I checked out some of their old tunes and was pleasantly impressed by the range of sounds Jupiter One produces. K Ishibashi, has a psychadelic dream-like voice that begs the listener to take a trip down melody lane with him. If you were to sit back and light a fatty, this is the band you would want to listen to. "Umbrellas", a song from their previous album, takes you on a magical and mystical melodic ride, pulling you into a trance-like slumber of candy-land dreams and starry-eyed nymphs. Gentle synthesizers add even more of an Alice-in-Wonderland quality that is at once peaceful and disturbing.

On Sunshower, this same voice brings a folky-indie sound to the forefront with "Flaming Arrow", an acoustic Southern-inspired track. Jupiter One shows an unbelievable knack for diversifying their music and blending genres together to create their own unique, though poppy sound. "Simple Stones" was made for dance-floor boogeying, the folkish sound reappears in "People in the Mountain". Other tracks of note include, "Volcano", which may be one of the albums' best tracks, and "Find me a Place".

Aside from the fact that Jupiter One is a wildly diverse group of twenty-somethings who bring innovative concoctions to the ear, Jupiter One is a band on a mission to infuse a breath of fresh air to the somewhat stagnant and stale indie rock out there.

antiMusic was able to catch up with Zac Colwell, one of the founding fathers and ask him a few questions. One of the coolest things about Zac outside of his playing prowess is that growing up, he wanted to be a scientist who played music, now he is a bonafide musician who likes science. His cerebral nature comes out in the interview which is also endearing and indicative of the band's overall vibe.

aM: What's the real story behind the name Jupiter One?

Zac: No one remembers. K might have a clue. Don't you like it? I think it was the name of a spaceship in Lost in Space. Supposedly their ship was Jupiter 2 and Jupiter 1 suffered a tragic fate. We spell ours "One".

aM: Do you think that having band members from all over the country adds to your sound? In what way?

Zac: Yeah, probably. Everyone's different accents are funny in rehearsals. No, actually I think that our musical minds (everyone's, not just the band's) come from the othersphere and not regions. Maybe a little bit, though. A long time ago, before computers, to be a part of one's regional sound was a point of pride for traveling musicians. I grew up in Austin, TX and maybe I have some of that space cowboy in my musical sensibilities?

aM: What inspires you as a band? Where do your ideas come from?

Zac: Everything inspires us! That's why our albums are called "diverse". I don't think I'd really want to listen to an album that wasn't diverse in some way, though. It makes it tough for reviewers though - if an artist's album is "diverse". Makes it harder to write about. But then, music is so stratified in peoples minds these days that if you just put different feels and moods together on the same album, sometimes people don't know what to make of it. What if the White Album was just the rock n roll songs like Back in the USSR and Revolution and didn't have Piggies and Mother Nature's Child? It would be easier to think of as a whole (which, there's really no need to do, right?), but it would be less magnificent. Music's a linear thing that can't be listened to without the investment of time, so why not give the listener, who's giving so much, a bit of a journey? No one knows where ideas come from though. If we did, we'd build a ship and go there and stay! Or maybe you don't need a ship. Maybe just a chant or a drug? A drug that's never been invented or a chant that is unpronounceable?

aM: Where do you find it easiest to be most creative?

Zac: I've never found it easy to be creative. Or, I find it easiest to be creative EVERYWHERE!!! I prefer to make up the songs in my head and figure out later which instruments will be best. Dave likes to use a piano. K likes to use a guitar and make a demo as he goes, and Pat likes to use a guitar too.

aM: How do you blow off steam or handle "creative differences'?

Zac: By screaming and fighting and using leverage to hurt the other person or get even from being hurt in the past :) We're a heavy-drinking band. Plus the long drives from city to city are meditative, and we sort out our problems in that confined space. Some one else always mediates and we're all very good friends, so we are always interested in solving the problems that arise between us.

aM: What musician do you respect the most and why?

Zac: No way to answer that. Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder are up there for loving melody and being a beautiful bird for their WHOLE LIVES. Toru Takemitsu for making silence sound like the most beautiful melody.

aM: Who would you compare your sound too?

Zac: Any band who doesn't have a "sound". Like Superfurry Animals, or Flaming Lips, or Of Montreal, or (in my dreams) The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac.

aM: Was there a pivotal moment in your life when you realized you wanted to play music?

Zac: When my Dad played saxophone and flute to me through the womb. Each of us in the band has cared about music more that other things since we were small children. When I met the other musicians in the band, I knew that I didn't need to play in a bunch of bands anymore and could focus on just this one and it's spectrum could be wide enough to keep us all stimulated and entertained.

aM: Do your songs tell a particular personal narrative?

Zac: Sometimes. Or some start off that way, but fiction and imagination is so much more compelling.

aM: What do you hope people take away from your music?

Zac: Happy feelings. Or sad. Or a dance they made up. Or a painting they did while listening. Or a morning they got out of bed and felt like going to work. Or a great orgasm. Or a nice road trip. Or a seldom-remembered childhood memory. Or deja vu.

aM: It's been over two years since your first full-length album, aside from the known TV ad campaigns, what have your successes been since then?

Zac: We made a new album! We've been on tour for 2 years! We made so many friends! We're about to go on tour again!!!!!!!

aM: Do you think that working with Jac Holtsman ( the guy who signed The Doors) has given you an advantage? How?

Zac: I don't know. I'm glad we know him though. He's a really cool guy. He told us some stories about the old days, including some about Jim Morrison. Pretty mind-blowing.

aM: Who else would you like to work with in the production sense?

Zac: Jeff Lynne and Dave Fridmann.

aM: What is your favorite track on the new album?

Zac: Usually: "High Plains Drifter Finds the Oracle at Delphi". It has a special mood that I've never heard in a song before.

aM: What do you think is different on your new album? How is it a departure from the first album? Any areas of growth?

Zac: It's a different album altogether. I love our first album. I wouldn't change anything. I wouldn't change myself 2 years ago either. There's no relationship to the first other than that it was made by us.

aM: What would you be doing for a thrill if you were not playing music?

Zac: I'd hate to know.

aM: Where do you see yourself over the next three to six months?

Zac: I can't see! What are you looking at? Point it out to me! I can't answer that question because of that thing they talked about in physics class that I didn't pay close attention to about not being able locate a certain particle because the light to see it affects its course. We have plans, but I don't want to talk about them too much, since they are bound to change.

aM: What is your favorite album of all time? Why?

Zac: No way to answer that. If I had to answer though, or else you'll shoot one of my pet birds and make me choose one of them before you did it, I'd say Talking Book by Stevie Wonder.

aM: What is the most challenging moment you have experienced with this project?

Zac: Waiting for it to come out and hoping people enjoy it.

aM: What sort of advice would you give other musicians just starting out?

Zac: Good luck.

aM: If you had magical powers, and could choose anyone in the world, what musicians would you like to play with? Why?

Zac: My bandmates. They are the best musicians I've ever heard. Not kidding. Thanks for the questions! -Zac