Nashville, TN - In the past five years, Great American Taxi has become one of the best-known headliners on the jam band circuit, their uninhibited sound a swinging concoction of swampy blues, progressive bluegrass, funky New Orleans strut, Southern boogie, honky tonk, gospel and good old fashioned rock ’n’ roll. That loose, anything-can-happen feel is the hallmark of Reckless Habits, the band’s second album, which was recorded in Loveland, Colo., with producer Tim Carbone (from Railroad Earth) working together to bring the feel of an onstage performance to the recording process. Reckless Habits was released through Thirty Tigers on March 2, 2010.
When banjo player Mark Vann of Leftover Salmon died of cancer in 2002, the band lost momentum. Salmon singer/guitarist/mandolinist Vince Herman had a few rough years and survived a broken neck before joining keyboardist Chad Staehly for a superstar jam to benefit the Rainforest Action Group in Boulder in March 2005. “We put together a dream band of the best local musicians for a one-off gig,” Herman recalls. “It worked so well we had to do it again, and again, and again.” The band’s current lineup includes Herman, Staehly, guitarists Jeff Hamer and Jim Lewin, bassist Brian Adams and drummer Chris Sheldon.
Great American Taxi has been compared with roots rockers like New Riders of the Purple Sage, Grateful Dead, Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, the Byrds and Little Feat. Herman finds the comparisons flattering. “We’re definitely connected to all the acts in the country/rock spectrum, as well as the spirit of Gram Parsons and Woody Guthrie,” he says. “We want to address the issues appropriate to our times, while making music that gets people up and moving.”
“The band is a true democracy,” Staehly adds. “We tinkered with the tunes on the road, with everybody having input. In the studio, Tim would suggest ideas to make them sound bigger and brighter.” Carbone brought in the Black Swan Singers — Sheryl Renee, CoCo Brown and Shelly Lindsey — to add gospel flavored backing vocals. He also brought the Peak to Freak Horns — Justin Jones, sax; Nathan Peoples, sax; Dan Sears, trumpet; and Dave Stamps, trombone — for some New Orleans-style brass accents, as well as pedal steel player Barry Sless (Dane Nelson Band, Moonalice) and banjo man Matt Flinner.
The band makes its way back to its native Colorado for several summer shows including Durango (6/10), Telluride (6/11), DENVER (6/12), Vail (7/3), and Fort Collins (8/23).
Their latest video for the track American Beauty is here!
The band’s also recently donated a track to raise awareness of the coal miners’ relief fund. The song is “Appalachian Soul” and we’re trying to get it out there in any way we can.
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