On The Verge

Moon Taxi

Nashville, Tenn.
Between Two Bobs
www.myspace.com/moontaxi

“I’m somewhere between the two Bobs in my life: Bob Dylan and Bob Marley,” says Trevor Terndrup (vocals, guitar) of Nashville-based band Moon Taxi. With vocals that recall Sublime’s Bradley Nowell but with instrumentation that brings Phish to mind, Moon Taxi seamlessly unites both ends of the musical spectrum. Moon Taxi’s extended jams highlight its impeccable musicianship and showmanship, but, unlike most jambands, it focuses on lyrics and songwriting in order to anchor the melody and provide a basis for the instrumental sections. While Nashville’s country and blues sounds aren’t overtly evident in the band’s music, “Nashville really forces us to concentrate on songwriting,” says Terndrup. “Nashville has made us up our game in terms of songwriting and performance.” Evidently, Moon Taxi’s influences are across the board—ranging from My Morning Jacket and The Greyboy Allstars to pop sensations Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. “Our guitar player loves Taylor Swift. He rocks that in the van,” Terndrup confides. “And we’ve covered Lady Gaga. It was a 2009 recap and Lady Gaga was all the rage then, so we had to tip our hats to her, of course.”