Madison Vandenburg: America’s Next American Idol!?

Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall with her guitarist Tom.

When it comes to reality TV shows, there’s no such thing as the binary. It’s never just as simple as “I watch it” or “I don’t watch it.” There are so many gradations that float in between “do” and “don’t.” There’s the guilty pleasure watchers. There’s the casual watchers, or the home-sick-in-bed watchers. You could be one of the watching religiously watchers and/or one of the live-tweeting commentating watchers. Or you could be like many and watch when a citizen of your locale becomes a focal point of the show. While I probably more closely fall into the “casual watcher” category, having turned these reality competition shows on and off for the past fifteen years or so, I know the latter category probably encompasses many citizens of New York’s Capital Region these past couple of years. I can’t even blame them with incredible talents such as Moriah Formica (The Voice, American Idol), Sawyer Fredericks (The Voice), and now most recently, the incredible Madison Vandenburg coming out of the woodwork. No, not coming out of the woodwork. Coming in like a Category 5 hurricane. Great talent isn’t such a bad thing to be known for, is it?

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Postmodern Jukebox — 2.22.19

The ensemble of Postmodern Jukebox at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.

I think PMJ is a great band to set this blog in motion. Why’s that? PMJ , much like my spirited marriage of photography and music, is the passionate intersection of two diametrically opposing musical motifs: the old genres and the new. Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox is where new songs, whether by Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus or Nirvana, meet vintage arrangements in the stylings of Nat King Cole, Patsy Cline, The Chiffons, any Rat Pack member, or anything of the like. Not only are the rotating vocal talents of this ensemble of quite the caliber, but the big band backing brings as much enthusiasm and skill to the table as one could need to make these arrangements seem authentic. There are no small roles in this band.

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