On Saturday, Jan. 11, the Wheels Museum in the Albuquerque Rail Yards hosted a show by 3 On A Match Kabarett, a 1920s-themed musical duo comprised of lead singer Tina Panaro and pianist Brad Clement.
The duo provided an immersive historical performance, embodying two performers in a German cabaret club around the 1920s. Both were dressed in era-appropriate costuming and the set was decorated with 1920s paraphernalia and red curtaining. The songs included only live vocals and piano accompaniments and were all roughly period-accurate lounge jazz songs in English, German and French.
Clement and Panaro have been performing as 3 On A Match for almost nine years now, Clement said. The two originally met when they were members of other groups that had toyed with the cabaret aesthetic, but never fully committed.
“One of the members of the group that I played with really wanted to forge ahead with an exclusive period piece like this … he has since left the group,” Clement said. “But because we had been doing other songs — other material from those shows — we decided to incorporate it into this.”
The name “3 On A Match” came from an urban legend that circulated around World War I. It was said that if three soldiers tried to light their cigarettes on the same match, the first cigarette would alert the enemy, the second would allow the enemy to take aim, and the third soldier would be shot. The myth itself, Panoro explained, is false, but was perpetuated by match companies hoping to increase the speed at which customers went through packs.
The third soldier in 3 On A Match’s performance was a mannequin dressed as a soldier missing an arm.
“I think the thing about 3 On A Match that people have a hard time with is we are historical and a lot of people are not familiar with this music,” Panaro said.
While not explicitly political, the songs and show had many implied political themes, with jokes and songs harkening the current American political landscape to the fall of the Weimar Republic — the progressive German government that immediately preceded Adolf Hitler’s regime.
The members of 3 On A Match described their show as a “glimpse into history because it repeats itself.”
The most political song, as declared by 3 On A Match, was a number called “Tamerlan” by Rudolf Nelson and Theobald Tiger. The song is about Tamerlane, a notorious Turco-Mongol conqueror. The song, originally written in 1922, discussed the brutality of Tamerlane’s conquest and regime and thereby tacitly discussed the behavior of other dictators or warmongers.
“Warfare throughout history has been a lot about people trying to gain power,” Clement said of the number. “I mean, that's going on in Gaza; it’s going on in Ukraine.”
The other song with ties to the current American political landscape was "How Can You Tell An American?" by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson, which explained that the hallmark, defining trait of an American — more than looks, language or eating habits — was his disdain for authoritarianism and desire for freedom.
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Clement said the show keeps with “the current political climate, not just in America, but all over the world.”
On Jan. 24, 3 On A Match Kabarett will perform their act as a free show at the Southside Library in Santa Fe.
Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
