Moon Taxi has been making the concert rounds in support of its latest album “Daybreaker,” and will reach the Varsity Theatre tomorrow.
The Daily Reveille talked to the band’s lead vocalist Trevor Terndrup to discuss the band’s new album and tour experiences.
The Daily Reveille: Are you guys excited to play at the Varsity on Thursday?
Trevor Terndrup: Very excited. We’re ready to get back. It’s been a minute since we’ve been there, and last time it sold out with big crowds. It was a lot of fun.
TDR: How did you guys form Moon Taxi?
TT: We actually all ended up being in the same cab together, and we happened to play different instruments, so we just formed a band during a taxi ride.
TDR: You guys have been together since 2006. So, what’s the key for a band to stay together for so long and still be really successful?
TT: I would say good food and stiff drinks.
TDR: How would you guys describe the sound of “Daybreaker,” the new album?
TT: It’s probably the best thing you’ve ever heard.
TDR: Why do you say that?
TT: For us, it’s a culmination of all these really awesome live shows we’ve been putting on, and the new studio experience was unique this time because we’ve worked with a great Grammy-Award winning producer, and we were in a great studio space, so it’s probably the greatest thing we’ve ever done.
TDR: Do you think songs on the new record like “All Day All Night” and “Year Zero” are a departure from your previous record?
TT: I think that the lyric writing is more personal. Instrumentation-wise, it’s pretty similar. We didn’t add anything except for [in] “Make Your Mind Up,” there’s a saxophone solo. … I think what makes it unique — this record — is just the intimacy of the lyrics.
TDR: Do you think your last album, “Mountains Beaches Cities,” exposed your work to new fans?
TT: Yes, absolutely. We got to play “Late Show With David Letterman.” We got to play “Conan.” We got our songs in big commercials — BMW commercial [for] the Olympics. Yeah, I think it’s huge. That really put us on the map for a lot of people.
TDR: How does the recording process go when you start working on a new album?
TT: There’s no one way we get to a song, but we prepared a lot of these songs beforehand. And we did a lot of preproduction this time around, so when we went to the studio, our effort was very focused.
TDR: What festival was you guys’ favorite [to play] this summer?
TT: That’s really tough. We like to play all the festivals. We got to play in Canada for the first time this year at a beautiful festival called Pemberton. We got to play in our backyard in Manchester, Tennessee, at Bonnaroo Music [and Arts] Festival. We got to play at Governors Ball in New York. That was a lot of fun. We have ACL coming in a few weeks, and we’re excited to play that — we’ve never played that.
TDR: How was playing in your backyard in Manchester, Tennessee, at Bonnaroo this summer?
TT: It’s kind of like the home team playing in their own stadium. It’s great. We debuted a lot of new material there, so we were hoping it would really translate live, and we think it did. People really reacted to the new songs. It’s one of our favorite things to do is play Bonnaroo.
TDR: What’s the dynamic like when you’re traveling on tour with the band?
TT: We have a great crew. Our lighting director is the best in the business. Our sound engineer is the best in the business.
TDR: How would you guys describe the fans you meet on tour?
TT: They’re awesome. We love them. We love people to come out and encourage them to sing along. I just think it’s a big singalong at our shows — singalong dance party. We couldn’t ask for more engaged, smart, beautiful people coming out to the show. We love it.
TDR: What’s the craziest thing a fan has ever done, if you had to choose?
TT: One time I got asked to prom. This is like last year, but I couldn’t go. I’m sorry to this person.
TDR: Is there anything you would like to add?
TT: The new album is coming out on the 2nd of October, and you can pre-order it and get three tracks, and we’ll see you at the Varsity — buy tickets to the Varsity.