Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Juvenile Characteristics . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Juvenile , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

As a band, we titled our first album after an actual place where our guitar player lived, Bluegrass Road. The song tells a story from his past. Because we chose this name for the title cut and for the album, we have been labeled a bluegrass band for quite some time. While we do have bluegrass influences, we do not consider ourselves to be a bluegrass band. Our music is hard to categorize…but it’s definitely not bluegrass.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Juvenile Characteristics is a 5-piece acoustic/electric band committed to playing our own original music and our favorite covers. The covers we choose to play are songs that we would want to listen to if we were going to see live music. Our original music is written from our hearts based on our experiences and dreams.

Original members, Jason Hummell, Kris Chapman, and Jason Sample started the band in early 2009. The earliest of days saw the three sitting around campfires and playing the songs they knew and loved for their friends and family. It was late 2007 when some friends said “you guys should start a band!” And so they did. Jason, Kris and Jason played together for most of 5 years, and in early 2014, they decided to add Mitch Adelman to the mix complementing their unique sound. In 2019 Geoff Marenchin was added to complete the band. Many changes have accompanied their musical growth over the course of 10+ years including the addition of new instruments, percussion and more intricate harmonies, but one thing has never changed…the shows are fun and the atmosphere is always filled with love!!

For just over 15 years, Juvenile Characteristics has been spreading a message of peace and love to anyone who will sit a spell and listen. We pride ourselves in putting on an energy-rich show, helping to bring a moment or two of joy and relaxation to the crowd, and sending them off full of positive energy to spread around like confetti.

Currently, Juvenile Characteristics has a very unique look compared to most bands. With three of the five members playing percussion, it is a very different feel, both on stage and in the audience. Jason Hummell plays acoustic guitar and adds both lead and background vocals. As the one man rhythm machine, he also provides a unique energy while he keeps tempo playing hi-hat, and kick snare drum. Kris Chapman is the driving energy force that leads Juvenile Characteristics with sweet vocals on both melodies and harmonies. Chappy is also known to throw down some impressive dance moves while playing a mean tambourine. Jason Sample makes his presence felt on the low end of the musical register. As the bass man, he provides his energy through the upright bass, electric bass, and kick bass drum. You will also hear him adding to the mix with bass vocals. Mitch Adelman adds to the unique sound with the pedal steel, lead electric guitar and slide guitar. His musical ability has driven the band to many new experiences and challenges. And finally, Geoff Marenchin is the newest addition to the JC family, adding to the chaos with his incredible percussion skills. Geoff is a life-long musician, and his knowledge and experience has proved to be invaluable!!

​For us, the live experience is what we thrive on, promoting the peace and love that has shaped our lives. We encourage you to check out a live show. We promise, you’ll feel better when you do!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Most of the members of Juvenile Characteristics have spent time working with children at some point in their journey. Kris and Jason Sample are both currently school teachers. Mitch is a retired teacher. Jason Hummell works in therapy, and has spent time working as a school-based therapist. These situations have allowed us to look at the world through different perspectives. As educators, we will tell you that we learn as much from the kids at school as they do from us. As musicians, there have been countless times where kids are the driving force bringing people to the dance floor in front of us. Children see the world much differently than adults do, and in many ways, their perspective is one we can all learn from. Kids don’t look at each other with fear and apprehension. They look at everyone around them as a possible friend. Watch the kids at a wedding reception or any other large gathering. They don’t see political affiliation, financial background, race or ethnicity, they see a partner for having the best time they know how to have. It is with this same perspective that we wish to view the world around us, and it is that perspective that we would love our adult fans to embrace as well. At every show we perform, what brings us the most joy is watching ALL our fans, of many different backgrounds, having a great time, and enjoying those around them. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all lived with those same juvenile characteristics?

Have you ever had to pivot?

One word…COVID.

I think everyone had to pivot from their “normal” during this unprecedented time! But for those that work in any type of performance art, it really took a toll!! Juvenile Characteristics is a hobby for most of us. We are a working small business, but all of us have careers outside of this business as well. So, we didn’t have the fan base and the online presence that mainstream artists could survive on. It was during this time that we had to pivot in an effort to keep the Juvenile Characteristics name visible and viable. So, Kris (Chappy) and Jason Sample (Jay) decided to use our affinity for entertaining others as well as our appetites to try and help many other local, small businesses during this crazy time. We created the “Take Out Twins” and used what small online presence we had to help promote this little adventure. Chappy and Jay would travel to local restaurants, which also had to close their doors and pivot their business model to one of take out instead of seated meals inside their buildings, get their take-out food, take it back to one of our houses, and eat it. We would film the entire adventure and one of our team members at the time, Dana Schroyer, would edit and produce all of the footage into 20-30 minute videos that were posted to our facebook page. The show was as successful as we ever could have hoped, and continued to bring joy and laughter to our fans while still helping to promote both the Juvenile Characteristics name and the small business partners that were hoping to survive this crazy time. Through this little adventure, we made many new friends, helped give back to other local small businesses, and continued to promote the Juvenile Characteristics brand. When the smoke cleared, and life went back to normal, the Take Out Twins retired their bibs, and put their dancing shoes back on…and Juvenile Characteristics got back to making music! With more new songs coming, and more friends to make, the future is still looking bright!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.juvenilecharacteristics.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/juvenile_characteristics
• Facebook: facebook.com/juvenile.characteristics
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWibGBqYd_IGSwb71wGsRiA

Image Credits
Kim Frei, Christy Sample