Taxiride

Infobox musical artist
Name = Taxiride


Img_capt =
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Background = group_or_band
Origin = Melbourne, Australia
Genre = Pop rock, Pub rock, Acoustic
Years_active = 1997–present
Label = Warner, Mandarin Music
Associated_acts =
URL = http://www.taxiride.com.au/
Current_members = Jason Singh
Sean McLeod Tim Wild Dan Hall
("see timeline")
Past_members = Tim Watson
Andy Mcivor

:"Tim Watson (musician)" redirects here. For the former Essendon footballer, please see Tim Watson."

Taxiride is an Australian rock band. Formed in 1997, the band consists of lead singer Jason Singh, guitarists Dan Hall and Tim Wild, and drummer Sean McLeod.

Prior to formation, the four founding members of Taxiride—Singh, Wild, Hall, and Tim Watson—had been playing in cover bands around Melbourne. The quartet recorded an EP, which a taxi-driving friend of theirs helped promote. They took their name from the experience had by passengers hearing their music on a taxi ride. After their music was heard by an executive from record label Warner, the band signed a contract and released their debut album, "Imaginate", in 1999. This was followed by 2002's "Garage Mahal". Both albums were certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 2005's "Axiomatic" did not follow in the success of its predecessors.

Taxiride's musical style has changed significantly over the course of their career—what began as a pop/pub rock band on their first two albums moved to a much more heavy sound on later works. Throughout their history, the band has had multiple lead singers and songwriters on the majority of their songs.

History

Formation and early work (1997–1999)

Prior to forming Taxiride, Tim Watson, Tim Wild, Jason Singh, and Dan Hall had each played in cover bands across Melbourne. Watson and Wild began writing together in 1997 in Camberwell, Melbourne, and soon recruited Singh as an additional vocalist. The trio invited Hall, whom Wild first encountered busking, to join the group, and he accepted. The band named themselves Taxiride because they had given some of their early work to a friend of theirs, a taxi driver, who had tested these songs on passengers.cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=TAXIRIDE&sql=11:kbfoxqljldje~T1 |title=Taxiride > Biography|publisher=Allmusic|author=Ed. Nimmervoll|accessdate=2008-03-29] The group produced a demo at Melbourne's Secret Sound Studios, and used it to land a contract with Warner in Australia.cite web|url=http://www.taxiride.com.au/bio/index.html |title=Biography|publisher=taxiride.com.au |accessdate=2008-03-22] Meanwhile, a friend of the group passed their work onto a Sire Records executive in the U.S., who signed them despite the group being unknown.

Pop success (1999–2002)

In 1998, Taxiride relocated to Ocean Way Recording studios in Los Angeles to work with producer Jack Joseph Puig on their debut album. [cite web|url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000034COC/ |title=Imaginate: Taxiride|publisher=Amazon.com|accessdate=2008-03-25] "Imaginate", released on 1 June 1999 in the U.S. and 18 October in Australia, reached number one on the ARIA Albums Chart,cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,26278,15715102-7484,00.html |title=Taxi to Townsville|publisher=news.com.au|author=Olivia Katter|date=23 June 2005|accessdate=2008-04-29] with debut single "Get Set" reaching number eight on the ARIA Singles Chart,cite web|url=http://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Taxiride |title=Taxiride discography|publisher=australian-charts.com|accessdate=2008-03-29] number 41 on the New Zealand Singles Chart,cite web|url=http://charts.org.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Taxiride |title=Taxiride discography|publisher=charts.org.nz|accessdate=2008-03-29] and number 36 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. [cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=339423&model.vnuAlbumId=750323 |title=Artist Chart History - Taxiride - Singles|work=Billboard|accessdate=2008-03-29] "Get Set" won the 1999 ARIA Award for "Breakthrough Artist - Single" and was nominated for "Best Pop Release", while "Imaginate" was nominated for "Breakthrough Artist - Album" and "Highest Selling Album" in 2000. [cite web|url=http://ariaawards.com.au/history-by-artist.php?letter=T&artist=Taxiride |title=Winners by artist: Taxiride|publisher=ARIA |accessdate=2008-03-29] "Imaginate" was certified double platinum, indicating an excess of 140,000 sales. [cite web|url=http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-albums-2000.htm |title=ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2000 Albums|publisher=ARIA|accessdate=2008-04-28]

