Living-room roots, big-band polish
Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox began as
Scott Bradlee's living-room video project, flipping modern hits into early jazz, swing, and soul styles. The lineup changes often, with guest vocalists, tap dancers, and a tight rhythm section built to sound like a vintage club band. Expect a mix of eras in one night, where a 90s rock hook turns into a slow torch song and a 2010s banger becomes New Orleans stomp.
What you might hear
Likely picks include
Creep,
All About That Bass,
Bad Romance, and a brassy
Seven Nation Army, each recast with period harmonies and horn breaks. Crowds tend to include jazz fans, pop listeners who like clever covers, and swing dancers who find room to move near the aisles. You will see sequins next to cardigans, plus folks who know every stop-time hit and clap the backbeat, not just the chorus. Early PMJ sessions were tracked in a Queens apartment and filmed mostly in one take, which is why the mixes feel live and roomy. Note that songs and production touches can vary by city and cast; think of the details here as well-researched possibilities rather than certainties.
The Scene Around Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox
Dress sharp, move easy
You will see a lot of 20s-to-50s nods: flapper dresses, suspenders, wingtip shoes, and hair set for photos but ready to dance. People greet the tap feature like a drum solo, clapping on the offbeats and cheering the fast pullbacks.
Little rituals, big cheers
There is usually a chorus everyone sings together on a big pop cover, and the band often teaches a quick call-and-response before it lands. Merch leans Art Deco, with poster fonts that match the stage props and a couple of vinyl pressings for the collectors. Fans treat the band intro as a ritual, shouting out the trombone slide or the bassist's walkup like a sports chant. The vibe is generous and a little theatrical, less about posing and more about sharing a room where old styles feel present tense.
How Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox Builds the Sound Live
Voices up front, band in the pocket
The singers lead with theater-level diction and mic control, sliding from whispery croon to belt without losing pitch. Arrangements often start spare, just piano and upright bass, then stack horns, backing vocals, and a drum switch from brushes to sticks for lift.
Vintage colors, modern snap
Tempo shifts are common, like half-time verses that bloom into double-time end sections to mimic a swing-era dance break. Horns favor cup and plunger mutes for a talky tone, while the piano leans on old stride-style patterns that bounce between bass notes and chords. A neat live habit: the band will rewrite the chords under the final chorus and kick a key change up a step, giving the last hook that old show-band bloom. Lighting keeps faces and hands bright so you can track solos, with warm ambers and deep blues echoing the record-sleeve era.
If You Like Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox: Kindred Acts and Why
Neighboring sounds and scenes
Fans of
Pink Martini often click with the group's globe-hopping vintage palette and romantic swagger, though the band leans harder into pop rewrites.
Lake Street Dive shares the clean, harmony-first approach and a love of old-school bass-and-brush grooves.
Scary Pockets brings tight funk covers with rotating singers, a cousin to
Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox's revolving-cast model. If you like clever new chord takes on hits and crisp studio-to-stage chops,
Pomplamoose scratches a similar itch, with more synth-and-indie textures. All four acts attract listeners who enjoy craft, arrangements that nod backward, and shows where musicianship sits at the center.
