arranging material for live stage energy, a talented singer, and the beginnings of some business sense, too. I hope they can find some support, so that they can get opportunities to develop these qualities." - Rik Emmett of Triumph

"JUICE, what a fitting name for a band that gets the party juices flowing! The talent in this band is exceptional and they can pump up any crowd. I always look forward to having Juice perform in my venue." - Paul Maxwell, Owner of Maxwell's Music House, Waterloo Ontario

Entirely self-produced, Hit The Ground Running features ten hook-laden tracks that showcase the things that fans of the band have come to know and love; raw vocals, tight horns, a heavy rhythm section and an inherent ability to write melodies that will make you rush the dance floor... - Vandala Magazine

Toronto’s infectious funk-rock band JUICE will independently release their debut album Hit The Ground Running on July 16, 2013. The album will be available through the band’s Bandcamp [http://juicemusic.bandcamp.com/] and via iTunes. To get a taste of what to expect on their debut full-length, the band has just released the soulful dance jam “The City”. To check it out visit: https://soundcloud.com/juice-htgr/the-city

Entirely self-produced, Hit The Ground Running features ten hook-laden tracks that showcase the things that fans of the band have come to know and love; raw vocals, tight horns, a heavy rhythm section and an inherent ability to write melodies that will make you rush the dance floor.

Coming together in the halls of Humber College’s music department, JUICE is a musical collaboration made up of some of Toronto’s finest performing musicians, including Tom Hanley (Gtr/Vocals), Kyle Woodard (Sax), Max Stanutz (Trumpet), Claudio Santaluce (Drums), Andrew Wright (Bass) and Craig Clemens (Keys/Vocals). After posting a link to their Bandcamp on a Reddit article in September 2012, JUICE went viral, racking up over 45,000 plays in a week, which catapulted them to the third best sellers overall on Bandcamp and the best sellers in the rock genre.

From headlining shows at rock venues to performing “Suit and Tie” gigs at cocktail hour, The Beaches Jazz Festival “fan favourites” will embark on a number of summer festival dates across Canada. For full tour details see below. - Hellhoundmusic.com

JUICE, a Toronto band composed of Humber music graduates, will be performing live at indieWEEK Canada 2013 on Thursday as part of the music and film festival.

According to their website, JUICE says their sound is influenced by classical soul, R&B and hip-hip as well as indie rock.

Band members Tom Hanley (guitar/vocals), Kyle Woodard (saxophone), Max Stanutz (trumpet), Claudio Santaluce (drums), Andrew Wright (bass), and Craig Clemens (keys/vocals) are the third best-selling band on Bandcamp, a music downloading site, with their album Hit the Ground Running.

“Through Hit the Ground Running, we’re trying to say, ‘keep trying because nothing happens overnight, work hard and don’t give up,’ said Hanley. “We graduated from school and focus on growing, that’s what the album’s based on.”

Hit The Ground Running is JUICE’s first-full length album, which was released in July. The album’s lead single is titled “Wake Me Up.”

Hanley said the band experimented with technical music using what they have learned at Humber.

“In school we started to focus on songwriting and where the music wants to go, not where the musicians want to go,” said Hanley.

As an independent band, JUICE makes just as well-produced songs as bands in label, says Mutiarani Taufieq, 18, Humber business-marketing student and the runner of Toronto indie music blog, tdotindiegigs.

“They have their own technicality. They have their own unique melodies, unique lyrics too,” she said. “They’re exploring music in a broad way.”

Taufieq said indie bands are not trying to reach all crowds of people.

“Their fans are those who understand and speak the same music as they do, and they want to create music for that particular fan.”

JUICE is scheduled to perform at The Supermarket, a bar in Kensington Market, and Hanley says he prefers such settings to outdoor venues.

“It has good sound, good size for the crowd to fit,” said Hanley. “Close to the audience too, so they can feel the same energy, the same vibes, it’s the best feelings.”

Greg Botrell, co-owner of The Supermarket, says it’s important to participate in festivals such as indieWEEK, “because it’s a good opportunity to take indie bands to another level.”

“We like to promote bands that are independent,” he said. - The Humber Et Cetera

If you’re searching for new tunes to satisfy musical cravings, then look no further! JUICE is a fresh mix of Canadian talent originally hailing from the halls of Humber College’s music department. Blending classic soul and R&B sounds with modern indie rock and hip hop, this team of six has produced tracks that will be sure to leave your ears sizzling.

JUICE will be playing at The Head of Trent on October 5. Recently, Arthur spoke with Tom Hanley, guitar player and vocalist extraordinaire, to learn more about the band. - Arthur : The Peterborough and Trent University Independent Press

A Music Blog, Yea? recently had a chat with Tom Hanley, lead vocalist of Toronto funk-rock makers JUICE. In support of their latest album Hit The Ground Running (released independently on July 16th), the sextet is performing in Toronto at The Piston on Thursday, November the 14th. If you want to learn more about the band, dig into our conversation where we spoke about favourite releases of the year, writing a second full length album, and their amazing side projects. - A Music Blog. Yea?

