For more than ten years, La Blogotheque has changed the way people experience music videos. We film beautiful, rare and intimate sessions with your favourite artists, and the ones you are soon to fall in love with. Come, stay a while, and be taken away.
Get yourself inside the magnificent and untroubled landscapes of Yosemite National Park in California. Back in August we shot two exclusives recordings with Andrew Bird and Iron & Wine.
Andrew Bird and Iron & Wine (aka Sam Beam), can see the two artists perform in the beautiful great outdoors and do so with charity and preservation in mind.
Performing from Tenaya Lake and Cathedral Beach in California’s Yosemite National Park, the two musicians demonstrated both the majesty of their musicianship and the natural world. With the onset of climate change, the two musicians are attempting to bring awareness to the very real plight, they say. The performances were sponsored by Lucky Brand with media company LaBlogothèque, which includes a $25,000 donation to the National Parks and contests for fans for Taylor guitars and other gifts that will benefit the outdoors.
“As a performer, reacting to my environment has been a constant driver,” says Bird in a statement. “From my “Echolocations” series to Gezelligheid concerts to Play for the Parks, the idea is simple: be flexible and wait for your environment to tell you what it wants to hear. With Sam Beam and Yosemite as collaborators, this was an ideal environment.”
See Bird with Beam perform “Manifest” and his new song, “Fixed Positions.”
“No photograph can prepare a person for the scale and beauty of Yosemite,” said Beam in a statement. “It was my first visit and I was completely overwhelmed! What a blessing to be able to spend it making music with Andrew Bird—and ankle deep in water to boot!”
See Beam with Bird perform his songs, “Call It Dreaming” and “Upward Over the Mountain.” Next summer, the two musicians will play a show together at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.
“Lucky Brand has had a long-standing history of providing artists and musicians with a platform for self-expression,” said Michael DeLellis, SVP, Head of Marketing, in a statement. “Play for the Parks is our latest content series installment that highlights artists’ voices while paying tribute to our great American landscape. We are excited to share these intimate music videos with our consumers and music lovers everywhere.”
A man walks into a bar, and his best friend tells him that his ex-girlfriend is back in town; the man considers the highs and lows of their relationship until she wanders in and he sees her again. Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Shauf’s transfixing latest album is constructed around this narrative, but The Neon Skyline is also about the everyday details that we hold onto, that help define us, and which help us move on from loss. Fans of Sufjan Stevens and Jose Gonzalez should stumble into Shauf’s gorgeously rendered folk-pop storytelling with little hesitation
For nearly ten years, La Blogotheque has changed the way people experience music. We film beautiful, rare and intimate sessions with your favorite artists, and the ones you are soon to fall in love with. Come, stay a while, and be taken away.
All singer-songwriters are storytellers of a sort, but neither term does justice to what Andy Shauf accomplishes on The Neon Skyline Each of its 11 tracks are chapters from the same narrative, vignettes that cohere into something like a novel or an indie film. The arc is simple: guy runs into his ex at the bar, flashes back on falling in and out of love, awkwardly flirts for a while, and heads home. But Shauf ties those scenes together with emotional insight and an artful touch, sound tracked by luscious retro pop-rock arrangements that make the story feel timeless despite its meticulous sense of place.
Andy Shauf released one of 2020’s most highly praised albums, Neon Skyline.
Kevin Morby has shared the new black and white video for single ‘Downtown Lights’ taken from his latest album City Music.
The video, directed by Hugo Jouxtel of La Blogothéque, was shot in Paris and features Morby wandering the striking streets handing our white flowers to Parisians.
“Paris has always shown a lot of love towards my music, and I am very grateful,” Morby said. “On my first European solo tour I was selling maybe 50 tickets a city until I showed up in Paris and heard the show was already at 150 tickets, which at the time really blew my mind and took me by complete surprise. Before the show, a company called La Blogothéque asked me to do a ‘Take Away Show,’ which I agreed to do, though I didn’t really know what it was. The film crew was so kind and took me on a magical adventure around the city filming me playing some songs in a park and in a boat going down the canal,” he continued.
“Two years later, I was back in Paris and they asked me to film a show playing to a small crowd inside a house next to Père Lachaise Cemetery and that, too, was very magical. So when it came time to do a video for ‘Downtown’s Lights’ I knew just who to ask. La Blogothéque has a way of capturing the meeting of artists and a city half way, letting them both do the work and play off of each other and the result is always fascinating.”
