Jukebox the Ghost

Jukebox the Ghost

Tommy Siegel of Jukebox The Ghost performing at the Appel Farm Arts and Music Festival in Elmer, NJ June 2012
Background information
Origin DC metro-area
Genres Power pop,[1] indie pop, piano rock, indie rock
Years active 2003 – present
Labels Cherrytree Records
Website Jukeboxtheghost.com
Members Ben Thornewill
Tommy Siegel
Jesse Kristin

Jukebox the Ghost is an American three-piece power pop band from the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. The band consists of Ben Thornewill (vocals & piano), Tommy Siegel (vocals & guitar) and Jesse Kristin (drums). The band has been active since 2006.

History

Ben Thornewill of Jukebox The Ghost on keyboards at the Appel Farm Arts and Music Festival, June 2012

In 2003, Thornewill, Siegel, and Kristin met while attending George Washington University.[2] and formed a band called "The Sunday Mail".[3] After two years, they decided to change their name.

After they thought they had enough new material, they renamed themselves "Jukebox the Ghost". The name was a combination of words chosen democratically, with "jukebox" originating from the lyrics of a Captain Beefheart song and "ghost" as a reference to a Nabokov novel. In 2008, they released their first album, Let Live & Let Ghosts which was recorded during winter break of their senior year of college.

Jukebox the Ghost recorded a cover of Ace of Base's "Beautiful Life" for Engine Room Recordings' compilation album Guilt by Association Vol. 2, which was released in November 2008.[4]

After releasing their debut record, they toured with Say Hi and Nightmare of You, among others. In 2009 they toured with Ben Folds, followed shortly by a tour with Jenny Owen Youngs in the United States. The band began recording their sophomore album "Everything Under the Sun" on September 29, 2009 at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut, an indie recording studio that specializes in analog recording.

In February 2010, Jukebox the Ghost toured Europe with Adam Green of The Moldy Peaches. This was followed by more touring in the United States with the bands Tally Hall and Skybox. They took another break and started playing live shows once again in late May 2010 with the band Free Energy, and once headlined as a minor band at Lollapalooza in Chicago.

September 1, 2010 marked a major milestone for the band, as they appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. Jukebox the Ghost opened for Barenaked Ladies during the fall of 2010 from October through November, and were a featured band on the Barenaked Ladies-hosted Sixthman cruise, Ships & Dip 4, in February 2011. "JTG" also was a featured band on another Sixthman Cruise "Rombello" in September 2011, and toured with Guster soon after. The band opened for Jack's Mannequin and Motion City Soundtrack in 2012.

On June 12, 2012, Jukebox the Ghost released their third album, Safe Travels. The album marked a departure from their often-fictional narratives in favor of more personal lyrics. In an interview with Jukebox the Ghost, Ben Thornewill stated that "this record has a lot of songs that are directly from our own life experience. Whether they are journalistically accurate or not, probably not, but they come from something in our lives, not something we’re imagining.”[5]

On May 23, 2014, they released a new single, "The Great Unknown" from their self-titled fourth record, Jukebox the Ghost which was released on October 21, 2014. As of November 2014, They have announced that they will be going on tour to promote Jukebox the Ghost. They will be touring all across the U.S. in multiple different locations.

On January 21, 2015, the band announced they had signed with preeminent pop alternative label Cherrytree Records. Cherrytree Records is a subsidiary of Interscope Records. Jukebox the Ghost will re-release their self-titled album in February, 2015, under their new label.

On February 17, 2015, Jukebox the Ghost and label-mates Secret Someones released a cover of Walk Like an Egyptian.

Band members

Discography

Let Live and Let Ghosts

Jukebox the Ghost released their first LP on April 22, 2008. The album was recorded in North Carolina with Ted Comerford (Army of Me).[6] Jesse Kristin suffered from "awful tendonitis" during the recording of the album.[2]

Since its release, the album has received praise from The Washington Post and Best Week Ever [source?]. Spin exclaimed that "Jukebox the Ghost is a refreshing reminder that the lighthearted electricity of a fantastic pop song is still filled with live wires."[7]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
DCist (favorable) [8]
Sputnikmusic [9]
The Washington Post (favorable) [10]
Yorkshire Post (mixed) [11]
Let Live and Let Ghosts [12]
No. TitleVocalist Length
1. "Good Day"  Thornewill 4:14
2. "Hold It In"  Thornewill 3:29
3. "Beady Eyes on the Horizon"  Siegel 4:08
4. "Under My Skin"  Thornewill 3:20
5. "Miss Templeton's 7000th Dream"  Siegel 1:38
6. "Static to the Heart"  Siegel 4:33
7. "Victoria"  Thornewill 3:44
8. "My Heart's the Same"  Thornewill 3:07
9. "Lighting Myself on Fire"  Thornewill 3:48
10. "Fire in the Sky"  Siegel 0:56
11. "Where Are All the Scientists Now?"  Siegel 4:10
12. "A Matter of Time"  Siegel 5:07

