With Nashville only three hours away it’s no surprise the Music City-based band Moon Taxi made friends with Louisville, playing local music venues since the band got together. “We use to play The Hideaway Saloon all the time,” says bassist, Tommy Putnam. From those days, Moon Taxi’s success steadily grew to booking sold-out shows at Headliners and Mercury Ballroom, packing Waterfront Wednesday in 2014 and landing a spot at Forecastle 2013. They're back and in high demand this weekend, slated to play both Friday and Saturday night at Headliners Music Hall. “We love the venue,” says Putnam, “we wanted to make sure as many as possible could come see us.”
Moon Taxi’s ties with Louisville run deeper than just playing gigs. Putnam used to live here. “When I was one year old (and a half), I had the tip of my pinky finger chopped off from a door closing while being baby sat. It was reattached with complete feeling and minimal scarring via one of Louisville’s finest doctors. I don’t remember any of this.” The Moon Taxi boys are also fans of the beloved Ear X-Tacy (may she rest in peace) and Bardstown Road culture, “anything on Bardstown is a positive,” says Putnam. Of course, they also share the love for My Morning Jacket, claiming them as their favorite Louisville band.
The multi-faceted rock group blends styles of prog, indie and pop. They’ve been making moves since the early 2000s and released their fourth studio album, “Daybreaker,” in October. Rolling Stone’s critic Jon Dolan, aptly described the album, “ [it] has its moments of classic-feeling big-sky grandeur— there's also crunching rock, bar-band soul and folk-pop.”
Don’t miss Putnam and his reattached pinky, along with the rest of Moon Taxi this weekend! Tickets are still available, but are likely to go fast.
Our favorite song from the album?
Photos Courtesy of Moon Taxi
