ABOUT

Jukebox Serenade is Washington DC area indie-pop duo Lena Esposito and Chris Brownelle.  The group's focus is crisp songwriting and vocal melody, molded into tightly-arranged accessible pop tunes. Their music style combines the indie rock sound of PJ Harvey and Liz Phair with the pop sensibilities of Gwen Stefani and Garbage, as well as adult contemporary influences such as Aimee Mann and KT Tunstall.

Originally formed under the name Ringleader in 2003, Lena and Chris spent their first two years focusing mainly on writing and recording original material. Lena had previously been playing solo and had recently recorded her self-titled cd with Grammy-nominated producer Bob Dawson. Chris had previously been a member of DC area band Smartbomb, recording and playing the mid-Atlantic region for several years, sharing the stage with national acts such as Matchbox 20, Smashmouth, Faith No More, and Fuel. Smartbomb was ultimately signed to the indie label Razor and Tie. Their rock version of Faith Hill's "Breathe", recorded in Nashville's Castle Studios, was in rotation on national radio in the spring of 2001.

In the fall of 2004, Ringleader released it's debut 4-song ep and follow up ep "No Slide Guitar" in 2005. The band enjoyed many positive reviews of these releases and then recruited a rhythm section and began playing area shows at such notable venues as IOTA Club and Cafe, Jammin' Java, and TT Reynolds. 

Ringleader then recorded a three song cd single "What He Says" in 2007. Produced by Jim Ebert (Meredith Brooks, Marvelous 3), the CD includes the single, "What He Says" a contemporary pop love song. Also included are two live standouts: "Play Pretend", a ska-influenced tune about broken promises, and "Jaywalker", a heavy riff-driven song about urban living.

In the fall of 2008,  the group underwent  a name change to Jukebox Serenade and began recording their first full-length release Bliss at Cue Studios in Fall Church, Virginia.  Once again, the group teamed up with Jim Ebert, who mixed and produced the CD. Performance and writing contributions from the powerful and creative rhythm section comprising of bassist Dean Perry and drummer Eddie Anzueto, offered a unique chemistry and contributed to the tone and point of view of the project. Jukebox Serenade's Bliss represents a balance between the group's mainstream pop and it's indie rock sensibilities. Combining a guitar based rock sound with various hip-hop and synth layerings, Bliss embraces past influences from the Beatles to Nirvana while drawing from more contemporary artists as well.

The first single off of Bliss,  "Abigail" features Beck-like synth lines, heavy guitar chord progressions, and hand clappin' foot stompin' rhythms making the song both fun and hard rocking at the same time. Some songs such as "All Alone With You" and "What He Says" may evoke reminders of popsters Taylor Swift or Kelly Clarkson. The CD opener "Sugarrush" features an intro of dissonant indie rock guitar riffs over a sugar-coated verse/chorus while "Crazy Completely” combines a reggae verse with an all-out 80's style pop chorus. "Turning the Page", a Tori Amos meets PJ Harvey composition, is another standout featuring producer Jim Ebert on piano.

As a follow-up to Bliss Jukebox Serenade released  "Waiting For You" in 2010.  The single is a self-produced light-hearted acoustic-style tune that juxtaposes Bliss' heavy guitar influences.

Presently, Jukebox Serenade continues to write tunes and play acoustic shows in the Washington DC area.  Plans are underway to release acoustic-based recordings of new songs and old favorites in the coming months.  These tunes will be made available for purchase on CDBaby, as are all of Jukebox Serenade's previous releases.  Their entire catalog is also available for licensing for film and TV projects.  Visit the JS Music Publishing page for more information.