Postmodern Jukebox reimagines modern songs

The performance group Postmodern Jukebox performed an array of modern songs arranged into “vintage” genres, such as jazz and swing, on Feb. 10 at The National.

Pianist and composer Scott Bradlee founded Postmodern Jukebox, a music collective — meaning musicians rotate through for recordings and live performances. The group uploads videos of new songs every week to their YouTube page, which has amassed a subscriber count of nearly 2.5 million.

The concert began shortly after 8 p.m. with the group’s arrangement of Carly Rae Jepson’s “Call Me Maybe,” sang by Postmodern Jukebox founding member Robyn Adele Anderson.

Later in the performance Anderson reappeared on stage in a long, 1920s-style dress.

“Can anyone guess where I got my dress?” Anderson asked the crowd coyly. “Yes, at the thrift shop,” she said, before diving into the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis hit-single “Thrift Shop.”

Anderson was also featured in the original music video for the song before Postmodern Jukebox’s arrangement was released in 2013. The music collective’s rendition has now amassed more than 12 million views on YouTube.

Well-known artists such as American Idol finalist Casey Abrams are often featured in the group’s videos. Abrams was at the performance at The National, and played the upright bass in addition to singing.

Other musicians included James Hall on trombone, guitar and banjo-player Bob Hamilton, bassist Chris Anderson, pianist Logan Evan Thomas, and Chloe Feoranzo who played both tenor saxophone and clarinet. Feoranzo was featured in numerous clarinet solos, performing at the front of the stage, alongside Abrams.

The event’s MC, Mario Jose, also sang on several occasions.

“I’ve never spoken or sang in front of a crowd before,” Jose said. “It’s an alternative fact, I guess,” he added, before beginning an arrangement of “My Heart Will Go On,” by Céline Dion.

Costume changes were frequent among vocalists, who included Dani Armstrong who sang Sia’s “Chandelier,” among others, and Richmond-native Joey Cook who performed renditions of The Plain White T’s “Hey There Delilah” and Britney Spears’ “Womanizer.”  

Makeup, dress and hairstyles ranged in style based on the 1920s, 1940s and 1950s, depending on which era the song was inspired by.

Choreography was prevalent throughout the vocal performances, most notably by tap dancer Anissa Lee, who makes her own costumes. At one point, a “drum-versus-dance battle” took place between Lee and drummer Martin Diller.
The two began by alternating between Lee tap-dancing and Diller drumming on the tap board. After a few rounds, they performed together with Diller drumming on the edge of the board and Lee dancing in the center.

Georgia Geen

Staff Writer