COMMENTS (1)

Jupiter Jones

By Kristin Day
mixer

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Jupiter Jones, Greenville's party band made up of musicians from other local bands, played their first show in town — Tie Breakers to be exact — back in August.

“We just wanted to do our own thing,” said guitarist and vocalist Mark Paschal.

The group of four guys and a girl have been hitting stages around town since then covering classics from the '80s and '90s and remain available for weddings and private parties.

Last month, we met up with Paschal, fiddler/singer Kellie Brown, drummer/singer Joe Gray and guitar/singer Jason Thompson at bassist/singer Chris Morlock's house — along with the band Hype Man, Kyle Greer — to check on the new setup, as well as discuss Mark's fancy new phone, Joe's turkey farming and Chris' 1995 Nissan Altima:

mixer: What's the best/worst thing about being a local musician?

Chris: Free beer at bars (laughs).

Mark: (jokingly) The worst this is being a local musician.

Kellie: If we were any bigger than local, I don't think we'd get a hype man such as Kyle. Big bands don't have hype men. We do.

Chris: The best thing is you get to sleep in your own bed.

mixer: What's your dream tour vehicle?

Mark: Air Force 1!

Chris: A '95 Altima — with dents on both sides.

Kellie: There's not a bed nice enough on any bus.

mixer: What do you sing in the car?

Kellie: (sings) Twinkle, twinkle, little star. I have two little kids.

Mark: I like to sing along to Alanis Morrissette. I like to sing the harmony above her.

Jason: NFL radio, talk shows ...

Chris: This probably goes for everybody, but most times after you play a show or get out of practice, you really don't want to listen to music.

mixer: You're the only band I've seen who says “No, thanks” to a record label. Why is that?

Mark: They don't sign cover bands

Chris: Nobody has delusions of grandeur.

Kellie: Yeah, we're not trying to be rock stars.

mixer: If you could throw anything into the large Hadron Collider, what would it be?

Mark: Mike Krzyzewski and J. J. Reddick's heads.

Kellie: The 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee out back.

Chris: Put my car out there too — the Altima.

LIGHTNING ROUND (all together now):

mixer: Rhythm or blues?

JJ: Rhythm.

mixer: Rock or roll?

JJ: Rock.

mixer: Hip or hop?

JJ: Hip, no, neither. Boo!

mixer: Country or Western?

JJ: Country.

mixer: So, how is this band different from the other ones you've played in?

Chris: I think it's a lot more cohesive than other bands we've been in. I think there's no tension and everybody likes each other. There's camaraderie and no clash.

Mark: So far! As far as the show, I wouldn't say it's better, but it's different.”

Upcoming shows:

• Dec. 11 at Cameron's in Goldsboro
• Dec. 13 at Live
• Dec. 20 at Tie Breakers