Though we might not always be aware of it, context plays a huge part of our perception of music. Whether we're hearing a new band for the first time at a bar or settling down with headphones to enjoy the latest release by an old favorite, the situation in which we take in the sights and sounds of music will always impact our opinions and enjoyment of it.

Maybe that's what make the Take Away Shows so refreshing. The French web site La Blogotheque regularly records sessions with established and cutting edge bands in various non-traditional performance areas in Paris. Whether it's putting the Arcade Fire in a freight elevator and having their percussion section rip magazines instead of beat drums or filming Grizzly Bear performing an a capella version of their song "Knife" while walking the streets of Paris, the Take Away Show offers music fans a unique opportunity to experience some of the best new songs in an atmosphere unlike any other.

Take Away Show #41 _ THE ARCADE FIRE from vincent moon / temporary areas on Vimeo.

The Take Away Show's highly saturated, stylized videos have quickly become a huge hit with the online community--many of the site's videos have hundreds of thousands of views. Since the TAS's launch, the site's main videographer, Vincent Moon, has been asked to record music videos for R.E.M. and the documentary A Skin, A Night about the band the National.

Now, after years putting together high quality videos, the creators of the Take Away Show are ready to make a difference in a more concrete way. The Take Away Shows' creators have partnered up with the non-profit group Invisible Children to take the Dallas, TX group the Polyphonic Spree to Uganda to film a documentary about the ongoing war there. The crew will be filming performances by the Polyphonic Spree, as well as interviews with the children and families whose lives are in constant turmoil. After their trip is over, the resulting footage will be edited down into a DVD to be sold to benefit Invisible Children's efforts in Uganda.

[Image: La Blogotheque]