Second Cup Café: Jonny Lives!
Jonny Lives! is a rock band from New York's East Village fronted by lead singer Jonny Dubowsky.
They describe their sound as influenced by Brit-pop, R&B and the Lower East Side punk scene of the '60s and '70s, updated with anthemic rock.
They visit the Second Cup Café to play songs from their debut album, "Get Steady."
Dubowsky is an intellectual — or more correctly — a hard-partying intellectual. The singer majored in philosophy at NYU, according to the band's official biography, and lists Walt Whitman and Marcel Proust as influences.
But that doesn't mean he sits around reading poetry and nibbling madeleines.
In fact, Dubowsky says that the title track from "Get Steady" was inspired by a "crazy 48 hours in the U.K." while touring with the Kaiser Chiefs.
The fun began with a night downing tequila shots with his musician friends and some female fans, followed by a second night of debauchery that he describes as "another alcohol-fueled outing … walking around, smoking cigars, drinking straight from the bottle getting felt up by Peaches on the dance floor."
At the end of the evening, the party moved to a hotel, where Dubowsky said he got his "first lesson on proper hotel-trashing."
When he arrived back in New York, he immediately went out with friends to a local club where he grabbed a napkin and began writing the song inspired by his wild weekend.
The band does have a responsible side, though. Dubowsky is the founder of Rock 'n Renew, an educational series that teaches kids about global warming, energy conservation, alternative fuel and sustainability.
When Jonny Lives! hit the road opening for Everclear last year, they did the entire 9,000-mile tour in a converted Bio-Diesel van.
The band gives lectures at schools and is currently running an online contest in honor of Earth Day. Contestants are encouraged to post videos they've created about alternative energy on YouTube. The creator of the best video will win an all-expenses-paid trip to New York to attend the Green Apple Music Festival on Earth Day.