Kevin Morby “Downtown’s Lights,” from his album, ‘City Music’, out now on Dead Oceans:
The last several years for Typhoon have been–as I’m sure you can sympathize–a total blur. While the tenets of yoga and twitter may advise you to live in the present, it’s always healthy practice to look backwards from time to time.
Before we get rolling on the new record cycle, I wanted to share something we have in the archives.
On December 7th, 2013–one of the coldest nights in Portland’s recorded history--Typhoon collaborated with our dear friends at La Blogotheque and a handful of our very talented musical colleagues to film a takeaway show in an empty warehouse performing songs from an album we had released that year called White Lighter. Sadly, the release of the video was hampered by unforeseen circumstances and the project was shelved indefinitely.
I want to thank Art, Joel, Sam, Jamie, Drew, Margaux, Matthieu and all the incredible folks at La Blogothèque for making this happen; I also want to thank our friends, family and fans who braved the weather to watch; and a huge hats off to our guest orchestra members who were both talented and generous enough to play strings, brass and woodwinds in zero degree temperatures with us.
km 08.07.17
Additional Musicians:
Anna Stipe – Bassoon
Ben Magaziner – Viola
Holland Andrews – Clarinet
Patrick Phillips – Tuba
Rie Tanabe – Viola
Samantha Kushnick – Cello
I first met Typhoon in 2011. We climbed trees in the back of an old Austin home before one of their SXSW showcases. And even though we spent less than 20 minutes together that day, they made a deep impression on me and quickly became one of my new favorite bands.
Our paths would cross from time to time in the coming years, each time more special than the last.
But then the White Lighter album came out: one of the most emotional, personal and complete albums of the past 10 years, as far as I’m concerned. I am often touched by songs, but few times does an entire album become the soundtrack to my life. And the more I became obsessed with this album, the more I couldn’t believe how few people knew about it. So I knew that I wanted— no— I needed— to do something with them again.
I emailed Kyle and asked what he thought about doing a secret show where only a few fans could see them play, as if it was a rehearsal. Luckily for me, he obliged.
I arrived in Portland with some of my best friends to film this experience. But we didn’t anticipate the weather. It was the coldest weekend that Portland had in decades. It was so cold that we were genuinely concerned that some of the instruments wouldn’t play right. But as soon as Kyle and the band started playing, that fear quickly subsided. It was almost as if Kyle conducted the temperature in that room the same way he conducts his band: with grace, love, and a gentle wisdom that only he holds— and it’s inspiring and jaw-dropping to witness live.
Any fan of Typhoon will tell you how much their music means to them. It’s personal, it’s sincere, and it makes you tackle emotions you hold deep and don’t take out very often. And for that, they are magic.
Sometimes we tell ourselves that the band is too famous, too important, that their label would never let them do a Take Away Show. We have a fantasy list: Radiohead, Tom Waits, Chuck Berry, Cat Power. Wilco. What if we tried to film them? for a Take Away Show The answer was unanimous and enthusiastic. I sent out an without believing it would come to fruition. But we didn’t know if all of the members of the group would play; we were told that it would depend on where we filmed. They wouldn’t have the time to wander through the streets; it rained that day anyway. But they were prepared for us, had placed all their instruments and some amps in the back of the hall,
Above all, we got the entire six. When there is magic happening I feel like a kid. Tweedy’s voice without amplification, Cline’s attitude — who has to be one of the most elegant guitarists on the planet –, Kotche, visibly moved…listen please to Wilco – Normal American Kids
For the session, the band performs two songs from their latest album, Schmilco, in the Museum Speelklok’s restoration studio, dedicated to the upkeep and repair of the museum’s impressive collection of self-playing musical instruments. Shot at the restauration room of Museum Speelklok during Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht, November 2016
Very special thanks to everyone at Le Guess Who? for sharing this wonderful clip, and Jeff Tweedy for being JeffTweedy.
A Take Away Show
In collaboration with Le Guess Who?, Paris-based La Blogotheque journeyed to Utrecht to record an intimate Take Away Show with Wilco.
September 2007 and the band’s evening show was about to start at Brooklyn’s Masonic Temple, when BertisDown, the quirky and hilarious guy who serves as manager for REM, called. “The band is OK for a Take Away Show tomorrow night in Athens.” A few months later, during a projection of his films, Jem Cohen had great pleasure telling this anecdote: that when he showed Stipe the movie he had just shot with Elliot Smith (Stipe and Cohen used to work together), Stipe just laughed and said, “who would want to watch a musician play an instrument?”
