Moon Taxi is one of those rare bands that unites musical ingenuity with thoughtful lyrics and still somehow manages to wildly entertain and thrill a crowd. Evoking the musical revolution of the sixties and seventies, Moon Taxi ignites their eclectic sound with unique melodies and energetic shows. The band has already formed a loyal fan base across the Southeast, selling out clubs and creating a strong grassroots following.
With a new album set to be released this September and a slot at several summer festivals, Moon Taxi is busier than ever! We sat down with keyboardist, Wes Bailey, to get all the details about the new album, the band’s greatest influences and their most memorable moments! Take a look!
What artists/bands have had the greatest influence on Moon Taxi?
We’re all so different. The drummer would answer something different than any of us would. He’s really into heavy kind of music, I’m more in to jazz/funk/pop, our guitar player Spencer, is really in to indie. Just to name a few I’d say Phish, Ben Folds, ELO, a lot of classic rock, Steely Dan, The Grateful Dead, Fleetwood Mac.
How do you connect with your audience?
We try to make every song as energetic as possible. If the crowd is giving us good energy, we’re going to throw it right back times a thousand. We really like to engage the audience. Our singer makes the audience his best friend. I think that’s really important. We’re all in that spirit of community on stage. We’re all in it together.
What has been Moon Taxi’s most memorable gig?
I would say Bonnaroo last year. That is when we felt like we kind of arrived. It was such an incredible night. We got a great slot on Thursday right when the festival was kicking off. Everyone was going crazy.
What is the greatest thing a fan has done for the band?
Since our last record came out, some people have painted lyric paintings. They’ll pick a line from the song and paint it, which is really cool. We really like that.
Which song are you the most proud of?
The song we like to play the most and have played it pretty much at every show since we wrote it would be the song “Mercury”, the first track off of our last record. It’s such an energetic song and we get a great response. Trevor sings it so well and I have a big keyboard part so I love playing that song.
What bands/artists are you most excited to share this Hangout experience with?
We all really like Kings of Leon. That was a great show. Personally, for me, the Dirty Projectors was my number one band to see and it was just unbelievable. I was ten feet from the stage. Obviously, Stevie Wonder, Petty, we always listen to Petty in the van. Really the big names at the festival are really great this year.
What are Moon Taxi’s plans for the remainder of the year?
We just finished recording a record and we’re hoping to put that out in September, which is hectic for me because I just got engaged and I’m getting married in September. I think it’s going to be really good. It sounds great, it’s done. We’re just figuring out how to put it out and how to do it right.
Keep an eye out for Moon Taxi’s new album set to release this September!
