Jukebox the Ghost
Savoir Adore, Bright Moments
Fri, June 22, 2012
Doors: 8:00 pm / Show: 9:00 pm
The Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY
$15
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This event is 16 and over
http://www.boweryballroom.com/event/108979/
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Jukebox the Ghost
Jukebox the Ghost's third album Safe Travels marks a period in the band's career that's steeped in change, both personally and professionally. Relationships dissolved and crumbled. Loved ones passed on. The band themselves relocated from Philadelphia to New York City and played over 200 shows since the release of their last album in 2010. In the midst of so much change, the band spent months in the studio creating what would become Safe Travels, a record that represents a shift in the band's creative trajectory.
“It felt like the music was finally growing with us -- Songs that relate to who we are as people right now, not who we were when we were 19 or 20,” Siegel said. “This record is more heartfelt; part of that came from not worrying about exactly what kind of music we were supposed to be making and instead just working on songs that felt genuine and natural at the time."
Safe Travels, at its core, represents three people going through universal life changes -- A way of coping with how quickly things can turn around, for good and bad. And though it's clear their sound and outlook have matured to addressing some darker subject material, their brand of upbeat pop still remains intact.
“We've always been the kind of band that juxtaposes darker lyrics with upbeat music, but this record feels a little more personal," Thornewill said. "In the grand scheme of things, it's certainly not a downer record but you need pain to get joy, and joy to get pain; they're inseparable.”
Bolstered by an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, an appearance at Lollapalooza, and extended opening tours with Ben Folds, Guster, Adam Green and Jack's Mannequin, the band has acquired an incredibly loyal (and sometimes rabid) fanbase since the release of 2008's Live and Let Ghosts. Over the years, Jukebox the Ghost has maintained a tour schedule that most bands would balk at, playing over 150 shows a year and becoming a well-oiled, high energy live band. This summer, the band embarks on their biggest headline tour to date after performing at Bonnaroo on the album's release weekend -- Their Bowery Ballroom show in June has already sold out two months in advance.
Safe Travels also marks the first time that the band had been afforded unlimited studio time. The sessions took place in Brooklyn, with their friend Dan Romer (Ingrid Michaelson, Jenny Owens Young) producing and engineering. The result is a collection of 13 songs that finds the band maturing both musically and lyrically. The band was also able to work with a string section for the first time, which gave Thornewill the chance to flex his compositional skills and formal classical training.
They'd be the first to admit that their previous two records had a charming, “hyperactive” quality about them, but you don't get that sense here. There's a balance between the peppy piano pop of songs like the album's upbeat opener “Somebody”, the bouncy synth-pop of “Oh, Emily” and the radio-ready drama of “Don't Let Me Fall Behind” to more poignant, contemplative songs in the album's second half that represent the band's desire to travel into new sonic territory.
“In the past Ben and Tommy sometimes wrote from various fictional perspectives” says drummer Jesse Kristin, “but the songs on this album feel closer, more personal, and steeped in actual life experiences.”
This creative shift is best exemplified by “Dead,” “Adulthood,” “Ghosts in Empty Houses,” and “The Spiritual” – songs that deal with death and mortality head on, with an immediacy that was masked on previous albums.
"Adulthood" was initially a difficult song for Thornewill to perform. Written before his grandfather's death from lung cancer, the line "In my lungs I still feel young" was painfully prophetic and the overall message that “from adulthood, no one survives” became all too real. "Dead" approaches a similar theme with understated elegance. The song begins with Siegel's innocent, boyish croon over a ghostly drone and builds into a climax with post-rock ferocity entirely new to the band's catalogue.
“Even though we're tackling some difficult themes this go-round, we're still a band that wants people to feel good,” said Tommy. “We're the same upbeat band we've always been, but we're firm believers that pop music can have depth.”
Ask Brooklyn's Jukebox the Ghost why their third album is called Safe Travels, on a surface level, it's likely they'll tell you about a song by Austin's Red Hunter, who performs as Peter and the Wolf. The song, from his 2006 album ”Lightness” became something of a mantra for the band. "Since we're always in new cities and away from the people we love, that song really hit home for us," said Ben. “It was a song that represented saying goodbye.”
On Safe Travels, Jukebox the Ghost manages to contrast these darker themes with the same optimistic sound and a familiar sense of youthfulness that stays true to their core.
“It felt like the music was finally growing with us -- Songs that relate to who we are as people right now, not who we were when we were 19 or 20,” Siegel said. “This record is more heartfelt; part of that came from not worrying about exactly what kind of music we were supposed to be making and instead just working on songs that felt genuine and natural at the time."
