Ghost in the 'Jukebox' Machine

http://www.pittnews.com/article/2010/02/28/ghost-jukebox-machine

Ghost in the 'Jukebox' Machine

Jukebox the Ghost
Mr. Small’s
March 7, 7 p.m.
$8 - $10
(412) 821-4447

An necessary part of being a touring musician is the love of traveling, especially for ghosts.

The best part about being in the band is traveling to new places, Tommy Siegel said in an e-mail to The Pitt News. The vocalist and guitarist for Jukebox the Ghost was in Europe at the time, finishing up his most recent tour.

The current tour abroad is the second international tour for Jukebox the Ghost, an established band that has been praised for entertaining piano-pop music that provides entertainment and optimism. The band sounds like a harmonious combination of The Morning Light and Owl City.

Jukebox the Ghost consists of Ben Thornewill (vocals and piano) Jesse Kristin (drums), and Siegel (vocals and guitar). While this is only their second tour abroad, the band began touring extensively in 2006, using the time to develop their musical skills and establish a name for themselves.

Before they started touring, Jukebox the Ghost went by a different name.

“The band ‘officially’ started as The Sunday Mail, and existed under that name in college for a couple of years,” Siegel said. “Ben and Jesse had already been playing together for a year when I put up an ad in the college music department in an attempt to start a band.”

From an ad in the paper, the new trio set out on the road all new bands travel. They performed and gained support locally in their neighborhood, specifically the Washington D.C. area music scene.

“It was a challenge for a few years, but once we caught on at our school, [we were] quick to catch on locally,” Siegel said. “One of the hardest things about any local music scene ... is the lack of small, all-ages venues for local bands to get their start. We couldn’t even find a way to play outside of campus events regularly until our senior year of college, which definitely impeded any attempt at playing for new people.”

As they searched for venues the band continued to compose, taking inspiration from “anywhere and everywhere,” Siegel said.

“On the first record, all of the songs I wrote were about the apocalypse, so I was using some of the weird imagery in the Book of Revelation as my source of inspiration,” Siegel said. “Currently, my inspiration (and Ben’s) comes from all over the place.”

The eclectic mash of inspirational sources may contribute to the fact that the band’s composition process is “pretty natural.” But it does make for an interesting viewing, he added.

“I think an outside observer would be surprised to see how much nitpicking goes on,” Siegel said. “When we arrange a song, we’re all painfully aware of what everyone else in the band is playing. We micro-manage every part of a song and try to make sure the whole thing is airtight. To an outsider, I’m sure it would sound like pointless bickering, but it’s an important part of the process.”

Jukebox the Ghost has also managed to find a strong fan base during the recovery of the economy, especially because of the Internet.

“If anything, we’ve benefited from the viral quality of the Internet from people passing our album around,” Siegel said.

Behind the scenes, Siegel recently dealt with vocal nodules — tissue masses that form on vocal cords and make speech difficult — but noted this was the only issue he’s had with his music career.

“[I] had to get surgery, which was a pretty brutal experience. But if anything, that just made me more dedicated to the band and keeping myself healthy. I don’t think any of us have ever really second-guessed the band,” he said.

With their abroad tour at an ending, Jukebox the Ghost is preparing for the upcoming months.

“We just hope to keep moving forward and to keep making music,” Siegel said. “We’re releasing a new album this spring, and we’re all excited to hit the road to play some new material.”