Jukebox The Ghost Gets The Loving Touch Dancing

Spirited trio, Jukebox the Ghost, warmed up Ferndale’s Loving Touch this past Monday February 29th, 2016.

Opening the show were fellow New Yorkers, Mainland. The four man band delivered upbeat, catchy and danceable narratives about explorations, love, interaction, and even a jam about being superior in coolness. The band is riding a wave of buzz around their latest single, “Outcast”, with their debut LP due out this year. The stylish rockers got the crowd dancing and nodding their heads along with a pop/rock, post-punk vibe (lead singer Jordan Topf definitely had some shades of Billy Joe Armstrong!), complete with layered guitars and fitting synth sounds.

After an instrument swap, Jukebox the Ghost took the stage presenting a setlist packed with songs expanding all four of their studio albums, and some covers to the delight of the exuberant crowd. Though Jukebox are still touring in support of their latest studio release, self-titled “Jukebox the Ghost”, the band has new material in the works! They even debuted a new song called “Keys In The Car”.
This past October, the band had played northeast shows covering Queen songs (in costume!), dubbed creatively “HalloQueen”. The three piece sang two Queen jams – “Under Pressure” (with guitarist Tommy Siegel making an excellent David Bowie) and “Bicycle Race”.

At one point in the show, pianist Ben Thornewill spun “the wheel of torture”. Said wheel was a collection of decidedly underplayed songs. The spin resulted in a rendition of “Black Hole” (the band’s contribution to The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show), and 2008’s “Hold It In”, with the band swapping spots for instruments they don’t normally play.
The excited audience certainly did not fail to dance and sing along, with great force! Cheering the band back on stage for an encore to close out the night.
After the music concluded, both bands stuck around to meet fans, sign autographs and take pictures.

The night left no question that the music world excitedly awaits Mainland’s debut (with good reason), as well as more music from Jukebox the Ghost. Jukebox the Ghost and the Family Crest will be dotting the map with tour stops in the US and Canada through the end of March.

Words and photos by: Tiffany Cuthrell