I had the pleasure of spending time with these three very talented women! We have been trying to get together for a photo shoot the last two years, and finally met up last week! We spent about 3 hours together and according to my FitBit, I walked over 4 miles! We went to several different spots and I learned a lot more about Butte (this was my second time visiting). We also went Uptown and they showed me the artwork for the filming of 1923 (prequel to Yellowstone)! If you are interested in booking them, find them on Facebook and Instagram!
I sent Andrea a few questions to answer:
Q. Who is in your band? And do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
Mack, Emma, and me (Andy). Mack is our soprano and Emma and I are the altos. Emma also plays the guitar.
We all love being outdoors and enjoying all that Montana has to offer. Camping, kayaking, paddle boarding, hiking, etc. Individually - Mack is always cooking something delicious, Emma restores old buildings, and Andy travels every chance she gets.
Q. How did you all meet and how old were you when you started your band?
Emma and Andy met when we were in 8th grade back in 2008. Mack moved back to Butte in 2010 and we all became friends after that. We started making music together sometime in high school when we were probably 15 or so, but we didn’t officially become “Juniper Creek” until our early 20’s.
Q. What made you want to become a band?
One of our high school history teachers knew we could all sing, so he gathered us during lunch one day and asked if we’d learn some Irish songs to perform at Handing Down the Heritage, a St. Paddy’s Day event in Butte. We agreed, and the rest is history! It’s kind of funny that someone else had to bring us together as a band, since we were all friends anyway. Thanks, Mr. Fisk!
Q. What kind of music do you perform?
We are a harmony heavy acoustic band, I’d say our style is folk-adjacent. We mostly do covers right now (though we hope to become a fully original band one day!) and we cover any and all genres.
Q. Do you write your own music?
Right now we’re mostly a cover band, but we do have some originals, and we’re working on writing more! I think eventually we’d like to do exclusively original songs, but that will be a few years down the road.
Q. What is it about music that makes you feel passionate?
It creates a sort of magic. People come together, strangers dance with each other, the shy person sitting in the corner taps their toes with the beat. It’s an art form, and also a kind of therapy for us. We release a lot of pent up energy through music.
Q. What accomplishments do you see yourself achieving in the next five to 10 years?
We'd love to write more original songs, release music on streaming platforms, and play live at more venues - both in our hometown and across the state.
Q. Where have you performed in the past?
We’ve kind of done a little of everything - birthdays, retirement parties, funerals, fundraisers, bars, brewfests, Irish festivals, etc. You name it, we’ve quite possibly done it!
Q. Where is your favorite place to perform?
Right now, probably the Montana Axe Bar in Butte. The staff is amazing, the energy of the place is so much fun, and they have alcoholic slushies! We love every place that we get to perform, though.
Q. Describe your favorite and least favorite part about being a musician.
Being a musician is amazing. We literally have the best job in the world. We get to share our passion with people and provoke so much emotion. It’s beautiful. The only downside in my opinion is that it can be surprisingly physically draining - we once did a 5 hour set in the sun. By the end of it Emma’s fingers were badly blistered, our voices were gone, and our bodies were exhausted!
Q. What kind of events are you wanting to perform at?
Literally anything. Wedding? We’re in. Divorce? Absolutely. Birthday? Heck yeah. You quit your job and want to celebrate? Call us!