Birmingham Sloss Fest profile: Moon Taxi
Blast off with Moon Taxi at Sloss Fest on Saturday, July 14 from 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. For band members Tyler Tendrup, Tommy Putnam and Tyler Ritter, who grew up in the Vestavia area of Birmingham, it's a homecoming, of sorts. Touring for most of the decade, Moon Taxi is the kind of band that inspires its loyal followers to drive miles and miles to see them again. That will be the case at Sloss Fest, where the group will mesh new and old favorites. (Contributed)
Performer: Moon Taxi
Sloss Fest: Saturday, July 14, Blast Stage, 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Type of Music: American indie rock/alternative rock
Moon Taxi has gained huge popularity, playing at well-known festivals such as Bonnaroo and venturing into the European arena. (Contributed)
About: After releasing five studio albums, Moon Taxi is enjoying sky-high music success and has earned a top spot on the Sloss Fest stage. Lucky concert-goers can enjoy a 1-hour show by these famed musicians who, in their own words, became an overnight success after 10 long years of playing honky-tonks, fairs and festivals. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; their music is good on so many levels.
Moon Taxi’s Wes Bailey (keyboardist), Tommy Putnam (bassist), Tyler Ritter (drummer), Spencer Thomson (lead guitarist and producer) and Trevor Terndrup (vocals, guitarist) came together in 2006 as students at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Since then, they’ve played all kinds of venues countrywide and, until May 2017, figured that would be the course of their career.
Suddenly, thanks to being in the right place at the right time – the rock anthem “Two High,” partly inspired by the Women’s March – became a smash single. The chorus seemingly pushes the marchers’ message: “So put ‘em up, two high/ We can come together/ We won’t give up on the fight.” The hit was streamed more than 70 million times on Spotify and earned a heavy rotation on SiriusXM.
Before heading South to perform in Sloss Fest, Moon Taxi traversed the U.S. and parts of Europe, playing in concerts and festivals. On June 10, Moon Taxi helped close out the 17th annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. Eminem, Sheryl Crowe, Paramore and Future were among other well-known musical artists.
On June 16, they were in Syracuse, New York and, a week later, turned up at a musical venue in Richmond, Virginia. On June 24, they played in Heber City, Utah, then flew to London, England to perform in a concert on July 9. Two days later, Moon Taxi was on an idyllic beach, performing at the Skral Festival in Grimstad, Norway. Catch them if you can.
Discography: “Daybreaker,” “Let The Record Play,” “Cabaret,” “Mountains Beaches Cities,” “Acoustic on West 56th” and “Melodica.”
You might have heard: “Two High,” “All Day All Night” and “Year Zero.”
For fans of: Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Particle, Future Rock and The Floozies.
Social: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Sloss Music and Arts Festival takes place at the historic Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham July 14-15 and features more than 40 performers on four stages. Buy tickets here.