Safe Travels, at its core, represents three people going through universal life changes -- A way of coping with how quickly things can turn around, for good and bad. And though it's clear their sound and outlook have matured to addressing some darker subject material, their brand of upbeat pop still remains intact.
“We've always been the kind of band that juxtaposes darker lyrics with upbeat music, but this record feels a little more personal," Thornewill said. "In the grand scheme of things, it's certainly not a downer record but you need pain to get joy, and joy to get pain; they're inseparable.”
Bolstered by an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, an appearance at Lollapalooza, and extended opening tours with Ben Folds, Guster, Adam Green and Jack's Mannequin, the band has acquired an incredibly loyal (and sometimes rabid) fanbase since the release of 2008's Live and Let Ghosts. Over the years, Jukebox the Ghost has maintained a tour schedule that most bands would balk at, playing over 150 shows a year and becoming a well-oiled, high energy live band. This summer, the band embarks on their biggest headline tour to date after performing at Bonnaroo on the album's release weekend -- Their Bowery Ballroom show in June has already sold out two months in advance.
Safe Travels also marks the first time that the band had been afforded unlimited studio time. The sessions took place in Brooklyn, with their friend Dan Romer (Ingrid Michaelson, Jenny Owens Young) producing and engineering. The result is a collection of 13 songs that finds the band maturing both musically and lyrically. The band was also able to work with a string section for the first time, which gave Thornewill the chance to flex his compositional skills and formal classical training.
They'd be the first to admit that their previous two records had a charming, “hyperactive” quality about them, but you don't get that sense here. There's a balance between the peppy piano pop of songs like the album's upbeat opener “Somebody”, the bouncy synth-pop of “Oh, Emily” and the radio-ready drama of “Don't Let Me Fall Behind” to more poignant, contemplative songs in the album's second half that represent the band's desire to travel into new sonic territory.
“In the past Ben and Tommy sometimes wrote from various fictional perspectives” says drummer Jesse Kristin, “but the songs on this album feel closer, more personal, and steeped in actual life experiences.”
This creative shift is best exemplified by “Dead,” “Adulthood,” “Ghosts in Empty Houses,” and “The Spiritual” – songs that deal with death and mortality head on, with an immediacy that was masked on previous albums.
"Adulthood" was initially a difficult song for Thornewill to perform. Written before his grandfather's death from lung cancer, the line "In my lungs I still feel young" was painfully prophetic and the overall message that “from adulthood, no one survives” became all too real. "Dead" approaches a similar theme with understated elegance. The song begins with Siegel's innocent, boyish croon over a ghostly drone and builds into a climax with post-rock ferocity entirely new to the band's catalogue.
“Even though we're tackling some difficult themes this go-round, we're still a band that wants people to feel good,” said Tommy. “We're the same upbeat band we've always been, but we're firm believers that pop music can have depth.”
Ask Brooklyn's Jukebox the Ghost why their third album is called Safe Travels, on a surface level, it's likely they'll tell you about a song by Austin's Red Hunter, who performs as Peter and the Wolf. The song, from his 2006 album ”Lightness” became something of a mantra for the band. "Since we're always in new cities and away from the people we love, that song really hit home for us," said Ben. “It was a song that represented saying goodbye.”
On Safe Travels, Jukebox the Ghost manages to contrast these darker themes with the same optimistic sound and a familiar sense of youthfulness that stays true to their core.
Savoir Adore
On “Dreamers,” the dance-laden lullaby and lead single from Savoir Adore's new album Our Nature, Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro invite listeners into a magical dream world. Such worlds are nothing new to the fantasy pop duo, who inadvertently became a fixture of Brooklyn's indie scene as the result of a dare. In 2007, as disheartened solo artists, they whimsically retreated out of the city to a rural studio with two rules: “48 hours. No acoustic guitars.” They returned with The Adventures of Mr. Pumpernickel and The Girl with Animals in Her Throat (Cantora), a concept-driven EP set in a fairy tale land that narrates the tragedy of Gloria and her unrequited love. On 2009's full length In The Wooded Forest (Cantora), they expounded on the EP's mythical landscape. But where Savoir Adore's previous releases have surveyed these worlds at a distance, Our Nature zooms in, putting our inner landscapes and relationships at the core of every track. In that vein, the recordings themselves are intentionally more crisp, aurally expansive and intriguing.
