World Wide Wednesday: All the World’s a Stage for Street Music

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTlAC_DNG5U[/youtube]

Each week we will be focusing on blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments.  We’ll be on the lookout for websites outside the country that approach themes related to urban experiences and issues in Toronto.

With their aim to capture the spontaneity of live music in a new and exciting way, French directors Chryde and Vincent Moon have transformed cities across the globe into public stages. I first discovered The Take Away Shows — their videocasts on La Blogotheque — two years ago, where they have posted videos of almost one hundred musicians and bands playing in bars, parks, flats, elevators and city streets all over the world.

Largely unedited, Moon and Chryde attempt to highlight “the little incidents, hesitations and crazy stuff happening unexpectingly” in live performances by filming an international cast of musicians playing in non-traditional urban venues.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVaneTEaUKM[/youtube]

Montreal’s Malajube on Le Metro in Paris

Toronto’s own Owen Pallett (also known as Final Fantasy) is filmed running through the streets of Paris playing away on his violin (the first video). Although most of the Take Away Show venues are set in Paris, other cities such as New York, San Francisco, Buenos Aires, Seattle, Los Angeles and Jerusalem to name only a few have provided the setting for these performances.

Sadly, there are no videos filmed in Toronto or the rest of Canada, yet there are several other Canadian bands besides Final Fantasy and Malajube that have been featured by Blogotheque playing multiple sets in cities all over the world, including Arcade Fire, Islands, and Caribou.

Videos by La Blogotheque