Jukebox The Ghost @ Pianos: Put Another Dime In

When everybody I know who's ever seen a Jukebox The Ghost gig informed me that the band has a Ben Folds-esque quality to their music, I'll admit, I was a little nervous. Not that I didn't enjoy Whatever & Ever Amen like everybody other alt-rock lover in the mid-90's but I've never really fallen for his style of piano-driven quirkiness, completely.

Good news is that while Jukebox The Ghost definitely does have a Ben Folds influence (perhaps it's the keyboardist and his jaunty stage antics), the DC 3-piece also has an acerbic feel a la Stellastarr* or even, since we are talking about DC, a tinge of Fugazi. The band cites Queen, Ben Folds Five, Apollo Sunshine, Tally Hall and Muse as their musical models. I guess you'll just have to listen and judge for yourself. While the band does seem like it could get the ever-popular 'buzzworthy' tag on VH1 (I guess that's good or bad depending on how you look at things), there's undeniably something about Jukebox's tunes that's instantly appealing.

The 40-minute set included tunes about the end of the world, the beginning of relationships and everything in between. Finally something decent (excluding Exit Clov) to come out of The District! It's been a while; especially since the demise of Q And Not U, Black Eyes and D-Plan (RIP, all those great acts).

Check out the band's MySpace page here. For 2 Jukebox MP3s as well as more info on the band, I would suggest paying a visit to Rachael's effusive post over at The Underrated Blog!