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After traveling the country to find bandmates, Deanna DeLuke finds that home is where the band is.

A little quirky, a little sweet and a whole lot catchy, Lucky Jukebox Brigade is Albany singer Deanna DeLuke’s brainchild. As the story goes, she traveled the country couchsurfing, bringing a ukulele wherever she went, all in search of the right people to start a band with. And like every good fairy tale, in the end, she found Geppi Iaia (bass), Michael DeMarco (drums), Jimmy Affatigato (guitar/saxophone/clarinet), and Chris Weatherly (trumpet/euphonium/synth/keys/flute) right at home, where they immediately started making pop-punk music (“with a dash of dance party”) as Lucky Jukebox Brigade. To celebrate the release of the new EP Savage Fantastic out tomorrow (February 26), Myspace is exclusively streaming the indie pop confection in its entirety! DeLuke also talks to us about the band’s real origin story, their hashtag alter-ego and vegan food recipe hacks below.

Hometown and homebase: Albany, NY

Couchsurfing to find bandmates … that’s a pretty crazy plan. How did that happen?

I was actually really hoping to find musicians in Albany because I love my hometown, but it just wasn’t happening. That’s when I started looking elsewhere. I was on a cross-country backpacking adventure with my ukulele. I couchsurfed from California to New York and met a lot of amazing people along the way. I put up Craigslist ads in every town I liked looking for musicians with the right goals and chemistry. And, I kept an ad up in Albany too. Geppi (bass) found that ad, and the vibe I got from his email just clicked for me. I could tell that he was as serious as I was. That's what ultimately made me decide to come home.

Why are you called Lucky Jukebox Brigade?

I used to make a lot of collages, and I collaged those words together from things I cut out of magazines. I always had it in the back of my mind as a potential band name, and I asked Geppi and the other original members what they thought of it. They said they liked it. I think they were just being polite. But it stuck.

Talk about the album you're premiering, Savage Fantastic. What is it about?

Savage Fantastic is a place. It's a party where everyone is invited, but it isn't quite what it seems. Think of a Gatsby party, or David Mitchell's Slade House meets Burning Man. For the songwriting on this album, I wasn't super concerned with fitting a theme or telling any particular stories. I just wanted to write what I felt and what felt real. It ended up with themes like longing, determination, desperation, the feeling that something is missing, coming out, being who you are, going after what you want, and not giving a fuck about consequences.

Since you did end up finding your band at home, how does living in Albany after traveling the country influence your music?

Albany is a small city, so the music scene feels like a community. We're all friends, and there are so many incredible bands that everyone should be hearing. And, we're lucky to have WEQX, the coolest radio station on the planet in our backyard. They're very in tune with what's going on locally which helps so much. For us, we're the kind of band who will literally try anything if we like it (see the breakdown in Chasers for evidence). Since everyone here is so open and supportive, we're not afraid of how people might react if we take a weird turn in a song or if we bring in some flutes out of nowhere or something. It's nice to know that your home scene has your back.

Who are Lucky Jukebox Brigade’s biggest musical influences?

As a band, we all have really eclectic backgrounds - indie, pop, metal, classical. Sometimes we djent. For me, growing up on bands like Saves The Day, Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Coheed and Cambria...that's how I ended up head over heels for music.

Who would you love to collaborate with?

Casey Crescenzo of The Dear Hunter. Amanda Palmer. Rostam Batmanglij.

What made you want to be a musician when you were growing up?

I don't really come from a musical family but somehow I've been singing since I could talk, and my parents have always encouraged me in every way. There are videos of me at age two putting on concerts in the living room and belting out “Hello My Baby, Hello My Honey" to an audience of stuffed animals. I got into doo wop when I was 6 or 7 and carried around a cassette player with a bunch of oldies compilations. As a teenager, I started taking guitar lessons and listening to pop punk. That's when I started writing songs, going to local shows, and playing with bands.

What do you do for fun?

I like hanging out with my cats and cooking vegan versions of my favorite food. I just veganized a DIY Taco Bell crunchwrap last night and it was off the charts good.

What's the craziest thing that happens to Lucky Jukebox Brigade that you love so far?

We've had some serious dance parties break out at our shows. Like, sweaty, borderline moshing, people taking their shirts off serious dance parties. Those are always my favorite. Also, for our Halloween show last year, we all dressed up as nevernudes and that was glorious. But I have one memory in particular that stands out. We played Tulip Fest which is a big outdoor festival in town, and a girl came up to me after the show to give me a polaroid she had taken of us from the top of a hill across the park. It was really sweet of her and I still have it.

If you were a hashtag, what would you be?

#catsonamps. Have you ever seen the cats on amps Instagram? Revolutionary stuff.

Everyone has an awesome Myspace story as a musician. What's yours?

I remember when Myspace came on the scene. It basically became the center of the universe for bands and music lovers. I think our ultimate awesome Myspace story is this right now, though! Being featured on such a legendary site...it's surreal. Thank you for having us!

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