The whole thing started on May, at the end of Arcade Fire’s tour, with a phone call from the Low Lows drummer. He talked about “a huge band he couldn’t reveal the name of”. A few days after, there was another phone call (“Hello, this is Michael Stipe from REM”), late on a drunken night. Then, the meeting in Dublin during a 5-show tour for the preparation of the new album, and the rehearsal of some new songs at the Olympia Theatre. The meeting ended in a toss-up between London; New York; and Athens, Georgia.
I flew to Athens, a little town near Atlanta, a city known for its rich musical landscape: Bands like B-52’s, Of Montreal,Vic Chesnutt, Olivia Tremor Control, and REM, above all. The chauffeur drove directly to Michael Stipe’s place. A huge gate opened slowly to an estate full of art pieces of every kind: Koudelka’s photos on the walls and various sculptures, some made by Stipe himself. They were puzzling elements that created a rich and complex world, which is rare for an artist as famous as he is. He never disclaimed his artistic taste and curiosity.
On that September evening, while the rest of the band was waiting for him at the studio in the famous Seney-Stovall chapel a few minutes away, Ten years had passed since drummer Bill Berry left. Ten years through the wringer for REM, between dud albums, doubts, and some wonderful songs here and there. But he believes in this new album more than ever: for him, it’s a return to the roots. It’s a feeling that he’s heading in the right direction with producer Jacknife Lee (Bloc Party, Editors, U2) and a regained inspiration. Everyone showed so much enthusiasm, although the album was still being recorded, that it might have seemed suspicious. A few months after, however, history proved these early supporters right.
Languid on the sofa, Stipe brought up the Take Away Shows. He showed some to his band mates, thought it over, and even suggested ideas for the direction. He said he thought he could do one a cappella with the tape recorder he’s been using to record his voice over Buck and Mills’ instrumentals. He showed interest in The National and the videos for “Boxer”, and for the Arcade Fire movie that was never released. This represented a “challenge” for him and his band – an acoustic session with new songs – but the word “challenge” has always guided him, even during, and especially in, his artistic collaborations.
Doing a Take Away Show with REM could be seen as a way to rejuvenate their image. Obviously, it’s part of the whole thing. Putting aside the huge venues and ultra-sophisticated recording studios to play in the street—that’s a pretty cool thing to do, certainly seen as chic. But when you push “REC” for the first time, doubts descend: what if it didn’t work? What if the band looked ridiculous, old-fashioned, too used to playing their songs perfectly in front of bigger, more impressive cameras? Most of the bands filmed for the Take Away Shows are young and almost beginners; they participate in acoustic sessions often with great pleasure and curiosity (though it also provides some very welcome promotion.) So what would it be like with such an “old” band, so experienced in the classical media stuff?
That night, of the seven songs played in only two hours, it took until the third song– “Living Well”, crammed in the car–to finally see the doubts fade away. It happened when Stipe burst into laughter, finding sincere pleasure in taking part of this little game. After that moment, everything seemed to be floating, made up of dreamlike elements. Like when “Born To Be Wild” came right after “Living Well”, but no one will be able to see that – that’s record companies’ stuff. It was a night in Athens which (almost) changed into a trip between old friends.
“On The Fly” is not on the album Accelerate . Still, it’s a beautiful song only performed live but which, in the end, didn’t made the cut for the album. Thus, it exists only as this acoustic version, played in one of the many little houses you find in Stipe’s garden. The songs that night were played only once. Everything went perfectly, without any mistake or the need to rehearse. This broke the weird feeling that you often have as an audience member at a thousand-spectator show with confusing scenography (take a look at the live REM DVD released ), which turns the musicians into puppets who only seem to play. Regaining this intimate relationship with REM likely results from the fascination with these images, shot during that night on September 21st.
It was very, very late, but Michael insisted on shooting a last song, “Sing for the Submarine”, in the weird silo near the swimming pool.
Of all the acoustic versions of songs still being recorded, the most beautiful things came from changing the songs’ shapes, making them evolve by having them confront a unique situation. The echo of Michael’s elbow against the silo’s walls and the energy given off by the performance–both made this not only the session’s climax, but also the turning-point for the Take Away Shows project. The album version will be strongly influenced by all of this, for sure. This was no longer about documenting the creative process as mere witnesses, but as almost-participants. Still, there were underlying questions: where are we coming from (to provoke or to document, to testify or to try and change the course of things), and for whom are we doing this?
