In support of their debut album ironically titled, We Don’t Stand A Chance, which will be released June 8, 2010, AM Taxi visited Orlando’s The Social with tourmates New Politics, Tyler Hilton, and The Spill Canvas. The show was sold out, so AM Taxi was introduced to many new ears and the crowd had a great time getting to know the band.
AM Taxi was recently featured as one of Alternative Press’ “100 Bands You Need to Know in 2010,” and are trying their hardest to make sure you don’t forget it. They have been touring relentlessly and aren’t finished yet, but are originally from Chicago. Promoting the struggling musician vibe, guitar player John Schmitt had a “FOR SALE” message scrawled on his guitar, but it was impossible to tell whether he was referring to the guitar or himself. Adam Krier’s chalky vocals blended seamlessly with the music which included keyboards, tambourine, and gang vocals in addition to palatable punk from guitar, bass, and drums. AM Taxi’s influences include The Replacements, The Clash, The Police, Elvis Costello, classic rock ('70s / '80s), older punk, and reggae. There was also a definite Goldfinger (minus horns) feel to their tunes. The crowd seemed a bit young to appreciate the cover of “Paint it Black” by The Rolling Stones, which was very intense and the highlight of the show.
Tackling the entire Warped Tour schedule this summer, Krier noticed that there are a lot of screaming bands and dance music acts and also some great, old punk bands on the tour. AM Taxi doesn't easily fall into any of these categories so it might be a nice change of pace to check them if you’re heading to Warped Tour. It took them five years to create their album We Don't Stand a Chance which came about from the band's experience of being traveling musicians and meeting so many different people while on the road. They found that a lot of people wanted to get out of the city they were currently in and how they were following blind ambition to leave. They didn't know what was out there, but that it had to be better than their current situation. The album was recorded live-to-tape, which is the main reason AM Taxi chose their producer, Mike McCarthy, after talking with over twelve other producers. He wasn't afraid to tackle the project and had the know-how to record the entire band at once, which adds such a fantastic vibe to the album. They also utilized a Wurlitzer organ, a Fender Rhodes electric piano, horns, and violin to get the sounds they wanted into the album. Krier was firm that they will never use computers (drum loops, synthesizers, etc.) to compose their music in the future.
Krier's parents were a huge influence on his musical taste as they exposed him to classic rock, garage rock, British Invasion, 60's Motown, older punk, and indie rock. Being a true fan of these genres of music, how does Krier feel when he sees a 13-year-old kid wearing a Ramones t-shirt? He's obviously hopes that person is actually a fan of the band and that they didn't just see someone on a reality show wearing the shirt so they bought one. If they are a fan though, Krier says, it is a good sign of things to come.
AM Taxi isn't trying to reinvent the wheel - they are just doing what they love. They will be back in Orlando on July 25 as part of Warped Tour and traveling across the country on the entire tour. Give ‘em a try!
AM Taxi Official Website
Video for “Fed Up”
