Postmodern Jukebox at the Bardavon: Contemporary hits and a retro groove
A downtown Poughkeepsie arts venue will host an evening of contemporary hit songs, performed beyond the bounds of their generational context, with a retro feel that evokes eras of decades past.
Fans of Meghan Trainor, Guns N' Roses, Lady Gaga, Maroon 5 and The Killers will likely be interested to hear that Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox does a bang-up job of interpreting some of their favorite songs, with a twist that showcases musical genres from decades ago.
And Postmodern Jukebox will be in Poughkeepsie Tuesday, Feb. 7, for a performance at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House.
READ: Renovations planned for UPAC in Kingston
READ: Aretha Franklin to play Bardavon Gala
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
“We’ve been aware of them for some time and when the opportunity presented itself, we leapt,” said Bardavon Executive Director Chris Silva. “Their online identity gave us a chance to focus our efforts on online marketing, and it’s working.”
That online identity revolves around YouTube; the group's channel on the video site has more than 2.4 million subscribers and more than 642 million video views.
Bradlee, creator of this online musical phenomenon, offered some insight into the atmosphere that surrounds a Postmodern Jukebox performance.
“It’s an old-fashioned variety show, with a more contemporary twist,” said Bradlee, 35.
A master of ceremonies serves as narrator for the evening. The cast features a dozen people, from which emerges a band, multiple vocalists, a tap dancer and horn section. Some cast members reveal more than one talent.
Modern songs you are likely familiar with — these could include “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga; “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses; “All About that Bass” by Meghan Trainor; or “Creep” by Radiohead — are played with arrangements that are different from the originals, but no less captivating.
That means different tempos, different instruments, different vocal inflections and an entirely different approach. Genres in which Postmodern Jukebox music is immersed include Motown and Doo Wop. The mood can evoke the 1920s or the 1940s.
Adding to the atmosphere Bradlee said, are audience members who very often dress up in fashions of the 1940s.
“If you were living in the 1940s and you were going to a New Year’s Eve Party with the Rat Pack, that’s the kind of vibe it is,” Bradlee said of the old group of Hollywood stars that included Sammy Davis, Jr. and Dean Martin. “It’s a party.”
The history of Postmodern Jukebox dates to when Bradlee was growing up in New Jersey and taking piano lessons. His interest in piano was weak until he heard Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”
“That was an eye-opening experience for me,” he said. “It was the first time I heard piano in a different way — a brash, exciting way.”
Bradlee started exploring jazz and at age 12 or 13, he said, “I just fell in love with that kind of music.”
His friends at the time were into bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sublime. To fuse his social setting with his new perspective on the piano, Bradlee offered up his own interpretations of the music his friends enjoyed.
“I took songs they listened to and played them in styles that I liked,” Bradlee said. “It was a fun party trick at the time.”
Years passed and, Bradlee said, “I didn’t return to doing that kind of stuff until I moved to Astoria.” That would be Astoria, Queens.
The year was 2009. Bradlee was an accomplished pianist and graduate of the University of Hartford’s Hartt School, a performing arts conservatory. Bradlee while living in Queens was out gigging, working hard to make his way in the music world.
“Like so many jazz musicians did, I got to New York City and found that I couldn’t find enough work as a musician,” he said. “There were a lot of musicians there and a lot of pianists and so many venues and restaurants. Most jazz gigs didn’t pay much, if anything. It seemed like a bleak scene for me.”
Bradlee at the same time saw how musicians were developing online audiences. He filmed himself at a keyboard playing a melody of 1980s hits — “Come on, Eileen,” and “Livin' on a Prayer” among them — as ragtime songs. Then he posted the video on YouTube.
Writer Neil Gaiman, who in 2014 became a professor at Bard College in Annandale, saw the video when it had 100 views. Gaiman tweeted the video to his Twitter followers and the following day it had 10,000 views, Bradlee said.
“I realized this was such an exciting medium,” he said. “Within one day, more people saw me play on the Internet than they had in real life.”
Bradlee studied the mechanics of engaging an audience with social media. He made more videos and continued to experiment with music.
In 2010, Bradlee assembled some fellow musicians in his basement apartment in Astoria to film a pared down, jazzy version of “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga. That was the first time Bradlee branded his video initiative with the title, Postmodern Jukebox.
That video got a few thousand views and more videos followed — a cover of Rihanna’s “Only Girl” among them. A Motown Tribute to Nickelback didn’t use the Postmodern Jukebox brand but generated attention.
“If there was one video responsible for introducing Postmodern Jukebox to a mass audience ... it was our 1930s jazz remake of Macklemore’s 'Thrift Shop'...” Bradlee wrote on www.postmodernjukebox.com.
He continued, “None of us expected that much from the video, but I knew it was something great, and anticipated getting 10,000 views or so ... I was wrong ... by the end of the week, it became my first YouTube video to reach 1 million views ... the idea of the Postmodern Jukebox universe had spread across the internet.”
John W. Barry: jobarry@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4822, Twitter: @JohnBarryPoJo
If You Go
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox
When: 8 p.m. Feb. 7
Where: Bardavon 1869 Opera House, 35 Market St., Poughkeepsie.
Admission: $48-$68 for reserved seats. Bardavon members receive a $5 discount.
Information: Tickets can be purchased in person at the Bardavon box office, 35 Market St., Poughkeepsie, which can be reached at 845-473-2072; in person at the UPAC box office, 601 Broadway, Kingston, which can be reached at 845-339-6088; and through Ticketmaster, which can be reached at 1-800-745-3000 and www.ticketmaster.com.
Member benefits are not available through Ticketmaster. Visit www.bardavon.org for information.