Today we’d like to introduce you to Juan “JJ” Licon.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Juan “JJ”. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Wild Boys – The Duran Duran experience started merely as a concept in late 2016. I have always been a huge fan of 80s rock/pop, especially of bands such as Duran Duran, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, The Outfield, etc. so it made sense to me since I am a singer and an influential person in the Dallas music scene that a tribute to the Majestic Duran Duran had to be brought to life. All I had to do was to find the right people, put all the pieces together and make it happen.
In the beginning, I temporarily hired a manager who helped me find my original bassist and keyboardist, and I already knew a great drummer and guitar player who happen to be the biggest Duran Duran fans I have ever met. So everything was going in the right direction. The songs of Duran Duran are incredibly complicated to replicate, from the music itself, John Taylor’s bass line, Nick Rhodes’ synths, sequences and effects, and Simon Le Bon’s vocals and songwriting makes all their music so amazingly complex that we understood the challenge we were facing and made it even more fun of a project to take on. Playing their music live made us finally understand why there aren’t many good Duran Duran tributes around the world, and we wanted to be the best and the biggest, and according to the real Duran Duran, seems like we actually made it.
The reason why we are on top of the tribute scene is simple, I had a vision that required full commitment from every member, I had to make sure that every person in the band was a huge fan of Duran Duran, and the most important aspect besides the music obviously, is our image. Duran Duran was always known to be a very fashion-driven “sexy” band. This may make me sound awful, but I had to reject a lot of incredibly talented musicians who showed interest in auditioning because they did not have the “right look”.
Wild boys shows are not just five guys on stage playing music, all our shows are big spectacles full of energy, backing vocals, light shows, fog, video production, big stage props, dancers, including all original Duran Duran outfits, replicating their actual mannerisms and the way they interact on stage while following the same format the real Duran Duran follows on their live shows as far as how they play every song live, how they dress, what they say, and how they interact with their audiences.
We take the word “tribute” very seriously as you can tell. The best compliments we have heard from fans, other tribute artists, and even some of the Real Duran Duran crew is that we are the best DD tribute in the world, that they can close their eyes and it’s like they’re listening to the real band or they can cover their ears and it’s like they’re watching the real band. That makes it all worthwhile.
This is why Wild Boys only plays the biggest stages in town, we cannot “tone down” or modify our show to fit into smaller venues, it just wouldn’t be the real Wild Boys experience.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely not be a smooth road especially for me individually.
Some of the struggles we have as a band is having all 8 or 9 of us on stage perfectly coordinated and in-sync before, during, and even after the show. Having everyone agree to wear the correct outfits, acquire the right equipment (guitars, drums, gear, etc.), transportation of everything that goes into a wild boys show, especially when we play out of town is a bit of a nightmare.
Also, when I started this band, I didn’t want to be a dictator and call all the shots. I decided to make this more of a democracy in which we all vote on what songs we’re going to play or learn next, how we’re going to play them, what kind of videos we ‘ll play during the show, how we’re going to dress, etc. so there are constant disagreements and that can also be difficult to manage sometimes.
We all have several different outfits including every era of Duran Duran, and since they have massive hits in pretty much every album they’ve recorded since 1980 to today, we must cover their entire career sometimes all of it in one show. This means we all go through several outfit changes between songs to make sure we portray every DD tour accurately. Yes, it’s A LOT of work.
From day one, we all agreed on one thing: “NO WILD BOYS SHOW WILL EVER BE THE SAME” and trust me, it is fun but definitely quite challenging.
The reason why I say this is especially challenging for me is because on to of having a full-time day job, just like everyone else in the band, I am also a restaurant owner, and my business is currently and rapidly expanding. I am definitely not complaining, but between my Aerospace Engineering job where I design military (air and space) equipment full time, my two restaurants, and the band, I barely have time to sleep sometimes.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Wild Boys – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I am the owner/manager/singer of Wild Boys. I take pride in how far we’ve made it in only three years of being in the tribute scene. There are no tribute bands that have achieved what Wild Boys has achieved in such a short period of time. I do not know of any bands that have gone all the way to the top playing the biggest stages for the largest crowds in less than three years. That happened because of our commitment, our dedication and our talent. In addition, like I said earlier, I am an influential person in the local music scene, I know all the right people in all the right places and they know me. A lot of the venues and club owners I know through the restaurant industry and do business with them outside of music, and that has helped me a lot get to where I personally am in both the music and restaurant/club industry.
What I am mostly proud of is my dedication to every aspect of this business. I am constantly on the phone, or in front of the computer looking for ways to be better and bigger, talking to other musicians, asking for advice, talking to promoters, and venues to book shows, buying new outfits, watching Duran Duran videos to perfect Simon Le Bon’s vocals and mannerisms, etc. Commitment and hard work is the recipe for all my success in every area, every line of work, and every one of my businesses.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
This is simple.
The people, it’s such a beautiful and diverse community, the brotherhood, etc. I have met my best friends here since I moved to Dallas in 2010 and that’s why I plan to stay here forever.
What I like the least? Traffic!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wildboysdd.com/
- Instagram: @durandurandallas
- Facebook: @wildboysdd
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