PMJ in Ithaca
Nov. 19th, 2017 11:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thisnewdayJust read in the local online media that Scott Bradlee's PostModern Jukebox had performed this weekend in Ithaca NY, a college town about 55 miles south of Syracuse. As critiqued in Dan Poorman's Syracuse.com review, PMJ began as an internet phenomenon featuring genre-bending renditions of popular tunes recorded in Scott's NYC apartment. Not spelled out in Poorman's article is that these pioneering videos were made in collaboration with Bradlee's then-girlfriend Robyn Adele Anderson on vocals.
The other musicians were people Scott knew from the city and the recodings were done in single takes with no over-dubbing or digital trickery. In the process of freeing the song from its original genre, and exploring its possibilities in another, Scott's arrangements transported the music and its performers to other eras and, upon arrival in this sort of musical time machine, the artists were typically dressed in fashions of the period.
As I said, Robyn Adele Anderson was the featured vocalist in most of these early pieces. She's a native of Albany, NY and a graduate of SUNY Binghamton. For myself, the concept was fascinating, the music good to excellent, and the backstory and local connections compelling. And so, a few years back, I was an early subscriber to PMJ's channel on YouTube.
Anyway, due to this highly-emotional estrangement, I wasn't aware that Upstate NY was part of PMJ's late fall tour, nor did I know that Robyn had rejoined the cast for this show. I had been aware that she had started her own channel at the time of their "breakup" and would like to mention, for anyone interested, that her earlier performances with PMJ are still on YouTube.
Having said all of that, I suppose it's a bit ironic that I've chosen to post one of the earlier videos which does not feature Robyn Adele Anderson. This one features Von Smith, another internet singing sensation who also appears with the current touring company. I guess it's the narrative voice, as well as the singing one, that especially appealed to me and influenced this choice.
So this is Von Smith in a video found on the PostModern Jukebox YouTube channel, piano and musical arrangement by Scott Bradlee. OK Scott, I admit it: you're a freakin' genius. But you still need to be nicer to Robyn, lol...
LPK
The other musicians were people Scott knew from the city and the recodings were done in single takes with no over-dubbing or digital trickery. In the process of freeing the song from its original genre, and exploring its possibilities in another, Scott's arrangements transported the music and its performers to other eras and, upon arrival in this sort of musical time machine, the artists were typically dressed in fashions of the period.
As I said, Robyn Adele Anderson was the featured vocalist in most of these early pieces. She's a native of Albany, NY and a graduate of SUNY Binghamton. For myself, the concept was fascinating, the music good to excellent, and the backstory and local connections compelling. And so, a few years back, I was an early subscriber to PMJ's channel on YouTube.
Then, the whole thing took off. Scott added artists, expanded the repertoire, and eventually embarked on a European tour which, he cleverly stated in his fund-raising promotion, was necessitated by having been kicked out of his apartment. Meanwhile, Robyn seemed more and more often relegated to "the chorus" and, in fact, did not accompany Scott on tour.
Always intrigued by the backstory, whether in sports, pop culture, or the arts, I was appalled by this turn of events. And so, to let Scott know how pissed I was that he'd let this happen, I unsubscribed from the PMJ channel and haven't spoken to him since.
(Actually, I hadn't spoken to him beforehand, either, but liked the heightened drama of the slightly-embellished version. Sort of like the buffoon now sitting in the White House. Oops! But as long as we're going there, I should probably add that, since suffering the devastating loss of my lone subscription, PMJ has probably added a bazillion or so new ones, an admission the Liar-in-Chief would never make.)
Always intrigued by the backstory, whether in sports, pop culture, or the arts, I was appalled by this turn of events. And so, to let Scott know how pissed I was that he'd let this happen, I unsubscribed from the PMJ channel and haven't spoken to him since.
(Actually, I hadn't spoken to him beforehand, either, but liked the heightened drama of the slightly-embellished version. Sort of like the buffoon now sitting in the White House. Oops! But as long as we're going there, I should probably add that, since suffering the devastating loss of my lone subscription, PMJ has probably added a bazillion or so new ones, an admission the Liar-in-Chief would never make.)
Anyway, due to this highly-emotional estrangement, I wasn't aware that Upstate NY was part of PMJ's late fall tour, nor did I know that Robyn had rejoined the cast for this show. I had been aware that she had started her own channel at the time of their "breakup" and would like to mention, for anyone interested, that her earlier performances with PMJ are still on YouTube.
Having said all of that, I suppose it's a bit ironic that I've chosen to post one of the earlier videos which does not feature Robyn Adele Anderson. This one features Von Smith, another internet singing sensation who also appears with the current touring company. I guess it's the narrative voice, as well as the singing one, that especially appealed to me and influenced this choice.
So this is Von Smith in a video found on the PostModern Jukebox YouTube channel, piano and musical arrangement by Scott Bradlee. OK Scott, I admit it: you're a freakin' genius. But you still need to be nicer to Robyn, lol...
LPK
Dreamwidth
11.20.2017
11.20.2017