March 24th, 2008, Royal Albert Hall, London. More than a year after the first phone call, REM are back, a week before Accelerate comes out. Furious first notes, first arm movements from Stipe, some exulted words, spit sprinkling the first row. The audience screamed: REM was REALLY back, and this was an amazing surprise. On a long-awaited “Losing My Religion”, Michael glanced at me and waved discreetly. It was the last detail marking the end of a beautiful adventure, one that had given me a crazy freedom for experimenting ideas and developing new formats. Still, I can’t remember well how nor why it all started. Smirking, Mr. Stipe, a glass in his hand, bent over and whispered, “I think we’ve done something quite unique together.”
The beautiful Natalie Prass has made her name in the most beautiful city in the world when she took on theLa Blogotheque team to sing hits ‘Why Don”t You Believe In Me’ and ‘Never Over You’ on a busy Parisian street. Prass, from Nashville, recorded her sparkling self-titled debut at Matthew E. White’s Spacebomb studio in Richmond, taking full advantage of the lush arrangements that thrive in that space. Her music has touches of the expansive, orchestral soul and country music of the ’70s, as well as things like Broadway songs and even showstopping Disney-movie ballads. But while many voices might be overwhelmed with all that finery around them, Prass has a disarming, lively chirp that shines straight through all of it.
In the deep hum of one of the cultural capitals of the world Natalie Prass exhibits what has endeared her so fondly to so many hearts. The warmth of her voice outshines the heat of the city with a gentile performance among the hubbub of the night. Equipped with only an electric guitar, a band member and her soulful lungs she stopped the French capital in its tracks and made us all feel a little warmer.
The French website La Blogothèque has been on a roll lately with its Take Away Shows video series, in which we see artists playing live and unplugged and in natural light. The latest participant is Chicago’s Ryley Walker, whose album recently released “Primrose Green”, a lovely album of ornate ’70s-style psych-folk, earlier this week. The La Blogothèque crew filmed him playing his own songs “Primrose Green” and “Summer Dress” and then covering Van Morrison’s 1974 song “Fair Play”at a Parisian house party. Ryley Walker is a beast of a guitarist and singer, and that really comes across in his performances. Watch the three videos below.
Thee voice of Ryley Walker invokes beautiful ghosts. Strummed a few chords, barely launched a couplet, and the air thickened by the presence of misty long admired artists. Ryley can cultivate the patience of a Van Morrisson, the delicacy of the guitar playing of Bert Jansch, and knows from crazy in flights as only Tim Buckley knew to do.
Here Paul Janeway getting on his knees to sing an Otis Redding song to me was emotionally packed. Paul Janeway isn’t just a guy anyway. He is proper kindness, power, groove and a voice that you rarely get to hear.
It was a jaw dropping performance that amazing vocal. Peoples’ eyes were wide open. My only answer to Paul’s voice: with a moment of utter abandonment, he can bring tears without sadness and incredible feeling.
I saw this band first maybe on the Letterman Show or even maybe a SXSW showcase two years ago what an amazing band, Paul & The Broken Bones are played Rock en Seine festival near Paris and last years End Of the Road Festival,
Do I really need to explain again why you must listen to St Paul & The Broken Bones and why you must go see them live as soon as possible Anywhere? La Blogotheque who published two videos of their Take Away Show, “Half The City”, played in the middle of the famous le Louvre’s Cour Carrée, and their crazy cover of Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You” that made people stop in their tracks.
at the time, we kept a third video secret so here now finally another track from their first album, “It’s Midnight”, shot in the street near Le Louvre Museum.The band is about to start another huge European tour, so we thought here is this little gift and maybe the last undecided minds will be convinced that the only place they have to go in the days to come is a St Paul & The Broken Bones show. with a host of European dates and only one show in London. Check out the lady in the street and that this video ends with “I’m going to the dentist, you are saving my life. For six years, La Blogotheque has changed the way people experience music. filming beautiful, rare and intimate sessions with many favorite artists, and the ones you are soon to fall in love with. Come, stay a while, and be taken away.
Father John Misty has a new album released today titled, “I Love You, Honeybear“, is out now . Today,La Blogothèque has posted a “Take Away Show” with the singer, featuring a performance of “I Went to the Store One Day” in an intimate Paris Café setting.
The Fat Angel Sings 