For the past several years, I've used the last hour of my weekly performances at Robert Restaurant to offer some commentary on popular culture through the use of musical juxtaposition- or "mashups"- of various recognizable themes. My aim to create a setting where genre and taste distinctions no longer exist, and all songs - both highbrow and populist - are at long last freed from their cultural coded baggage. It is a time for reflection. It is a time for appreciation. It is a time to play ridiculous mashups and still make tips doing so.

For my second collection of Mashups By Candlelight, I aimed to demonstrate how musical themes in television and movies can function as vehicles for improvisation, just the same as "pure" popular songs. Indeed, the source material is deliberately more diverse this time around; gangsta rap, metal, jazz and classical themes are represented alongside some choice theme songs and other nostalgic offerings.

As always, these tracks were recorded live in stereo (with natural restaurant ambience). So go ahead: text that special someone, crack a bottle of wine, and enjoy Mashups By Candlelight, Vol. 2. -SCB

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