Moon Taxi

You may have noticed that Moon Taxi was a front runner for our top albums of the year list. I would personally argue that their 2012 release, "Cabaret", was the best of the year.

I first saw Moon Taxi at a show I was playing with my old band, Static Revival. It was one of Mercy Lounge's 8 off 8th shows. I had heard a great deal about them and was very excited to be able to share the stage with them. I was not expecting the face melting that I received.

Since that show, I have seen Moon Taxi more times than I can remember. Between Kevin and myself we have seen them more than 10 times this year alone. Before the release of "Cabaret," I began to get worried about them. Their on-stage intensity was decreasing and they seemed to be getting bored with the songs they had been playing. As soon as the now songs started popping up, especially this year, Moon Taxi has really taken off. The highlight of their shows this year for us was their Bonnaroo set. If you were not there, I suggest that you click that link and listen to the whole set. The show took place on Thursday night and the energy I saw at that show is rare at Bonnaroo as a whole, let alone at the performance of a nearly unheard of band. It was wild and crazy.

I like to describe Moon Taxi as a progressive rock band with jam band tendencies. These guys rely on intricate sounding riffs, high energy performance, and songs with a thick beat to get the crowd moving. The songs are typically shorter and have less guitar soloing than most jam bands, but the way they move and the progressive nature of the music makes it easy to draw lines from them to bands like Umphrey's McGee. The sound is unique and very pleasing to the ear of the average listener as well as the music enthusiast.

I would suggest seeing them at a smaller bar type show instead of a large public event. The extra set time gives them a chance to do more than just promote their most recent release. They will typically launch into longer jams and do some really dancey synth based stuff.

These guys are so great and they are really at the top of their game right now. I am counting down the days until their show with Umphrey's on the 30th in Atlanta and will be seeing them again at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville on Jan. 18. If you live close to Knoxville, I would highly recommend this show. I hope you enjoy Moon Taxi and get the chance to see them soon. Let us know what you think.