London Black Cab Sessions
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Have you heard of The Black Cab Sessions?
We have been chosen to be a Black Cab Sessions cab!
The Black Cab Sessions are a series of one-song performances by musicians and poets recorded in the back of a Black Cab and filmed for an Internet audience. The sessions are recorded while the black cab that serves as the studio travels through city streets, usually in London, England but sometimes in other places such as New York City.
On their website www.blackcabsessions.com, they tell us that
The sessions are all about great music and the venue strips this to its essence. We aren’t picky about genre and will happily open the cab door to anyone who blows us away.
Their motto is
One Song. One Take. One Cab.
The Black Cab Sessions video clips begin with a screen showing the name of the artist and date that the session was recorded. Next follows a shot of the cab driver introducing the artist or band. The artists then give their performance.
Most of the performances feature rock bands, ranging from popular acts such as Death Cab for Cutie, The Kooks and My Morning Jacket to lesser known acts such as the Cave Singers. Other performances stray from the rock music scene: folk music, poetry, and even beat-boxing (a form of vocal percussion which produces drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds).
These intimate performances embody the lo-fi ethos of the indie rock scene and have have gained a cult following of viewers both on their own website and on YouTube.
During the performances, the artists can often be seen reacting to the unusual venue. For example, during the New Pornographers session, the two musicians can be seen bouncing up and down in their seats as the cab hits speed bumps. The performances are also shaped by the space afforded by the back of a London black cab.
The Black Cab Sessions were conceived by Jono Stevens and produced as a partnership between Hidden Fruit (Gen Stevens and Chris Pattinson) and Just So Films (Jonny Madderson and Will Evans). Filming of The Black Cab Sessions began in May, 2007 and is ongoing.
One of the producers reports that about 10 percent of the cab drivers approached by the producers turns them down, thinking that the idea is weird, but that those who do participate enjoy it.
One of those drivers who immensely enjoyed having his cab used as a music studio was our driver Jon. On May 14 2009, we were delighted and excited when one of our black cabs was chosen to host William Orbit: famous in his own right as a musician and composer and also producer of the likes of Madonna and Blur. Stay tuned to this blog for a story about that momentous day!
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