Taxiride wrote the majority of the album in a studio, and the final product generally used songs that band members had worked on individually.cite web|url=http://www.girl.com.au/taxirideinterview.htm |title=Taxiride Interview|publisher=Girl.com.au|accessdate=2008-03-30|author=Annemarie Failla, Michelle Palmer] "Imaginate" earned a mediocre reception from critics. Steve Kurutz of Allmusic gave it three stars, calling the album a "slick...bid for pop radio". The use of a sitar on "Get Set" was praised, as was the Beatles influence and Puig's production.cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kpfrxq9kldfe |title=Imaginate > Overview|publisher=Allmusic|author=Steve Kurutz|accessdate=2008-03-30] To promote the album, Taxiride toured Australia, America, Japan, and Europe, with the album selling well in all areas. Despite the album's success, Hall, then lead singer, left the band to work independently and with his other pet project, Airway Lanes.cite web|url=http://www.australianmusician.com.au/DisplayStory.asp?StoryID=24 |title=Taxiride|author=Greg Phillips|publisher="Australian Musician"|date=Spring 2005|accessdate=2008-03-30] Hall said he was unhappy with "the pop direction the band was taking".cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,26278,19305581-7484,00.html |title=Cleared for takeoff|publisher=news.com.au|author=Andrew Banks, Danielle O'Donohue|work=The Herald Sun|date=30 May 2006|accessdate=2008-03-30]

Following Hall's departure, the band recruited drummer Sean McLeod and bass guitarist Andy McIvor, and began work on their second album. "Garage Mahal" was released on 5 August 2002, and produced three singles: "Creepin' Up Slowly", "How I Got This Way", and "Afterglow". All three songs charted in Australia; "Creepin' Up Slowly" was the most successful at number six, also reaching number 19 in New Zealand. In 2002, "Garage Mahal" and "Creepin' Up Slowly" were certified platinum by ARIA. [cite web|url=http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-albums-2002.htm |title=ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2002 Albums|publisher=ARIA|accessdate=2008-04-28] [cite web|url=http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-singles-2002.htm |title=ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2002 Singles|publisher=ARIA|accessdate=2008-05-03]

Much of "Garage Mahal" was written on the road, while touring, and as such had a different sound from the band's prior work.cite web|url=http://www.dbmagazine.com.au/369/iv-Taxiride.shtml |title=Taxiride.|publisher="dB Magazine"|author=Steve Jones|accessdate=2008-04-27] Most of the writing was done in two places; Mt. Macedon in Victoria, and Palindrome Studio in Venice Beach, California, the home of producer Fred Maher. Mixing was done by David Way and Mike Shipley. [cite web|url=http://www.girl.com.au/garagemahal.htm |title=Garage Mahal|title=Girl.com.au|author=Annemarie Failla |accessdate=2008-04-28] Despite the change in sound, the band were still seen as purely a pop band—"Australian Musician" magazine claimed this was because they spent too much time overseas. Gary Glauber of PopMatters praised the album, noting it had not lost the quality of its predecessor, although it was a good deal heavier. Glauber reported on the overall high quality of songs, noting that "almost any of these songs could work as a single", and calling the lyrics of "Creepin' Up Slowly" "perpetually catchy". [cite web|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/27838/taxiride-garage/ |title=Taxiride: Garage Mahal|publisher=PopMatters|author=Gary Glauber|date=21 April 2003|accessdate=2008-04-28] Bernard Zuel of "The Sydney Morning Herald" said that the band did not hold back in their aim for American radio, calling the lyrics overly generic, and arguing the band only focused on their mainstream image. [cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/articles/2002/08/30/1030508122725.html |title=Releases from Icecream Hands, Taxiride, Motor Ace|date=31 August 2002|author=Bernard Zuel|accessdate=2008-05-01|publisher="The Sydney Morning Herald"]

Independent and acoustic (2003–2006)

Watson left Taxiride in 2004, and the band began work on a new album. They decided to release independently after splitting up with Warner Music, [cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/music/the-boys-are-back-in-town/2006/01/20/1137734139741.html?page=fullpage |title=The boys are back in town|publisher="The Age"|author=Guy Blackman|date=22 January 2006|accessdate=2008-05-01] and recorded at Wild's Melbourne home for a total of 12 months. During that time, the band collaborated with vocalist Chris Bailey (The Saints lead singer) and Hall, who took time out from working with Airway Lanes. Taxiride's third album, "Axiomatic", was released on 5 September 2005, shortly after the first single, "Oh Yeah". It would be the only song to chart from the album, reaching number 40 in Australia. To support the album, the band toured India as part of VH1's Rock Rumble. [cite web|url=http://www.themusic.com.au/im_m/archive/2006/060411-501_eliezer.php |title=Aussies Abroad #1: Taxiride|publisher=themusic.com.au|date=11 April 2006|accessdate=2008-04-29]