The problem with rock n' roll and the new bans and records which have come along over the last few years is that it has all attempted to diversify so much that a lot of it has just ended up becoming static in the process. Everyone seems to want to really stand apart from the pack and the first way to do so has been to add some oddball extra sound which just sits awkwardly in the mix. That so many such bands doing that exist now actually helps bands like Juice more than most might expect; instead of attempting to add awkward frills to their music, Juice simply lets solid songwriting be the hook they use to catch listeners on Hit The Ground Running, and lets fine performance be the lasting impression they leave behind after the record's run-time ends. Some readers might be skeptical, but the proof really is in the listening; Hit The Ground Running just goes, and those who hear it will happily go along with it.

...And those who hear it will be ready to fall in line behind the band right away as “Wake Me Up” kicks Hit The Ground Running open full-force. There, the band hits on a perfectly accessible mix of rock n' roll and rhythm & blues that those who hear it will be able to feel in every fibre of their being; Tom Hanley's voice and guitar straddle the same rhythmic line that bands like The Rolling Stones and Black Crowes have taken over the years, while the rhythm section of Craig Clement, Claudio Santaluce and Andrew Wright lock into a sound far more refined than one might expect from a band so young. Here, the combined group comes off like a crack team of studio veterans and the track itself proves to be incredibly engaging; in this pitch-corrected, studio manipulated age, hearing a band just knock songs out with a fine performance is a rarity – but it's great here.

While listeners are still reeling from their first introduction to Juice, the band keeps picking up steam through “The City” and “Never Know” (both of which sound like the best songs Jamiroquai has written in years) before resting easy in the rolling rocksteady rhythm of “Two Brothers.” There (as well as in the subdued track which follows it, “Indigo”), listeners will be able to stop and realize just how tight and keenly sharpened the players in this band are, and get the chance to really appreciate the craft and tone they've put in – before they pick up the beat and start wowing listeners again with the Philly Soul rave-up of “Hit The Ground Running,” the future barroom classic “Anywhere” and the infectious swagger of “Bad Man” before finally resting again in “Big Heart” and letting the record close. It's a high-energy run that listeners will have no trouble getting in step with.

After it has ended, those who have gone front-to-back with the record will be amazed at what they've experienced on Hit The Ground Running. While it's true that Juice is far from having been hard-tested yet in their young career, they've already established a solid place to start on Hit The Ground Running and leave lots of room to develop as they go from here as well. Readers in the Golden Horseshoe would be well advised to find out where this band is playing in the near future and shell out the cover charge to catch them that night before prices go up – as they seem destined to do. - Ground Control Magazine

Juice are a fun jazz – funk – r’n'b – pop hybrid out of Humber college. Juice combines funk based grooves, and a tight horns section, with catchy melodies. It’s a recipe for success.
A link posted to a reddit page lead to thousands of listens and a top sales day on bandcamp.
These guys have blown up over the past few years since they formed, and the future looks very bright for them. Pop / punk, and indie rock bands with horns sections are very big at the moment and Juice does a good job encapsulating this kind of music. The guys are very friendly, and the music is easy to listen to.
Juice are playing in Hamilton on Friday the 13th. Find the details on our events page.
I caught up with Tom to learn more about the band. - Cut From Steel Hamilton Music Blog

While Scoping out the Toronto band JUICE, I was struck by youthful faces, bold sounds and above all else a strong sense of ambition. The combination of whopping with poppy rock and suggestions of soulful jazz buzzed in my ears and prickled my curiosity. I had to know more. Who are these guys and whats is their story... - Product Magazine

When the first song begins on Juice’s album Hit The Ground Running, they could be any other rock band on the radio today. There’s a catchy beat on an electric guitar, Tom Hanley begins singing and you know it’s going to be fun to listen to, but it isn’t overly remarkable. However, that changes only a few seconds later. Suddenly, a heavy drum beat kicks in, a trumpet starts and what began as a typical rock album becomes half rock ’n’ roll and half big-band jazz. Tom Hanley handles the vocals well and the percussion is strong, but Max Stanutz on trumpet and Kyle Woodard on saxophone bring a unique twist to this album.

Hit The Ground Running is the self-produced debut album from Toronto funk-rock band Juice who have performed at Indie Week Festival in Toronto, Sound of Music Festival in Burlington, the Beaches Jazz Festival at Woodbine Park in Toronto and the P.E.I. Jazz and Blues Festival. The band merges indie-rock with jazz and funk to produce a unique and engaging sound.

The big-band jazz sound is clear through the first track, “Wake Me Up,” and cycles back and forth with the band’s funkier side in a pop-influenced track “The City.” Most of the album’s 10 tracks, with just a few exceptions, begin with a very funk-inspired sound, like “Never Know” and “Two Brothers,” before returning to that big jazz sound — and back to funk and back to jazz. The album’s title track “Hit The Ground Running” comes halfway into the album and blends the two sides of funk and jazz in a song that will get your feet tapping every time, if not outright dancing.

Although there are a couple of slow songs and one folk-rock song at the end that is unlike the rest of the album, it is nevertheless fun from beginning to end. - TheGauntlet.ca