Jukebox the Ghost
HEAVE chats with Jukebox the Ghost about Porn Night, influences and who they got in the election.
Who doesn't love some upbeat piano rock? For Jukebox the Ghost, the classically trained pianist Ben Thornwell, along with guitarist Tommy Siegel and drummer Jesse Kristin have crafted a sound that will have you humming their tunes without even realizing it. HEAVE hit up Jukebox the Ghost before they hit the highways in mid July.
HEAVE: What did you grow up listening to?
Tommy Siegel: We all grew up listening to pretty different stuff - Ben is a classically trained pianist, so he's always listened to a lot of classical and jazz, and he's a big sucker for guilty-pleasure pop. Jesse played in punk bands in high school and listened to almost exclusively punk and ska music; stuff like Less than Jake, NOFX, Reel Big Fish. I was a big Phish fan in high school, but got sucked into the world of indie rock with Radiohead and the Flaming Lips, which is for the best.
HEAVE: You all met at George Washington University. Did you guys meet at "Porn Night" or something like that?
Tommy Siegel: I wish! I met the other guys after they lost their original guitarist - They called me after I put up an ad in the music department trying to start a band. Ben and Jesse met their freshman year - They lived right above each other in their dorm. The last couple of years of college we all lived together. We still live together.
HEAVE: Why did you drop the moniker of Sunday Mail? Afraid of, "This band doesn't deliver," jokes?
Tommy Siegel: 1. It's a terrible joke - the mail doesn't come on Sundays. How clever! Every review said, "The Sunday Mail fails to deliver" or, "The Sunday Mail delivers." It's also completely un-Googleable. There are two newspapers by that name in Scotland and Zimbabwe.
HEAVE: You guys will be in Chicago on August 14th (playing at Schubas). What do you guys like about Chicago?
Tommy Siegel: It's top three for Jukebox the Ghost, one of our favorite cities to go to. I can't wait to go back! Deep-dish pizza! The giant coffee bean! Some excellent record store that I can't remember the name of! Some friends we haven't seen in awhile!
HEAVE: Every review makes mention of Ben Folds. Does it ever get frustrating to draw one comparison, no matter how talented that comparison is?
Tommy Siegel: It's not necessarily annoying to get the comparison - Ben Folds Five was a great band, and as far as piano-led rock groups go, they're the most obvious to reference. However, when critics have said we're somehow 'derivative' of Ben Folds, it's pretty annoying, since none of us really cite them as a strong songwriting influence. That being said, Whatever and Ever Amen is great, and we'll take a Ben Folds comparison over a Five for Fighting comparison any day.
HEAVE: I've also heard Queen thrown around quite a bit. That one would probably be pretty exciting?
Tommy Siegel: Definitely exciting. Queen is definitely a lot more "out there" than Ben Folds.
HEAVE: Needless to say, all the critics love you. Does this put pressure on you for the next release or is the first album the hardest?
Tommy Siegel: We've got a ton of songs we're proud of lined up for our next release, so it's not really intimidating. I think we're all just excited to get the new music recorded. Also, this is the first time I've heard someone say, "All the critics love you." I think that means we're due for a backlash. I just hope we're not still touring in a minivan when the blogger backlash happens. Too soon.
HEAVE: Speaking of next albums. What is in the not so distant and distant future?
Tommy Siegel: We're demoing new songs and making plans for the next album already, so hopefully sooner rather than later...I'm sure it won't be out until 2009 though.
HEAVE: The fantastic Andrew Maury has also remixed you guys. Were you pleased with his version?
Tommy Siegel: Super-pleased. Andrew is a great friend of ours and did an insanely fun remix.
HEAVE: What are you listening to these days?
Tommy Siegel: Personally, I've been listening to a lot of Why?, and everything else I can get my hands on relating to Yoni Wolf and the Anticon Collective (Clouddead, Hymie's Basement, Themselves). Why?'s new album, Alopecia, is one of the most original albums I've heard in a long time, I'm totally addicted to it, also a lot of Deerhoof and Frank Zappa.
HEAVE: So you went to George Washington and grew up in DC. Who is your guy in the election?
Tommy Siegel: We didn't actually grow up in DC, we just went to college there. Ben is from Louisville, Jesse is from Boston and I'm from Richmond. But we're definitely Obama fans. You heard it here first!
Posted by Wes Soltis on Jun 30, 2008 @ 7:17 am
