Take Away Shows

Hot Truth is sprayed all over Paris, New York, and other unsuspecting towns in these honest, brave videos, which feature recognized bands busking in streets, taxicabs, and private establishments. The growing list of "famous" artists appearing in these impromptu concerts include The Shins, REM, and Vampire Weekend. But what most I enjoy about this ongoing art project is the way I can return to it and see old videos of bands I didn't know about the last time but had since grown fond of. It is a great way to get acquainted with a band in a most intimate and unexpected way.

This last time, I ran into an unlabeled video of Axe Riverboy and Of Montreal singing David Bowie's Starman amongst a crowd in the street, a bottle of champagne serving as a percussion instrument.

Producer Vincent Moon, in recording the concerts as well as the preparations and afterwards to the unscripted events, and in typing the story of the time, depicts the raw truth of not only the band members but the audiences, who look on sometimes skeptically, sometimes fascinated, and sometimes inspired to join in.

The recorded music industry rarely allows such raw footage of their artists. Where have industry-approved venues of truth gone, like MTV's Unplugged, and even most live singing on television? I wonder: does censoring all the little blunders, miscues and missed notes help their cause? In a music world hooked on autotune and ever more entrenched in a polished vapidity, here one can find refreshingly real and celebratory moments that happened once and will never happen again.

If you need an example of Hot Truth, I can find none finer.