When we last caught up with Jukebox the Ghost, we left hoping we'd hear from them again. Soon. Their unpretentious but knowing mix of staples from the pop-rock canon -- think Billy Joel gone quirky with a bunch of proto-new wavers as backing band -- is addictive, and they proved they had the tunes to back it up.

Unfortunately, Jukebox were still a kick-ass live show without too much in the way of quality recording to call their own, so they've spent much of the winter holed up in North Carolina, laying down a bunch of new tunes for an upcoming release. If the material is half as good as "Hold It In" -- featuring lead singer Ben Thornewill's spazzy delivery and Tommy Siegel's squealing guitar -- then there's a hell of a lot to look forward to tomorrow night when they hit Velvet Lounge.

The guys were kind enough to take time between their GW studies, historical re-enacting, and thrift store shopping to sit down and answer some of our questions about the new recordings, their live show, and the DC music scene.

Next show: Friday, February 2, @ Velvet Lounge. With Bliss and Chet Vincent.

How's the recording coming along?

Tommy: The recording is coming along great---We finished the tracking for all 12 tracks, and we're in the process of mixing it now. The few songs we've gotten early mixes for sound phenomenal... We're recording with producer Ted Comerford at Low Watt studios in Raleigh, North Carolina.

How do you feel your songs translate live?

Ben: I think one of the greatest challenges in recording is making sure the energy of the live show is transfered onto the CD. But since so much of the energy of the live show is visual and since the underlying thrill of a live show, whether admittedly or not, is that the performers could mess up, flub, improvise or burst in flames at any minute...these elements are lost.

Tommy: As for studio/live translation, that's something that we're very new to since most of our other recordings are relatively bare-boned demo-style recordings, until now... Our show this friday will be our first after coming out of a "real" studio session. Some of the songs will definitely be missing key elements. When we were in the studio we added tons of things we don't normally get to do like vocal layering, harpischord, hammond organ, baritone guitar, vibraphone, tympani, acoustic guitar, layered synth... It added up to make us sound a lot bigger than we really are. I'm sure there'll be elements that we'll miss when we play live, but we still manage to make a pretty big sound for a three piece. As for whether the songs will "work" as well live, we won't know for sure whether some of this new material succeeds in a live setting until we do it -- we're psyched to see what happens.

How does the songwriting process work for the band?

Tommy: As far as lyrics and songwriting, Ben and I both share songwriting duties (Ben tends to write more songs, however) and Jesse has a great ear for "editing" and reworking the rough versions of songs we bring to the table. Ben's lyrics are steeped pretty deep in literary and art references and draw from personal experience. For example, he's got a recent one (tentatively titled "Good Day") that's about a street where all of your favorite people, dead or alive, live and hang out. "Hold It In" has a lot of clever wordplay exploring all the different possible meanings of the phrase. My songs right now are parts of a six-song-series based on the book of revelations. I've got one called "Beady Eyes on the Horizon" based on some of the super-weird imagery in a part of the bible where God rolls open the clouds like a scroll, and people hide under rocks because they're so scared to look at his face. Jesse doesn't write for the band, but he's a huge part of our songwriting process. He's our "musical compass" so to speak.

Ben: Mostly the lyrics come out of the music (always composed first) with a real emphasis on how words sound in the phrase -- purposeful attempts at distinguishing regular speech-like pronounciation of a word from distortion of word pronunciation.

What's your favorite place to play in the area?

Tommy: Probably the Velvet Lounge. Love the intimacy and the sound there, always a good show.

Any local bands you've really enjoyed recently?

Tommy: Our favorite local band, hands down, is Exit Clov. Absolutely the nicest people you'll ever meet. Our bands formed within a few months of each other and we have had the fortune to watch each other develop and change over the past three years.

Any particularly strong musical influences you'd care to share?

Tommy: Growing up playing guitar, I was a huge Phish fan, and I think it's pretty audible in my playing, though I don't listen to much Phish anymore. As far as songwriting, my biggest influences as of late (meaning the last year or so) are probably the Dismemberment Plan, Frank Zappa, Apollo Sunshine, and the Flaming Lips.

Ben: Strongest influence is classical music. Of late -- Beethoven String Quartets, Dvorak, Rachmaninov and Wagner (he such a bad rep and also happens to be one of the most genious composers of the past 400 years).

Jesse: My strongest music influences in the past few years or so have been The Smiths, The Dismemberment Plan, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Hot Hot Heat. Oh, and of course Queen.

What do you all do when you're not with Jukebox?

Ben: Outside of Jukebox i perform frequently in Jazz Ensembles, freelance music stuff and compose classical music. I also released a solo album 3 months ago entitled The Beauty of Absolutes.

Tommy: When I'm not in Jukebox, I work as a historical re-enactor and park ranger on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. If you've ever seen the historically-accurate, mule-drawn canal boat in Georgetown, that's what I do... Historical garb, straw hats, the accent, and the whole bit. I steer the boat, lead the mules, or give hour-long historical programs (with some banjo and singing thrown in) whenever the need arises. I've been a park ranger there for two years.

Jesse: I study Biology and am planning to do DNA research alongside the band stuff for a bit after we graduate. My obsessions are: the state of Maine, tambourines, Forensic Files (on Court TV), hot sauce, serial killers (creepy), and thrift shopping (pretty scenester, huh?). I also surf in Maine & New Hampshire from time to time.

Favorite song no one has heard?

Tommy: Cleetus Awreetus-Awrightus by Frank Zappa

Jesse: Oh boy. This would have to be "The Bonsai Tree" by Peter & The Wolf