CONTACT:
Andrew Seraphin
The Wilbur Theatre
Seraphin@TheWilbur.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox Comes to The Wilbur
WHAT: On Sunday, October 19th, 2014, Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox is coming to The Wilbur in Boston’s historic Theatre District.
Proving that everything new can be old again, pianist Scott Bradlee has become a viral pop sensation after creating a series of clips for YouTube that finds him and his ad hoc group Postmodern Jukebox reworking 21st century pop hits in a variety of vintage styles — transforming Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop” into a ’50s-style doo wop number, giving Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” a ’20s jazz accent, crossing Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” with Irish folk music, and showing how Ke$ha’s “Die Young” would work as a classic country tune.
Long Island-born Scott Bradlee grew up with a taste for jazz and classic standards, and he rose to a successful career playing supper clubs and night spots in New York City. By his own admission, Bradlee regarded most pop and rock tunes as unrefined, but, as he himself put it, “As a relentless devil’s advocate, I then found that by simply altering the context of such songs, I could find quite a bit of artistic merit inside of them.” In 2009, Bradlee released a digital single, “Hello My Ragtime ’80s,” in which he grafted familiar lines from 20 pop hits of the ’80s into a medley played in traditional ragtime style.
Bradlee then began experimenting with live mashups; during his weekly appearances at Robert Restaurant in the Big Apple’s Columbus Circle, he would perform numbers that interpolated elements from popular tunes both past and present, and recordings of these experiments were compiled into a digital album, Mashups by Candlelight. The performances were popular enough that Bradlee released a second Mashups by Candlelight collection, but he enjoyed his greatest popular success when he began using his ideas as the basis for a series of YouTube videos.
In 2012, Bradlee got his first taste of viral success when he released A Motown Tribute to Nickelback, in which he and a handful of musicians and vocalists reworked a handful of tunes by the Canadian hard rock act into ’60s influenced R&B arrangements. Becoming more ambitious, Bradlee began working with a rotating group of musicians dubbed Postmodern Jukebox (often featuring vocalist Robyn Adele Anderson) who tackled Bradlee’s arrangements which cast current pop songs in radically different styles, usually in live sessions filmed with a single camera in Bradlee’s home.
As Bradlee wrote on his website, “My goal with Postmodern Jukebox is to get my audience to think of songs not as rigid, ephemeral objects, but like malleable globs of Silly Putty. Songs can be twisted, shaped, and altered without losing their identities — just as we grow, age, and expire without losing ours.” After Postmodern Jukebox’s cover of “We Can’t Stop” racked up over four million views on YouTube, Bradlee and his crew became official internet stars, appearing on the TV chat show “Good Morning America” and being interviewed on National Public Radio. When not busy with his Postmodern Jukebox sessions and live appearances, Bradlee also served as musical director for the “immersive theater” project Sleep No More.
For tickets and more information about The Wilbur and other great events visit https://wilburboston.wpengine.com.
WHEN: Sunday, October 19th, 2014 – 8:00 PM
COST: $25-$35
WHERE: The Wilbur | 246 Tremont Street | Boston, MA 02116 | 617.248.9800
TICKETS: Visit www.wilburboston.wpengine.com, or call the box office at 617.248.9800
About The Wilbur:
Celebrating 100 years, The Wilbur, nestled in Boston’s historic Theatre District, is the premiere destination for comedy and music in Boston, MA. Built in 1914 by The Shubert Brothers, The Wilbur opened in 1915 and was named for The Shubert Theatre’s manager A.L. Wilbur. Recently revitalized by former Comedy Connection owner Bill Blumenreich in July of 2008, The Wilbur has become a first-class venue showcasing A-list comedians and musicians. A Comedy Central verified venue, the theater has attracted the best of the best in comedy including Aziz Ansari, Louis CK, Kevin Hart, Katt Williams and Jim Gaffigan. They also boast award-winning musicians from all genres such as Boyz II Men, Lauryn Hill, Lyle Lovitt and Smoky Robinson. Offering an intimate show setting, The Wilbur provides the perfect environment for enjoying comedy sensations and chart topping artists in the heart of Boston’s historic Theater District.
The Wilbur is located at 246 Tremont Street in Boston, MA. For more information, please visit www.wilburboston.wpengine.com, or call 617.248.9700.
