Post Katrina 2005

Aron and I landed in Nashville, where we combined with Anders Osborne, Chief Smiley Ricks and trombonist Rick Trolsen to start the 504-EVER band. Our first gig was a fundraiser for the Second Harvesters Food Bank at the Nashville Convention Center that raised over $20,000 for Katrina Relief.

504-EVER performed weekly at the barcar in Nashville, raising money for the Preservation Hall's musicians relief fund. Over the 2 months we were there, a rotating cast of incredible musicians lent there support, including guitarist John Rankin, bassist Manny Yanes (Neville Bros., Robert Palmer), saxophonist Jeff Coffin (Flecktones), guitarists Mike Mayeaux and Skeeter Hanks (beatinpath), songwriter/guitarist Lynn Drury, Americana act Jeff and Vida, trombonist Andy "Dr. Bone" Galbiadi, guitarist Chris Boone (sol fiya), and many others. We'd like to thank Kenny and the staff at the barcar for giving us the opportunity to help.

The 504-EVER and the plight of New Orleans musicians was featured with a front page article in the Tennessee, as well as the City Times of Nashville and Nashville Public Radio. We'd like to thank the city of Nashville for their outpouring of support to all the displaced people of the Gulf.

Joe Krown relocated to Baton Rouge, where he immediately embarked on a hugely successful solo piano tour of Europe. Since then Joe has been a constant, almost omnipresent, figure in New Orleans, gigging all over town. He was recently interviewed by the Edge from U2 and featured in an issue of Rolling Stone magazine.

Sam relocated to Boulder, CO where he hooked up with some friends in the Motet and has sat in with percussionist extraordinary Dave Watts. He also sat in on the Voice of the Wetlands Tour when it came to the Fox Theater in Boulder. The VOW is a concept of guitarist Tab Benoit to bring attention to the disappearing wetlands of the Gulf Coast that play a huge role in the ferocity of modern hurricanes. The incredible lineup of artists involved in VOW include Dr. John, George Porter Jr., Anders Osborne, Cyril Neville, Waylon Thibodeaux, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Johnny Sansone and Johnny Vidacovich.

During this time, we were all commuting to and from New Orleans and we are proud to have been one of the first bands to bring the music back to the city. We were the 2nd band to play the Maple Leaf, and among the first back at Le Bon Temps and dba.

In November, Juice and the 504-EVER band went to Northern California to headline a fundraiser for the Houma Indian Nation and the New Orleans Musicians Clinic. Organized by former bandmember Jamie Galloway, the extraordinary event at the Mateel Community Center in Garberville, CA also included our friend and New Orleans refugee Chris Mule and his band the Unmentionables. Sponsored by local radio station KMUD and Cecil's restaurant the event raised nearly $10,000 to help the aforementioned charities. Thanks to Jamie, Mike Kohn, Cecil, Becky, Jerry and KMUD for donating their resources.

Recently, we did the Krewe de Vieux Fundraiser party with Sol Fiya at One Eyed Jack's where the crowd extended out the door and down the street.

We rang in the New Years in the French Quarter at a party that was attended by the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana, respectfully.

Spring 2005

Juice's storied career is an evolution, one that's grown year by year, month by month, and most importantly, show by show. As much corralled as led by bassist Dave Jordan, they're back with the latest transmission from their carnival. This 2-disc volume ('cause you know, one set won't do) showcases the band's ability to dig deep into the vast catalogue of New Orleans and soul classics while fusing them with their own signature sound.

In 1995, Juice was formed in Baton Rouge by Jordan. Like many in the burgeoning jam band scene of the time, Juice thrived by melding musical styles-fusing soul and funk with rock-and most importantly, playing live. Since Jordan had cut his musical teeth with equal reverence for the Meters and the Grateful Dead, the collision of New Orleans funk and jam rock would help shape the sound of Juice for years to come.

In the early days, Juice was primarily a college band, gigging regionally at parties and clubs. But word spread, and in '98, the band moved to New Orleans and began a weekly residency at the famed club, Tipitina's. Their first CD, Fortified, was released soon after.

Also shaping the Juice sound were the harmonica screams and growling wails of Jamie Galloway. A mainstay from the beginning, Jamie and Dave's collaborations harkened back to prior bands. As Juice's reputation for all night jams spread, Jamie's imposing, yet comfortable presence made him the natural ringleader. Whether it was on vocals, harmonica, or whatever percussion instrument was handy, Galloway was determined to keep the party going.

The band had undergone lineup changes since its inception, but with the addition of drummer Aron Lambert in 1999, Juice solidified the sophisticated, syncopated backbeat that would become a Juice trademark. Juice is very much about musical tradition and influence, and no one epitomizes that ethos more than Aron. He literally grew up as part of world famous Preservation Hall (his mother and brother still help run the Hall day-to-day), and his exposure to the traditional jazz second line was where the birth of the groove that makes you move was born (hear the Meter-esque simmer of "Could Not Stay").

This period also saw the band shift from a regional college draw to a national touring act. From 1999-2003 the band averaged a staggering 170 shows a year, culminating with multiple performances at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. From the beginning, Jordan was the chief songwriter of the band, and indeed his songs and lyrics have embodied the spirit and sound of New Orleans. Tunes like "Laundry Song" or "The Bum Song" were so instantly infectious, you'd swear they were decades old. But 2002's All Lit Up (produced by Anders Osborne), marked a measure of maturity for the band, with songs like "My Neighbors" representing an apex of Jordan's songwriting skills. Juice had successfully forged its own identity as a funky roots-rock band.

Though Juice has been home to a long line of talented guitar players, it's hard to fathom that former Smilin' Myron guitarist Sam Hotchkiss -who joined the band on New Year's Eve 2001-has logged more years with any in the band. His tune here, "Sugar Butt," is a showcase for Lambert and Hotchkiss alike…a classic New Orleans funk jam, updated for the new millennium. Hotchkiss knows exactly when to lay down a crunchy rhythm or a staggering blues lick.

The newest member of Juice is organist Joe Krown. Krown, who comes to the band after 14 years with the legendary Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, brings his own tunes to the table. The instrumental "Living Large" is a swarthy, greasy beast who makes itself right at home in the Juice universe. His musical maturity fits right in with the road tested, tradition-rich sound that the band is versed in.

But a great band is always greater than the sum of its parts. And you find that equation throughout Hey Buddy; from the barrelhouse of "Song for You" to the uninhibited groove of "Fish Fry" to the seamless segue of "Laundry Song" and "Back by the River". These are ancient grooves- not created as much as channeled-and Juice has tapped the well directly.

Perhaps no song here personifies this band more than Taj Mahal's "Further on Down The Road." A slow steady groove is supplied by Lambert and Jordan, Galloway commands center stage with an introductory harp solo, Krown colors it all with organ fills, and Hotchkiss provides a simply beautiful soaring guitar solo.

This is Juice. Rock 'n' Roll steeped in New Orleans funk. Further on down the road. Just as this record marks the first appearance of guitarist Sam Hotchkiss and keyboardist Joe Krown, it marks the departure of a founding member-vocalist / harmonica player Jamie Galloway. The more things change, well… welcome to the party.

Tom Speed Honest Tune Magazine April 2005