Cleveland's Jesse Jukebox Caters To Kids with Concept Album About Consumerism

Jesse Jukebox and Terkey Sandwich. Credit: Courtesy of Jesse Jukebox

For his forthcoming new album, Jesse Jukebox Sells Out, local musician Jesse Jukebox teamed up with Grammy Award-winning producer Dean Jones and local DJ and friend Terkey Sandwich (also known as DJ Aaron Terkel). The resulting album “uses heart and humor to demonstrate the duality of daily emotional landscapes amidst social pressures of consumerism,” as Jesse Jukebox puts it.

The album follows the exploits of a satirical corporate overlord, SqueenCorp, which hawks everything from “Squeens Beans” to legal services by Perrywinkle & McClack, who you can call if you’re ever in a “top-bunk dispute.” At SqueenCorp’s insistence, listeners will hear ads for absurd products scattered throughout the album.

Local producer Jim Stewart mixed the record, and local musicians guest on the album too. The sing-along new single, “Afraid But Brave,” has a twangy, alt-country feel to it and nicely represents how the music appeals to both kids and adults.

At 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 4, Jesse Jukebox and Terkey Sandwich will celebrate the album’s release with a live show and party at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights. In this recent conference call, they talk about the project.

Talk about this new music video you guys are making?
Jesse Jukebox: It is for the song called “Farted on the Bus.” We are working with these two filmmakers from New York called Double Solitaire.
Terkey Sandwich: [Double Solitaire’s] Lydia [Fine] is actually a Beachwood High alum. We were on swim team together, and I DJed their wedding. Their previous credits include stuff with Unknown Mortal Orchestra and big name commercial stuff. Prior to picking up our project, they were doing an ad for Hims and Hers. They did a regional Superbowl ad this past year. They have a bit of cred, and their aesthetic is playful and DIY. They use practical effects and lighting. The video is like a set in a middle school play. Everything is made out of cardboard. It’s produced locally. We’re using the theater at Wiley Middle School and Heights Youth Theater.
Jesse Jukebox: We’re working with the community. We are working with kids who have an interest in theater and filmmaking. I think it will be a cool experience. It’s a great way to connect with the community.
Terkey Sandwich: We’re not just casting kids to be extras. There are a number of kids interested in crew and camera angles. We’ve got kids doing all kinds of different pieces of production.

Talk about the origins of Jesse Jukebox.
Jesse Jukebox: I’ve been doing this for over ten years now. Something I struggled with was that I was doing everything by myself. I was performing by myself and booking myself, but I kept trying to find a way to make it sound better. I tried putting a band together. That was difficult. I knew Aaron was doing a lot of DJing.
Terkey Sandwich: We’re at the schvitz and sitting in the steam. Jesse turned to me. He said he knew I was a DJ, and he asked if I would I consider backing him up with the kids stuff. My mind immediately went to DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba! There is a space for DJs in kids’ music, but it’s not explored so much. Lenny Pearce is starting to do it. I immediately said yes and started digging for hip kids music that’s not just nursery rhymes or cheesy music. Of course, there is a whole circuit of indie artists that are operating in the same space. It works for me. It’s short gigs and early hours.
Jesse Jukebox: That was my pitch. I thought Terkey would do the instrumental tracks, so I could do my thing. But Aaron found a calling for it. He’s pitching ideas, and I thought he should come with me to record my new record. We went to the Hudson Valley area to work with Dean Jones, who is the kids’ music producer. He has had prolific career. He famously rejected a Grammy nomination in 2020 because it was all white men, and he didn’t think that was right. I brought DJ Terkey Sandwich with me. That name originated from the first gig we did together at Larder Delicatessen and Bakery.

What was it like working with Dean Jones?
Terkey Sandwich: Working with Dean was great. His studio is just a barn behind the house. He has his own approach and Dean-isms. When you work creatively with someone new, it takes some time to feel them out. By the first afternoon, I figured him out, and he was beginning to trust me a little more. It was off to the races. It was a creative explosion. It was five straight days of 12 hour days in the studio. We very quickly found a rhythm.
Jesse Jukebox: He can make everyone comfortable. He’s very receptive to everyone. Aaron kept saying he was along for the ride. I said, “You’re actually in the driver’s seat with us.” Aaron is good as a creative partner for me. I’m writing all the songs and have big ideas. Aaron is good at saying, “This works and this doesn’t.” I didn’t have an editor in that way, so it’s been very nice.

How did the concept for this album come about?
Jesse Jukebox: It’s a bunch of things. It a homage to the Who, which I always wanted to do, but it’s a kid friendly version and even sillier and even more satirical. I always try to have a concept. The last one had one-minute songs and the one before that was about having ADHD. With this one, I wanted to explore the duality of being a kid and make the album the most fun and introspective at the same time. I thought, “What if in between the songs there would be funny ads?” What if we write songs about farting on the bus, which on the surface is about farting on the bus, but it’s a reminder that they are flawed and awesome. When I’m writing songs, I go by the three “h’s”: heart, humor and humanity.

Is that you singing and playing guitar, Jesse?
Jesse Jukebox: I play the guitars and some bass and keys, but the synths was Aaron and Dean and Aaron did drums on a bunch of songs. I play mandolin and banjo on a lot of tunes. For some tunes, we’re bashing a metal hammer on a trashcan or beating on an old wheelbarrow. There’s a lot of that kind of stuff.

What will the release party be like?
Jesse Jukebox: I think first and foremost, I’m always trying to get kids to express the best versions of themselves. That means getting the parents into it. When we do it live, there is so much energy but not in a chaotic way. But I would say the majority of the time we have these kids so engaged for 45 minutes, which is so hard to do. They don’t have the attention span, but we have a good rhythm and flow.

How do you keep their attention?
Jesse Jukebox: I have a puppet that the kids love and we have a whole schtick with him. The bus breaks down, and Aaron is ready with sound effects. The bus horn doesn’t work, so we put meows in there instead of beeps. It’s humor, though we take the songs seriously. We did a show at the Grog Shop in December, and we’re cranking it up even more this time. We’re playing almost every song from the album, including the ads. We have visuals in the background. We have new Jesse Jukebox merch we will premiere. It’s a cool thing to bring your kid to a rock venue. Some kids think it’s a lot, especially when they go to the bathroom at the Grog Shop. The release party is on May 4, and the record doesn’t drop until May 9, but everyone who comes to the show gets a download card and an advance copy.
Terkey Sandwich: [Grog Shop owner] Kathy [Blackman] has always been supportive of trying everything and doing something different. My brother’s Bar Mitzvah was a the Grog Shop. It was sweet. What to expect at our show? There will be antics and shtick and great tunes. Maybe a chocolate milk.

Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.