June 2008 marks a special milestone in my life – my Groupie First. It’s actually my Groupie Only, but that’s because you don’t give up the groupie for just anyone. For that level of fandom, there has to be a certain mix of greatness … and don’t ask me to define greatness, because it’s too hard. I just know it when I see it, and you do too.

This event took place in a living room on Swiss, where for a $5 entrance fee (or was it a kegger fee?) I, and about 30 others, could stand two feet from Jukebox the Ghost and cheer, sing and dance our hearts out until 4 in the morning. I left the house with tired feet, the promise of an angry post-party headache, and my first beloved copy of Let Live and Let Ghosts.

Back then, part of JTG’s greatness was that nobody knew them yet. The gigs were small and the tour with Ben Folds was still a year or so away. As a result, my fellow groupies and I were appreciated as fans. No matter how many times we acted like fools, the guys always remembered us when they came back to town. I believe the total count to date is 4 shows over two years. Not too shabby… we’ll take what we can get. Two really great years of touring for them, and two years of wondering for me… “When do I get more?!”

The answer is finally here: September 7. Go here, show some email love and download the new track “Empire”. Then come back in a few months (or sooner, if you like us), because I’m sure I’ll have more gushing to do once Everything Under the Sun makes its debut.

Jukebox the Ghost – “Good Day”
[audio:http://themuseinmusic.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/jukebox-the-ghost-good-day.mp3]
Jukebox the Ghost – “Empire”
[audio:http://themuseinmusic.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/jukebox-the-ghost-empire.mp3]