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Jukebox Overdrive
Published: April 2004
Story: Rick Hiduk
Photo: Fly Magazine photo by Natalie Clark |
I'll stop short of calling Jukebox Overdrive or their excellent CD, Make Auto Rock, "punk." It is purely rock and roll that sounds very heavily influenced by the '80s to early '90s punk and alternative scene - The Clash, Ramones and Social Distortion come quickly to mind. I much prefer the bare-brass tactics of Jukebox Overdrive to the over-produced pop in which we're drowning.
After popping a copy of Make Auto Rock into my player, I was a fan by the third cut. Not that the engaging opening track, "$," wasn't enough of a standout, but I'm just not that easy. I listened to the album for about a week and found myself quickly singing along with most of the songs. "Start Again" was the most infectious, followed by "You Don't Know Me." My auto-response to Make Auto Rock was, "What's not to like?" In fact, my take on the CD title leans toward the belief that Jukebox Overdrive has a goal of making hard-driving rock appear so simple that it's automatic.
Jukebox Overdrive was the third band to take the stage on a recent Friday night. We arrived about halfway through the second act. The mediocre attendance was surprising given the quality of the venue and the caliber of the three acts on the roster. Despite their energy and uber-punk attitude, one of the bands couldn't seem to throw the spark needed to get the patrons ignited. After a very short break, Davey The Fly, lead singer and guitarist of Jukebox Overdrive, sprung to the stage with the rest of the guys and the spark was finally thrown. Whether or not you are familiar with the band before seeing them perform, you'll be left gasping for more at the end of an hour-long show. The first word that comes to mind while watching Jukebox Overdrive perform is "vigor." These are not scrawny, pasty musicians. They are a bunch of healthy-looking guys (who swear they never work out) who bring that energy to the stage and apply it with amazing tact to their repertoire of hard and fast rock. They instantly began jumping, flailing and sawing their way through the opening number. Heads snapped to attention and all necks craned to get a better view of the stage. People began to make strides toward the dance floor, which up to that point had the energy of a Chamber of Commerce cocktail party. By the middle of "[Put Your] Top Down," dancing had replaced mingling and Jukebox Overdrive had us in their clutch with their pounding rhythm and tight, familiar hooks.
While some bands can sound totally different live, Jukebox Overdrive sticks to its guns and delivers solid performances on all of its recognizable songs. It is the sincerity of their performance that makes you believe that Jukebox Overdrive really does love rock and roll. Though the band excels in its original material, the members also enjoy performing "fun" covers like "Bad Reputation," "Kiss Me Deadly" and "Talk Dirty To Me." Ultimately, the show seemed to exhaust the crowd, and I was anxious to get to know more about the band.
Davey is a nice guy and obviously enjoys talking about the band and its progress since beginning as the Jukebox Junkies in 2001. Another band of the same name that had started up in L.A. was getting some press and label attention. "About a year and a half ago," says Davey, "we decided to cut our losses and go with a new name before it was too late. It didn't seem worth it to hire lawyers just to prove that we started a month before them." (The other Jukebox Junkies tour nationally and co-run a label with the Wallflowers and Pete Yorn.) The name change to Jukebox Overdrive and a member change gave the band a boost. "We felt new and improved," Davey relates. The addition of Mitch Mathias, who was given production credits on Make Auto Rock, was an important change. Mathias has known Davey and Jukebox Overdrive bassist Johnny Alien for nearly 15 years, since they were members of Aliens & Strangers. As a former member of Lawnboys, Mathias often shared venues with them and is thrilled to share the stage as a member of Jukebox Overdrive. It was just after producing Make Auto Rock that the need for another guitarist arose. "I just happened to be there at the right time," Mathias explains. He and Davey now share the lead guitar responsibility. Drummer Cash Money is the youngest member of the 20-something quartet that proudly calls Harrisburg home.
The group's new CD, Death By Misadventure, will hopefully be released this summer. (If not, "certainly by fall," says Mathias.) The title is taken from the death report of AC/DC's Bon Scott. "This album reflects the huge improvement in our band," promises Davey. "We spent more time and more money, but mostly we've grown better together. Plus, I came from the background as a drummer [of Bad Luck Charms] to the foreground as a lead guitarist."
Mathias is another high-spirited guy who is anxious for the final production stages of the new album. He singled out "Days Like That" and "What Beau's Got" as cuts off the forthcoming CD of which he's particularly proud. "Dave sings 'Days' really well. It's a good pop song with a good melody line," says Mathias. "The main riff of 'Beau' is unique and just fits together well." Though they guarantee the new CD to be full of good pop songs, Mathias is pleased with the varying texture, noting "some of the songs are a little darker." His own best critic, Davey described Make Auto Rock as "a bunch of songs that are all over the place. While this new album definitely has some range, it feels more coherent to me."
Coherent. Another solid term to describe a solid band. Jukebox Overdrive cranks it out loud and fast, but with a very comfortable and familiar feel. This is your big brother's rock and roll. Yeah, it's that good. For more information, check out their Web site at www.JukeboxOverdrive.com. Jukebox Overdrive will perform at Remy's, Harrisburg, on April 17.
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