Listen to songs you know…as you’ve never heard them before!
How did Miley Cyrus' hit song "We Can't Stop" become a '50s-style doo wop number? Since when was Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass" about an upright bass fiddle? At what point did Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" evolve into a '20s hot jazz tune? And whose idea was it to rework Lorde's "Royals" into a polished ballad sung by a sad clown?
These are just a few of the hits that have become part of the topsy-turvy world of Postmodern Jukebox, an ongoing musical project spearheaded by pianist and arranger Scott Bradlee, who takes contemporary pop and rock tunes and fashions new arrangements for them that cast them in an unpredictable variety of musical styles from the past.
About Scott Bradlee
Born on Long Island, Bradlee relocated to New York City after studying jazz at the University of Hartford. While playing gigs at restaurants and nightclubs in New York City, Bradlee began experimenting with ragtime and jazz arrangements of pop tunes from the '80s, and he recorded several self-released digital albums of his offbeat versions of well-known melodies, as well as performances that interpolated seemingly dissimilar songs of different eras.
Bradlee upped the ante on these experiments in 2012 with an album called "A Motown Tribute to Nickelback", but as he began imagining a new platform for his experiments, he thought of YouTube, where he had been posting solo performance videos since 2009. So, in 2013, Bradlee began posting weekly videos in which he and a rotating cast of musicians and vocalists performed a new song each week, recorded live in a single take in Bradlee's living room.
Bradlee goes viral
In September 2013, Bradlee posted his '50s-style reimagining of Cyrus' "We Can't Stop," and the clip soon went viral, racking up over four million views in less than two months and topping 14 million two years later.
Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox channel was soon racking up Internet successes on a regular basis, and he continued to release both videos and albums based on his playful fun-house covers of popular songs. By 2015, Bradlee had made over 130 Postmodern Jukebox clips available online, and he and his crew were taking the show on the road, touring in North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Bradlee was quite prolific in 2016, with the release of several albums including "PMJ and Chill" and "Swing the Vote!".
European Tour
European fans will now get a chance to see Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox when the show comes to the Théâtre du Léman in Geneva on Sunday April 9th at 19h. But it doesn’t really matter if you’ve never even heard of Scott Bradlee before, as you will be sure to recognize some of the popular tunes on which he has based this year’s European tour!
To help spread the word about this special concert, the organizers, Prestige Artists, have offered knowitall.ch readers the chance to win 3 double tickets. To enter our competition, just fill in this form and let us know at which university Bradlee studied jazz. Only one entry per person and per email is allowed. The competition closes at midnight on Monday, 3 April 2017. The names of all those submitting correct answers will be placed into the digital hat and the winner's name drawn at random on Tuesday, 4 April 2017. The first three names to be drawn will receive a double ticket for the performance. The winners will be notified by email and their names will be added to this article after the competition closes.
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox
Théâtre du Léman
Quai du Mont-Blanc 19
1201 Geneva
Sunday 9 April 2017, 19h
Click here to buy tickets
Download flyer here
http://postmodernjukebox.com/
Watch his music here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLnZ1NQm2uk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXYWDtXbBB0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A318dxT7fl0
Congratulations to the following winners, who each won a double ticket to the show:
Jane Bailey
Melanie Dakin
Eldar Guseynov
