Written by Molly Boekenheide
After nearly seven years of hard work, the Nashville natives of Moon Taxi are on an upward trajectory, heading straight for their star(dom)! The boys in the band; Trevor Terndrup (vocals, guitar), Tommy Putnam (bass), Spencer Thomson (guitar, programming), Tyler Ritter (drums), and Wes Bailey (keys), recently released their album “Mountains Beaches Cities,” after nearly a year of preparation. A live television debut on Letterman gave the guys an added boost, by introducing them to an entirely new fan base! The band is now back at home, and getting ready to kick off their massive stateside “Animal Style” tour.
We spoke with frontman Trevor Terndrup about exploring unfamiliar territories, surreal moments, and their collaboration dreams…
Thanks so much for speaking with me! How have you guys been?
Trevor Terndrup: We’ve been enjoying a little R & R for the first time in a while. It’s been very nice to be home with family and friends.
You’re about to set off on your “Animal Style” tour through December – any cities that you’re particularly excited about?
TT: Definitely excited about the first leg, which is out west. That area of the country is still pretty new to us, but it’s incredibly exciting to meet fans that have been following us for some time without ever seeing a show. The Left Coast run will put us back in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle and Portland) which is quickly becoming one of favorite parts of the US. The second leg, which starts in October, will send us all over the Midwest, East Coast, and down to the Gulf, so it will be excellent to be back in NYC and Nola.
Do you prefer the smaller venues or larger ones? Why?
TT: It really just depends. Our shows are intensely crowd interactive, so anytime we can be up close and personal with our fans is a plus. But you can get that at both small clubs and the larger theaters that we’re currently performing in, as well as the bigger festival stages.
After having so much success already (and certainly more to come) has there ever been such a surreal moment in your career that you look around and think, “Wow, this is my life?!”
TT: Lately, I feel like there have been quite a few. The first time I ever felt that overwhelming maniacal excitement and just sheer glee was when we played Bonnaroo in 2012. I had never seen that many people in front of me before, which I think was somewhere in the 15k range. After we finished the first song, I remember just laughing hysterically. I felt like I was going mad, in the best way possible.
You recently announced that you’d be playing Kings of Leon’s Harvest Night with Hunter Hayes and Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley. Who else would you like to share a bill with in the future?
TT: Well, we recently played right before Earth, Wind, and Fire at a festival in Aspen, which was pretty surreal. We’re very excited to be a part of Harvest Night with KOL and all of those other great Nashville artists. Maybe in the future there can be a Jack White/Moon Taxi or Black Keys/Moon Taxi bill.
A little over a week ago you hosted a remix contest for your track “Morocco.” Any plans for future official remixes?
TT: We might have a non-Morocco remix appearing in the near future.
It’s been a little over a year since your last album, Mountains Beaches Cities was released. We’re dying to hear more from you guys! Any plans for new music after the tour wraps up?
TT: We’re actually working on new tunes as we speak. Definitely be prepared for a new Moon Taxi full length sometime in the very-not-so-distant future
Anything you’d like to say to your fans?
TT: Looking forward to rocking some new clubs and melting some new faces on this tour. We’ll see you all very soon.
Moon Taxi performs at The Gramercy Theater in New York City on October 24 with Cosby Sweater. Click here for tickets.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
10/16: Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe
10/17: Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
10/18: Grand Rapids, MI @ The Stache at Intersection
10/19: Detroit, MI @ The Shelter
10/21: Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
10/22: Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
10/24: New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
10/26: Charlotte, NC @ The Visulite Institute
10/28: Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
10/30: New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
10/31: Chattanooga, TN @ Track 29
11/04: Little Rock, AR @ Revolution Music Room
11/05: Houston, TX @ House of Blues
11/06: Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
http://youtu.be/iY5B4zqVOn8
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