Often unbeknownst to the cab driver, the cameraperson and band members will hail a cab, and pile themselves into the spacious back seat of an iconic and nostalgic symbol - the black cab - for an impromptu-style performance of sorts. The driver starts driving - thus begin the short video pieces known as Black Cab Sessions. Deceptively simple.
From Joanna Newsome's harp not fitting in the cab, to Rebekah Rah's massively gorgeous red headpiece crammed behind the band, to Robin Pecknold's fingers slipping coyly off his guitar as the cab makes bumpy turns, to Seasick Steve singing about the perils of Chigger larvae. The inclusion of a very natural awkwardness allows for sincerity, providing the Sessions with an inviting and personal quality.
Witnessing these events through the online diary format, provides a certain level of involvement and offers a spontaneous and authentic sense of the song that create a feeling of intimacy. The videos tap into a desire for belonging and witnessing. What I find so captivating about the Black Cab Sessions is that they go beyond spectatorship - this new realm is one which can pretty much exist as a live event online.
What is of particular interest to me is the manner in which the format of the sessions traverses the viewers' participatory relationship: it offers a new way to form and participate in an event, thereby translating the experience into something more private. As a band remarked about the Black Cab Sessions, 'it is both weird and reputable' - as most truly genuine experiences are.
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