Postmodern Jukebox
| Postmodern Jukebox | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | PMJ |
| Origin | New York City, New York |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Mud Hut Digital |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | postmodernjukebox |
Postmodern Jukebox, also widely known by the initialism PMJ, is a rotating music collective founded by arranger and pianist Scott Bradlee in 2011. PMJ is known for reworking popular modern music into different vintage genres, especially early 20th century forms such as swing and jazz. In its first few years of existence, Postmodern Jukebox has amassed over 500 million YouTube views and 2 million subscribers.
Each week, Postmodern Jukebox puts out a new video on YouTube, most of which are filmed casually in Bradlee's living room. The band has covered songs by artists ranging from Lady Gaga and The Strokes to Katy Perry and the White Stripes. Since their beginnings as a small group of friends making music in a basement in Queens, New York, Postmodern Jukebox has gone on to feature 70 different performers and tour four continents.
The origins of Postmodern Jukebox came when Bradlee began shooting videos with his close friends from college in his small basement apartment in Astoria, Queens. This original group included bassist Chris Anderson, saxophonist Ben Golder-Novick, harpist Brandee Younger, and vocalist Emma Walker.
Bradlee struggled post-college as a jazz musician in the New York City area for years before hitting it big with his first viral video in 2009 – “a medley of ‘80s songs done ragtime style.” A tweet from famed author Neil Gaiman was the beginning of his eventual online viral popularity.
In 2011, a precursor to the Postmodern Jukebox concept emerged in the form of Bradlee’s project A Motown Tribute to Nickelback. It was this video that introduced the world to many PMJ featured performers including bassist Adam Kubota, drummer Allan Mednard, emcee Drue Davis, sax / EWI player / producer Steve Ujfalussy (also known as ’90s R&B icon “Steve Sweat” from Saturday Morning Slow Jams) and Tambourine Guy, Tim Kubart.
With over 1 million views in its first week, and 4 million in its first year,Robyn Adele Anderson's cover of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis', "Thrift Shop" (2012) was Postmodern Jukebox's first viral music video. The breakout track was included on Introducing Postmodern Jukebox (2013) and eventually found its way to a #8 position on Billboard magazine's Jazz Albums chart. This success was followed by her cover of Miley Cyrus’, “We Can't Stop” in 2013, landing the band a performance spot on Good Morning America (ABC) in September.
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