Thornewill also repeatedly mocks his virtuosity by mugging to the audience; faux-dramatic for the Wagnerian sturm und drang of "Where Are All The Scientists Now?" and faux-pretentious during "Under My Skin," where the music in the verse takes on the playfulness of a Mozart sonata before crashing into a Ventures-meets-Jerry-Lee-Lewis chorus.
Their set saw them play the entirety of the 12-song Let Live And Let Ghosts, as well as a new song that has yet to be recorded, and a cover of Rage Against The Machine's "Guerilla Radio." They also called Seth Kallen, their manager as well as a talented singer-songwriter in his own right, onstage for the final song of the main set, "Hold It In."
Opening for Jukebox The Ghost was Brooklyn's very impressive The XYZ Affair, who, like Jukebox The Ghost, were exceptionally talented and versatile musicians, adding intricate and deceptively sweet four-part harmonies to their pop-punk sound. Imagine if Weezer would sing on-key and you'll have an idea.
Second on the bill were Travis Morrison Hellfighters, the self-named five-man project of the former lead singer of D.C.'s beloved The Dismemberment Plan. Their set featured Morrison's trademark eclecticism, seamlessly moving from arty funk to searing punk and everything in between as Morrison danced around the stage. The band also joined Jukebox The Ghost for a blistering encore of The Clash's "Spanish Bombs," after which Jukebox The Ghost finished off the night with a slamming version of their lead single, "Good Day." It was, indeed.
To hear more about Jukebox The Ghost, I recently interviewed them for my podcast, Wings For Wheels.
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