After recording the 2007 EP, Muro and Hammer hastily forged the grammatically faulty French moniker Savoir Adore for a MySpace page in order to share their experiments with friends. There was no turning back. The tracks caught on and made their way to Cantora Records, which released the EP as the duo began to work on a full length record. With the release of 2009's In The Wooded Forest, the New York music press embraced Savoir Adore and set them on a path to expand their audience nationally and internationally. NME hailed Savoir Adore's sound “musically and lyrically brave,” and Nylon praised it as “irresistibly melodic indie pop.” In 2009 and 2010, The L Magazine and The New York Post both named the band to their top bands to watch lists. Adding band members Tim McCoy (drums), Gary Atturio (bass) and Alex Foote (guitar), who took part in Our Nature's recording process, the band shared the stage with MGMT, Los Campesinos, Oh Land, and Toro Y Moi.
In the summer of 2010, the band toured the UK and France, including shows at Koko/Club NME and The Secret Garden Party. Their songs have been featured in various commercials (Almay, Citi, Yoplait), TV shows (Pretty Little Liars, Drop Dead Diva, Huge) and video games (Kinect Adventurer). During the 2012 Academy Awards, Tide premiered its new Tide Pods campaign featuring Savoir Adore's cover of Men Without Hats' “Pop Goes the World” (available on iTunes).
In late 2011, Savoir Adore offered a sneak peak of Our Nature, releasing “Dreamers” as a 7” on Neon Gold Records. With the release of the full album in 2012, Savoir Adore will hit the road to promote Our Nature and invite listeners, if only for night, into their magical realm.
After recording the 2007 EP, Muro and Hammer hastily forged the grammatically faulty French moniker Savoir Adore for a MySpace page in order to share their experiments with friends. There was no turning back. The tracks caught on and made their way to Cantora Records, which released the EP as the duo began to work on a full length record. With the release of 2009's In The Wooded Forest, the New York music press embraced Savoir Adore and set them on a path to expand their audience nationally and internationally. NME hailed Savoir Adore's sound “musically and lyrically brave,” and Nylon praised it as “irresistibly melodic indie pop.” In 2009 and 2010, The L Magazine and The New York Post both named the band to their top bands to watch lists. Adding band members Tim McCoy (drums), Gary Atturio (bass) and Alex Foote (guitar), who took part in Our Nature's recording process, the band shared the stage with MGMT, Los Campesinos, Oh Land, and Toro Y Moi.
In the summer of 2010, the band toured the UK and France, including shows at Koko/Club NME and The Secret Garden Party. Their songs have been featured in various commercials (Almay, Citi, Yoplait), TV shows (Pretty Little Liars, Drop Dead Diva, Huge) and video games (Kinect Adventurer). During the 2012 Academy Awards, Tide premiered its new Tide Pods campaign featuring Savoir Adore's cover of Men Without Hats' “Pop Goes the World” (available on iTunes).
In late 2011, Savoir Adore offered a sneak peak of Our Nature, releasing “Dreamers” as a 7” on Neon Gold Records. With the release of the full album in 2012, Savoir Adore will hit the road to promote Our Nature and invite listeners, if only for night, into their magical realm.
Bright Moments
Kelly Pratt is Bright Moments.
He's the guy up at night by himself, stitching songs together in his New York City apartment all winter. There's a special art to making an album in the spare seconds that the rest of a regular life can't quite reach. Recorded track-by-track-by-track with Pratt on most of the instruments in his apartment studio during the New York City winter of 2010, this slow-motion musicianship became Natives (Luaka Bop).
Natives may be your first official introduction to the music of Bright Moments but if you have spent time with some of the most beloved indie albums of the last decade, you'll quickly realize that you know him well. He is the multi-instrumentalist whose trumpet sparks across so many of Beirut's songs and whose harmonizing vocals is a central component to the band's robust live performances. He has also shouldered everything from flugelhorn to flute to bring Arcade Fire's Neon Bible to life, and was part of the horn section that LCD Soundsystem used during its sunset days.
He's the guy up at night by himself, stitching songs together in his New York City apartment all winter. There's a special art to making an album in the spare seconds that the rest of a regular life can't quite reach. Recorded track-by-track-by-track with Pratt on most of the instruments in his apartment studio during the New York City winter of 2010, this slow-motion musicianship became Natives (Luaka Bop).
Natives may be your first official introduction to the music of Bright Moments but if you have spent time with some of the most beloved indie albums of the last decade, you'll quickly realize that you know him well. He is the multi-instrumentalist whose trumpet sparks across so many of Beirut's songs and whose harmonizing vocals is a central component to the band's robust live performances. He has also shouldered everything from flugelhorn to flute to bring Arcade Fire's Neon Bible to life, and was part of the horn section that LCD Soundsystem used during its sunset days.