Everything Under the Sun

Jukebox the Ghost's second album was released on September 7, 2010. "Empire" the first single, was released on June 1, 2010.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [13]
The A.V. Club (A-) [14]
PopMatters [15]
SPIN [16]
The Washington Post (mixed) [17]
Everything Under the Sun [18]
No. TitleVocalist Length
1. "Schizophrenia"  Thornewill 3:44
2. "Half Crazy"  Siegel 3:03
3. "Empire"  Thornewill 3:38
4. "Summer Sun"  Thornewill 2:15
5. "Mistletoe"  Thornewill 3:44
6. "The Sun"  Siegel 3:06
7. "So Let Us Create"  Thornewill 3:50
8. "Carrying"  Thornewill/Siegel 4:16
9. "The Sun (Interlude)"  N/A 1:02
10. "The Stars"  Siegel 4:53
11. "The Popular Thing"  Thornewill 3:43
12. "Nobody"  Thornewill 4:23

Safe Travels

Jukebox the Ghost's third album was released on June 12, 2012. The album was released digitally on June 5, 2012. "Somebody", the first single, was aired on NPR on April 9, 2012, and officially released on April 17, 2012. The second single from the album, "Oh, Emily", was released April 13, 2012 on the band's website. The album has a wide variety of instruments used on it such as accordion, bass guitar, congas and a volunteer orchestra.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [19]
PopMatters [20]
Safe Travels [21]
No. TitleVocalist Length
1. "Somebody"  Thornewill 4:06
2. "Oh, Emily"  Siegel 4:04
3. "At Last"  Thornewill 3:36
4. "Say When"  Siegel 4:06
5. "Don't Let Me Fall Behind"  Thornewill 3:50
6. "Dead"  Siegel 4:16
7. "Adulthood"  Thornewill 3:31
8. "Ghosts In Empty Houses"  Siegel 3:58
9. "Devils On Our Side"  Thornewill 2:27
10. "All For Love"  Thornewill 3:33
11. "Man In The Moon"  Siegel 1:58
12. "Everybody Knows"  Thornewill 3:54
13. "The Spiritual"  Thornewill 3:49
14. "A La La (Bonus Track)"  Thornewill 3:18

Jukebox the Ghost

Jukebox the Ghost's fourth album was released on October 21, 2014. "The Great Unknown", the first single, was released on June 23, 2014. May 4th, 2015 is when the second single "Postcard" is planed to impact.[22] On April 7th a Deluxe Piano version was released.[23]

Jukebox the Ghost
No. TitleVocalist Length
1. "Sound of a Broken Heart"  Thornewill 3:18
2. "Made for Ending"  Siegel 3:03
3. "Girl"  Thornewill 3:35
4. "The Great Unknown"  Thornewill 3:00
5. "Long Way Home"  Siegel/Thornewill 3:27
6. "When the Nights Get Long"  Thornewill 3:27
7. "The One"  Siegel 3:39
8. "Hollywood"  Thornewill/Kristin 3:27
9. "Postcard"  Thornewill 3:30
10. "Undeniable You"  Thornewill 3:22
11. "Show Me Where It Hurts"  Siegel 3:06

I Love You Always Forever

Jukebox the Ghost also released a cover LP on April 21, 2012, titled I Love You Always Forever, after the first track on the disk - their cover of Donna Lewis' “I Love You Always Forever”. They also included their version of New Order‘s “Temptation”.

I Love You Always Forever
No. TitleVocalist Length
1. "I Love You Always Forever"  Thornewill 3:54
2. "Temptation"  Thornewill 6:12

Personnel

Additional musicians (only on Safe Travels)

References

  1. ↑ "Jukebox The Ghost Announce New LP - News - CMJ". CMJ. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ Matthew Solarski (19 November 2008). "My Brightest Diamond, Frightened Rabbit Do Covers". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  5. ↑ Chris Rutledge (11 June 2012). "Jukebox The Ghost Gets Introspective With Safe Travels". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  6. ↑ "Jukebox the Ghost: The MusicSnobbery.com Interview - Music Snobbery". Musicsnobbery.com. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "Catch the Buzz: Jukebox the Ghost". SPIN. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  8. ↑ Sedlar, Matt (January 25, 2008). "Album Review: Jukebox the Ghost's Let Live and Let Ghosts". Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Jukebox the Ghost - Let Live & Let Ghosts". May 24, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  10. ↑ Jenkins, Mark (March 7, 2008). "JUKEBOX THE GHOST "Let Live & Let Ghosts"". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Jukebox The Ghost: Let Live & Let Ghosts". March 12, 2010. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Let Live and Let Ghosts". Last.fm. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  13. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Everything Under the Sun - Jukebox the Ghost". Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  14. ↑ Mincher, Chris (September 7, 2010). "Jukebox The Ghost: Everything Under The Sun". Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  15. ↑ Rowland, Stephen (March 3, 2011). "Jukebox the Ghost: Everything Under the Sun". Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  16. ↑ Young, Jon (August 27, 2010). "Jukebox the Ghost, 'Everything Under the Sun'". Retrieved October 19, 2010.
  17. ↑ Foster, Patrick (September 7, 2010). "Album review: Jukebox the Ghost, "Everything Under the Sun"". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  18. ↑
  19. ↑ Monger, James. "Jukebox the Ghost: Safe Travels". Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  20. ↑ Hepfinger, Billy (June 22, 2012). "Safe Travels - Jukebox the Ghost". Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Safe Travels, Coming June 12, 2012!". Jukeboxtheghost.com. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  22. ↑ http://www.webcitation.org/6Xenb21Et
  23. ↑ itunes.apple.com/JukeboxTheGhost

External links