Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Moon Taxi

Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, Moon Taxi is a five-piece band of hometown heroes who have been delivering hit after hit for over a decade. Composed of vocalist/guitarist Trevor Terndrup, guitarist Spencer Thomson, bassist Tommy Putnam, keyboardist Wes Bailey, and drummer Tyler Ritter, Moon Taxi has continued to mesmerize listeners with their genre-defying sound, exploring everything from folk to soul to electronic pop. Pop Culturalist caught up with drummer Tyler Ritter to learn more about the band’s success and their latest single, “Hometown Heroes.”

PC: How did you all discover your passion for music?
Tyler: All of us grew up listening to tons of music, whether it was our parents’ record collections or watching MTV and VH1 back in the heyday of videos and Behind the Music. We each had separate paths to our instruments, but I think the common road traveled was simply a love for listening to music.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your careers?
Tyler: I think it’s a mix of us being supportive of each other and the positive influence of our families. We’ve been very lucky to have parents that were supportive of our nomadic and untraditional career paths.

PC: What has been the key to the band’s success?
Tyler: Sticking with the grind, plain and simple, and trying to outdo each previous victory that we achieve as a group.

PC: You have a new single out now. Tell us about “Hometown Heroes” and the inspiration behind the song.
Tyler: It’s a salute to all of the long-lasting friendships we’ve made through the years, both as a band and individually, and a little bit of a look at ourselves and how we’ve grown up through the last decade as a family.

PC: It’s the first single off your upcoming album. What can fans expect from the release?
Tyler: More bangers, more hits, more of the evolving nature of Moon Taxi.

PC: How will this next body of work differentiate itself from your previous releases?
Tyler: We’re always trying to better ourselves from the last project, and I think we’ve been successful in doing so with each of our records. Our upcoming project is the next rung on that ladder.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Tyler: Doja Cat. I’m totally obsessed with her right now.

PC: First album you bought?
Tyler: Green Day’s Dookie with my own money in fourth grade!

PC: First concert you attended?
Tyler: Hootie & The Blowfish

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Tyler: The Allman Brothers—Eat A Peach It was the first time I really felt the bug to learn how to play music.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Tyler: The Greek Theatre

PC: A must-have on the road?
Tyler: Something nondigital to read, like a book!

To keep up with Moon Taxi, follow them on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify. Pick up or stream “Hometown Heroes” today.

Photo Credit: Dune Baydoun