Ride the Moon Taxi: Q&A with Frontman Trevor Terndrup

by Nicole Willis

Moon Taxi is an indie-alternative rock band from Nashville known for their energetic live performances and genre-blending sound. Formed in 2006, the band combines elements of rock, jam and pop with catchy melodies to create a distinct feel-good coastal sound. The band has gained a strong following through tours and major festival appearances over the years, and are best known for hits like Two High and Morocco. The band is comprised of vocalist and guitarist Trevor Terndrup, guitarist Spencer Thomson, bassist Tommy Putnam, keyboardist Wes Bailey and drummer Tyler Ritter.

Moon Taxi is currently touring the US for their fall tour, which includes stops in both Pensacola and Mobile. The band will take the stage at Vinyl Music Hall on October 17. We had the opportunity to chat with lead vocalist and guitarist Trevor Terndrup about Moon Taxi’s rising popularity and their unique sound ahead of the band’s show in Pensacola. The show kicks off at 8 pm at Vinyl Music Hall in downtown Pensacola. For tickets and show details, visit vinylmusichall.com.

DTC: How did getting your start in a music-centric city like Nashville influence your beginnings and your music?

TT: Our bass player, Tommy, and myself went to high school in Alabama, and we had aspirations to pursue music. It was an easy jump right up north to Nashville. We quickly found that people in Nashville take music seriously; I think that is what influenced us—the professionalism of living in Nashville and trying to pursue music there. Everyone goes there to pursue that dream, so you have to show up and you really have to work hard. I think the professionalism side of music was our main influence, because if you can’t perform, there’s a line of people behind you waiting for their opportunities. So, I’d say that musically there was not so much [of an influence], but we were more professionally influenced by being in the city of Nashville.

DTC: Being that you guys have been playing together for over a decade now, what changes have you seen like in the band?

TT: Everyone goes through life changes. We’ve seen pretty much everybody get married and now, we have kids—it’s just gotten richer. I think that now that we have six albums out, the songwriting has gotten better and the production has gotten better, but at the core, when we do get together, we laugh like we did in college. It’s just like making music with your buddies, but we’ve just been able to do that and sustain this for over a decade.

DTC: The pandemic made you guys turn towards FaceTime and Zoom to collaborate remotely. How has your approach to songwriting shifted as the industry has changed over the past five years?

TT: Well, it’s really shifted our production, too. Now we’re able to not so much write songs remotely—we do a little bit of that—but we’re able to produce these songs remotely as well. I can get a demo from Spencer or Wes, and I’m able to go in my own personal studio, which is not much to speak of, but it’s a nice desktop setup, and we all pretty much have the same gear now. So, it’s apples to apples as far as me producing the vocals and then I’ll just send it via Dropbox. It’s been nice to to be able to work remotely still, but there is something to be said for being all in the same room with our instruments together and then just kind of vibing off each other. I think we definitely take advantage of the remote producing of it and the remote writing, but it’s not like we have to at this point.

DTC: What can people expect from your live shows?

TT: We aim to please! We really just enjoy putting on a good show. Since the music has a lot of variety in it, I think it’s got something for everybody. We like sing alongs, and we encourage sing alongs. Even if you’re a skeptical fan coming in, I think you’re gonna be singing along by the end of the night.

DTC: You’ve played along the Gulf Coast quite a bit, including multiple sets at Hangout Fest. Your music has a laid-back, beachy and coastal vibe. Do you feel more at home performing near the beach, or does that just happen to align with where your music takes you?

TT: Yeah, I do think it feels like it has a home down there. Sometimes when we write that’s even brought up, like ‘Oh, this would be good at a beach setting, or somewhere on the coast.’ Oddly enough, Nashville is very landlocked, but it does feel like we draw inspiration from that coastal vibe and that coastal feel.

DTC: What is your favorite show or festival that you guys have played?

TT: Well, you just mentioned Hangout, and I’ve got to say Hangout, just because it was one of the first festivals that we got to play where it felt like we were really winning over some fans. We grew as a band afterwards. There’s also obviously Bonnaroo, which is up here in Tennessee. Between those two, I’d say it’s hard to pick a favorite.

DTC: With six studio albums under your belt, what excites you most about the future of Moon Taxi?

TT: I just love that we’re able to sustain our personal relationships. We got through COVID together. We got through and are going through these big life milestones together. It just feels like everybody’s in it for the right reasons. So, that’s what excites me— just to see what the next 10 years will will bring for us.

DTC: Does Moon Taxi have any upcoming projects in the works?

TT: Yeah, we’re actually finishing up an album now. That release is TBD, but it’s very close. It’ll have some cool collaborations on it, which I’m really excited about. Details on that to come!