Brothers in charms: The Jonases say they're not just another boy band

YES, THE YOUNG girls (ages 6 to 16) will be out in force, screaming their lungs out, when the Jonas Brothers land at the Wachovia Center Thursday for the first of two sold-out shows.

One reviewer who caught their Chicago concert this week likened the din to airplane engines revving at O'Hare International Airport. Attending parents? Have your earplugs ready.

But the Jonas Brothers are not the typical boy band they'd like us to believe. Their new, fourth album, "Lines, Vines and Trying Times," and their World Tour 2009, feature sophisticated horn charts and violins "adding things that haven't been heard in pop music," said middle brother, Joe Jonas, in a pre-tour interview.

They're writing a lot of the music themselves, too - not just having it spoon-fed to them. And while the tunes are more often focused on young love, the going can sometimes get pretty heavy, the imagery metaphoric. In one dark song, they compare the bad times of a relationship to "World War III."

Ask Jonas siblings Kevin, 21, Joe, 19, and Nick, 16, to name favorite artists, and you're more likely to hear them cite relative old-schoolers like Elvis Costello (who's returned the compliment), Neil Diamond and the Bee Gees. The latter two earn sonic nods on the new album in the brass-fired "Hey Baby" and sweet-harmonizing "Much Better."

And unlike most boy bands of yore, from the Jackson 5 to 'N Sync, the Jonases are much more into rocking out on guitars and keyboards than they are in popping off some wicked dance moves.

"We don't sing and dance," noted Joe. He recently underscored the point with a goofy music-video posting on YouTube - lip syncing and dancing awkwardly to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" in a dared-to-wear costume of black leotard, tights and high heels.

"We're secretly all over the age of 40, so we've already lived past our shelf life," said Joe, tongue-in-cheek, during the conference call. "Now we're trying to reinvent ourselves."

While he's youngest of the three performing bros (a fourth, 8-year-old Frankie, is warming up in the wings), Nick is really the seasoned trouper of the three and the one who kick-started the whole showbiz thing for the Wyckoff, N.J.-spawned family, now a multimillion-dollar enterprise.

At age 6, Nick was discovered, singing in a barber shop, and connected to a talent manager. A year later, he began performing in Broadway musicals, including "A Christmas Carol," "Annie Get Your Gun," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Les Miserables."

Nick's creative juices started flowing after he'd written a song with his dad, former evangelical minister Kevin Sr., called "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)," then sang and released it as a small-label single that became a hit on Christian radio.

Columbia considered signing Nick as a solo artist, then opted for him and his siblings for a 2006 album, "It's About Time." Only a year later, the label lost interest in the trio and dropped them. But the Jonas Brothers were getting a good buzz from Radio Disney and TV's Disney Channel, so Disney subsidiary Hollywood Records added to the star-making synergy by signing them the following year.

Since then, the three have grown into a prime component of the corporate machine, guesting with Miley Cyrus on her "Hannah Montana" TV show and concert movie, then starring in their own made-for-TV musical "Camp Rock" ("Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam" is now in the offing), their recent comedy series "J.O.N.A.S." and their own "3-D Concert Experience" movie, with country star Taylor Swift.

While there's been lots of buzz in the last year about Joe Jonas' hot- and cold-running romantic relationship with Swift - also played out in lyrics from both singers' latest albums - the Jonases are still pushed as the safe, healthy, G-rated music alternative for young listeners.

Brother Kevin, for instance, seriously responds to a question about what he looks for in a girl by saying his ideal - "the golden ticket" - is one who'll pass muster with his mom.

Some cynics can't believe that they're still wearing the "purity rings," signifying a vow of chastity, that were pushed on their fingers by their dad. British comedian Russell Brand made brash fun of them during the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, suggesting that he'd be more impressed if they wore the rings elsewhere on their bodies.

And a particularly nasty episode of "South Park" depicted the Disney organization, led by a foulmouthed mouse, pushing the guys to comingle all that pious sanctity with blatant sexual moves on stage.

When asked what they thought about that "South Park" episode, Nick Jonas dodged the question like a seasoned politician:

"We always like to, you know, be open to make fun of ourselves. You know, we'll be the first to. We did it on 'Saturday Night Live' and it was kind of fun. But . . . we're so focused on what we're doing with this tour and our album and everything that we didn't have too much time to see it."

Like they couldn't find a half-hour on the tour bus to run the episode? Puhleeze!

The Jonas clan does a better job rationalizing the higher cost of tickets to this year's show. Last time around, their top price was $47.50; now it's $89.50, and a much larger percentage of seats are going for the premium rate.

"The typical end stage is 35 to 40 feet across. But our show is played in the round, as they say, with a stage that's 144 feet long from point A to point B, which gives a lot more people front-row seats," said Nick. "There's also a circular water screen - all kinds of cool technical stuff. I don't want to give it all away. But it will give you the feeling of being in a whole other world when you enter." *

Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009, with Jordin Sparks and Honor Society, Wachovia Center, 3601 S. Broad St., 7 p.m. Thursday and July 24. Both shows sold out, though online ticket brokers are advertising tickets priced from $52 to $715.