In creating "Axiomatic", Taxiride worked independently, moving away from record labels in an attempt to make an album that would better reflect the music they wanted to produce. The band's prior albums were described by Singh as being Americanised, and the band now wanted to make "an Australian record". Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin influences were common; "Oh Yeah" was recorded using a vocoder, which was popular in the 1970s.cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,26278,16508109-7484,00.html |title=Indie album|publisher=news.com.au|work=mX|date=5 September 2005|accessdate=2008-04-29] The album was described as containing "heavier rock sounds" than its predecessors..

Following the release of "Axiomatic", Wild and Singh began to write new songs, accompanied by Hall.cite web|url=http://www.taxiride.com.au/diary/index.html |title=Taxiride diary|publisher=taxiride.com.au|accessdate=2008-05-01|author=Jason Singh, Tim Wild] The band's first live album, "Electrophobia", was released on 16 September 2006 on Australian record label Liberation. It features songs from the band's first three albums, all recorded in a standalone session in a Melbourne church on 26 May 2006. The production was arranged by Rob John (producer for Led Zeppelin and Tea Party). [cite web|url=http://www.liberation.com.au/acoustic.cfm?id=29 |title=Taxiride - Electrophobia|publisher=Liberation Music|accessdate=2008-05-01]

Musical style

Taxiride is primarily a pop rock band, also drawing influences from pub rock. On "Electrophobia", they showed a different side, playing acoustic music for the first time. [cite web|url=http://www.acousticseries.com.au/Taxiride.htm |title=Taxiride - Electrophobia|publisher=Liberation Music|accessdate=2008-05-26] The band's style has progressed over their career; the pop direction the band took in the "Imaginate" era caused Hall to leave the group, only to return for heavier rock collaborations in the "Axiomatic" days. Allmusic's Ed. Nimmervoll said that the band distanced themselves from the boy band generation, comparing them to Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. Steve Kurutz, in reviewing "Imaginate", related the album to the pop work of boy bands The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Everly Brothers, labeling the album as a bid for pop radio.

The "International Herald Tribune"'s Mike Zwerin noted the band's style of having "four lead singers, four potential front men"—"Imaginate"'s strength was in their collective sound, argued Zwerin.cite web|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2000/07/05/records.t.php |title=A Few Good Sounds for Summer|publisher="International Herald Tribune"|author=Mike Zwerin|date=5 July 2000|accessdate=2008-05-02] On "Garage Mahal", Taxiride had three active singer-songwriters, with their strong opinions on musical content clashing frequently. Singh told Dan Grunebaum of "Metropolis Tokyo" that the arguments came about "because we were very passionate about what goes down onto tape", and so they were resolved by recognising the overall goal of the band's work. [cite web|url=http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/446/music.asp |title=On the phone: Taxiride|author=Dan Grunebaum|publisher="Metropolis Tokyo"|accessdate=2008-05-03]

Band member timeline

ImageSize = width:600 height:auto barincrement:25PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50Alignbars = justifyDateFormat = yyyyPeriod = from:1997 till:2008TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors = id:official value:claret

ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1997

PlotData=

width:20 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)

bar:Jason Singh text:"lead vocals, guitar" from:1997 till:end color:official bar:Tim Wild text:"guitar, vocals" from:1997 till:end color:official bar:Dan Hall color:official from:1997 till:2001 text:"bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals" from:2006 till:end bar:Sean McLeod text:"drums" from:2001 till:end color:official bar:Tim Watson text:"guitar, vocals" from:1997 till:2004 color:official bar:Andy McIvor text:"bass, vocals" from:2001 till:2006 color:official

Discography

Studio albums
* "Imaginate" (1999)
* "Garage Mahal" (2002)
* "Axiomatic" (2005)

Live albums
* "Electrophobia" (2006)

References

External links

* [http://www.taxiride.com.au Taxiride Official Site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/taxiride MySpace Page]