How it was at Postmodern Jukebox in Cologne

    Hop shu-why-why, Hop shu-why-why!
    Hey there everybody!

    What was I doing a month ago, precisely on the 24th of April? Well, I was doing very well. I received a last minute offer to go to the PMJ concert in Cologne, thanks to some dear friends. On the 29th of May they are reaching Bucharest, so if you want a preview, I wish you a pleasant read.

    Who are Postmodern Jukebox and what do they actually do? PMJ is a musician collective created by the pianist Scott Bradlee in 2011 in New York City. They rework modern songs and turn them into new genres such as swing and jazz. The Internet in general and Youtube in particular were the means through which they became famous. They started by recording in Bradlee's basement and now they have 70 members and perform in concerts on four continents. But you can learn more directly from the founder on this musical TED Talk. 

    Their songs are very catchy and sometimes you need a couple of seconds until you recognize the original tune. A few years ago I listened to them for the first time online, and when the concert invitation came, I was thrilled. The concert took place on a Tuesday night at the Live Music Hall Ehrenfeld while it was raining. The place reminded me a bit of the LMH in Bucharest, but you cannot compare it though. When we got there, there was already a queue. We saw a guy with a board on which was written: "I want to buy a ticket!". It took a while until we found our friends and when we did, we saw the guy with the board again. This time it was written: "I want to sell a ticket!" Hmm, they do it also in Germany. Nothing surprising.
    Once we got in, we swam through the crowds, stepping on the sticky floor. Eventually we found a decent place. A lot of people from many places came that night. Beside the German language, I recognized American English, British English and Dutch. At 20:10 the concert started. PMJ directly on the stage. No pre-concert band, no waste of time. LaVance Colley, a nice black guy, dressed in a painted suit walked in on the stage yelling as loud as he could: "Welcome to Postmodern Jukebox!" having "The final countdown" on the background. But suddenly the rhythm changed and everybody started dancing. We were then introduced to the PMJ world and to the songs that bring you back in time. 
    They started in big style with "Bad Romance" accompanied by Sarah Reich, the "queen" of tap and kept the levels high the whole night. But who is part of the European tour? Below you can read the names of the members while listening to the song.
LaVance Colley - vocals & MC, Robyn Adele Anderson - vocals, Sara Niemietz - vocals, Shoshana Bean - vocals, Von Smith - vocals, bass & melodica, Sarah Reich - queen of tap!, Adam Kubota - bass, Ben Golder-Novick - sax & clarinet, Kylan DeGhetaldi - piano & musical director, Lyndon Rochelle - drums and Quinton Zigler - trombone.  

    What were the special moments though? After a few songs, there was a percussion "battle" between Sarah Reich, the master of tap dance and the drummer Lyndon Rochelle. Difficult Rhythms and swift movements caught the attention and in the end both were declared victorious by the public. PMJ reworked also "My heart will go on", but it took me more than a minute to get it... Anyway, the moment was saved by Shoshana Bean with "Sweet child O'mine" A short funny conversation in German followed as intro to the "Thrift Shop" song and after the final bis, two more unforgettable songs followed. A day later the Dressing Room Sessions Ep. 8, recorded in Cologne, came online.
    Below you can watch the whole concert, recorded by hand by Marc Ghysels "iron hand".

    So how many of you already bought tickets to the concert in Bucharest? I can't wait to hear how it was there. Until then I wish you melodic days!

    R.C.