There are so many great musicians and bands in Lakeland, but unfortuantely you don’t hear much about them and when they are playing.  People seem to think that there isn’t any live music going on in Lakeland but there most definitely is!  My hopes for this band spotlight series is to bring awareness to the local music scene and help generate support for these great local acts. The first band in the series, is juniper RED, a new, up and coming band from town. I had juniper RED answer some questions so that we could all get to know them and here is what they had to say:

What is the name of the band?
juniper RED

 Who is in juniper RED and what do you each play?
Scott Morris – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Mike Monts De Oca – Lead Guitar, Vocals
Matt McGowan – Keyboard/Piano – Vocals
Ken Dauphinais – Drums
Sean McGee – Bass

 What kind of music does juniper RED play?
As a band we try to stay away from leading an audience into thinking that we are a certain genre. Our music could probably be classified into different categories depending on whom you asked, but if we had to define our sound we would say it is “modern-southern rock.”

Who are some of juniper RED’s biggest influences?
Each member of the band is so musically diverse from each other it’s hard to have a collaborative influence. That is one of the things that makes juniper RED so unique.

Scott’s influences: James Taylor, Marc Cohn, Sister Hazel, Gin Blossoms

Mike’s influences: Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Slash (Guns N’ Roses), Joe Perry (Aerosmith), John Mayer

Matt’s influences: Billy Joel, Elton John, Coldplay, Something Corporate, Dave Matthews Band

Ken’s influences: Chicago, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd

Sean’s influences: John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Geddy Lee (Rush), Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Victor Wooten, Les Claypool (Primus), Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)

 How long have you been playing together?
Scott and Mike met in late February and began playing acoustic shows together at Molly McHugh’s Pub in March of ’09. Scott, Ken, and Matt were playing together already with a cellist when Mike and Scott met up and eventually the Scott Morris Band was created. We went through several bass players throughout the spring and summer months while playing as the Scott Morris Band. After deciding that we wanted to go in more of a rock direction, we pick up Sean and changed our name to juniper RED back in September. He has been a real blessing for the band and has finally supplied us with a permanent bass player.

 What places has the band played shows at?
We have played at a few different venues around the Central Florida area with the most memorable being The Social – Orlando, FL; The Plaza Theatre – Orlando, FL; The Polk Theatre – Lakeland, FL; and the Florida Southern College Fall Fesitval – Lakeland, FL

Where is juniper RED’s favorite place to play in Lakeland?
Our favorite place in Lakeland is The Polk Theatre, hands down. To be on the same stage as Elvis and other great acts, and in such a historic venue just can’t be topped by any other place in town. The acoustics and sound quality seem to get better with age inside the auditorium. As kids, a couple of us who grew up in Lakeland dreamed of one day playing at The Polk Theatre, so it’s been a special venue to us.

Does juniper RED have a CD out yet?
Right now we are in the studio recording our debut album, “Red, White & You.” We are recording with Jeff Knauff at The Parsonage in Gibsonton, FL. Ideally, we would love to have a finished product to be available before the summer of 2010. Once its produced the CD will be available on our website (www.juniperred.com), iTunes, Amazon, and various other music sites. You can also always pick up a hard copy at any of our shows.

 Where does juniper RED see themselves in 5 years?
This is sort of a tricky question to answer. Everyone in juniper RED sees this as more than just a hobby. We are all passionate about music and want to make music our careers. As Scott so eloquently puts it, “We better be on rock’s top 10 charts or there’s no reason we should be doing this.” Ultimately, no matter the outcome of juniper RED’s professional career, we’d like to still be making music that we love to play and that people enjoy listening to.

What makes this band different from other bands out there right now?
We all have various backgrounds, which we don’t stifle: from marching bands to blues. Allowing everyone to contribute their strengths, and not holding anyone back, has proved to be the defining factor in our sound. We really don’t fit in any one genre, so our shows exhibit something that everyone can and will enjoy.

Do you have any upcoming shows?
Currently we have booked to play in Downtown Lakeland for Molly McHugh’s first annual Thanksgiving Eve street party. We’ll be playing from about 9pm to midnight on the 25th and are really looking forward to having a great night. We’ll be playing some of your favorite covers from the past 30 years, as well as your soon to be favorite juniper RED originals. There are also rumors floating around of another show coming up very soon. Nothing can be confirmed at this time, but let’s just say that it would be a huge opportunity for us and we are pretty excited about seeing what happens.

What are the band’s favorite songs to play?
Scott: Original – So We Begin, Cover – Hard To Handle by The Black Crowes
Mike: Original – Not Believing, Cover – Use Somebody by Kings of Leon
Matt: Original – Don’t Forget I’m Here, Cover – Hotel California by The Eagles
Ken: Original – Red, White & You, Cover – Hard To Handle by The Black Crowes
Sean: Original – Better Than This, Cover – Santeria

What does juniper RED think would improve or enhance the local music scene?
The local music scene is kind of an interesting thing. There are some really great venues for acoustic shows and duos, but we feel like there are limited resources that accommodate full bands. Years ago, Lillian’s was a great place for bands to play a build a fan base, but with their departure it seems like local music has kind of gone into a slump. Lakeland needs a place where local bands can go and put on a real show, and believe us when we say that there are some really talented bands around here. Not only would a dedicated music venue be good for local acts, we think that people would enjoy a place to go to hear some good music. Music is an important part of people’s lives; no matter what style they choose to listen to.

Thank you juniper RED for giving everyone the opportunity to get to know you more! I can’t wait to see what is in store for this band, and look forward to these upcoming shows. Good luck and keep rockin’!

If juniper RED sounds like a band you’d like to hear more from, check our their website or head to Molly McHugh’s on November 25th to catch  juniper RED live in concert.

*If you are a local band or musician and would like to be featured in the spotlight series, please leave a comment with your contact information*

juniperRED photos credit: Tom Hagerty