Some Scandinavian Sounds

Have you had one of those moments where you notice something peculiar about a space and you think to yourself - someone should play music there. This thought crosses my mind usually when I pass by some peculiar place like an enclosed back alley, or a roundabout, or some area that has not been tread upon in quite awhile.

In the spirit of the Take Away Shows and the Black Cab Sessions the Handheld Shows and The Tram Sessions are getting artists out of the studio and off the stage and into the streets. There is something about how the sound and the energy change when the performance takes place in a less traditional space. Perhaps its the unexpected moments that make it more tangible. The spontaneity of it all makes it special.

The selections I have for you today are -

St. Vincent, out of Brooklyn. Those of you familiar with lost may notice Mark Pellegrino harmonizing. and...

#22.1 St.Vincent - Marry Me from Handheld Shows on Vimeo.

Gothenburg's Kultiration which blend the styles of Roots Reggae, Jazz, and Swedish folk music. These Swedes have got soul.

Troubling the Water

"FLOOD is an experimental narrative film about a journey down a river in the midst of ongoing economic and ecological collapse. The film tells the story of a group of friends who, driven by dreams, desperation, and a sense of adventure, decide to build a boat out of scrap material. As they begin to build more people gather at the river, assembling vessels out of the trash that surrounds them. Inspired, but uncertain, they set out down the river to make a new life for themselves. The film was shot amidst the artist Swoon’s 2008 Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea project, in which seven homespun boats were built and crewed by an eclectic group of artists and performers. The boats floated down the Hudson River staging performances in towns along the way". The folks from Fall Harbor and Dark Dark Dark, who crewed some of the vessels from Swimming Cities, are responsible for what seems to be a promising story. It is scheduled for release in 2010. More info can be found here:

Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea

Swimming Cities of Serenissima

FLOOD TEASER from flood movie on Vimeo.

Nona Marie Invie of Dark Dark Dark sins "I'll take these rosy cheeks of mine and be headed out/ I'll take these rosy cheeks of mine and be headed South/ 'Cause I've got two hundred dollar bills of mine, to be headed out/ I think I'll get as far as New Orleans to be swallowed whole" In some ways her words capture the mood of director Benh Zeitlin's and the Court 13 collectives' Glory At Sea. This story draws upon the sense of New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. Elements of Orpheus trying to return to his lost Eurydice float throughout this fable as well. You can view it here:

Glory At Sea

A Primer on Music and Temporary Areas

A friend once told me that La Blogotheque is an "institution en France." La Blogo's importance lies within the Concerts à Emporter/ Take Away Shows series and its goals. Part of this project attempts to transform spaces into temporary autonomous zones (TAZ) – removing the distance between artist and audience, removing the bright lights and amplifiers – coming back to small-scale intimacy. This is emphasized by the filmic approach of Vincent Moon, saturated colors and the tell-tale white block lettering announce his touch. He films in one continuous shot, allowing for the generosity of photography to tell the truth in capturing the sideways stares, the crying child, the homeless, the lovers holding hands & etc. Understand then, that these videos attempt to renew human relations by returning to a more simple organic level of performance.

Related video blogs:

Black Cab Sessions

Hooves on the turf

Handheld Shows

Other projects of Vincent Moon:

Fiume Nights

Temporary Areas

#64.1 - Beirut - Nantes
par lablogotheque