Issue date: 3/6/09 Section: The Verge

Media Credit: Great American Taxi Great American Taxi will be playing at Mac's Uptowner at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. The band got their name from a story Vince Herman, a member of the band, told at a party, comparing his skiing style to "a big yellow object barreling down the hill."

Those in the Charleston area will soon have a chance to take a ride through Americana with the Great American Taxi.

The band, which has traveled from the West Coast to the East Coast and many places in between, will be stopping by Mac's Uptowner at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Americana is a term used to describe a genre that fuses several American musical traditions together, including jazz, rhythm and blues, folk, country and rock 'n' roll.

But Great American Taxi, true to its slogan "Americana without borders," reaches into even more genres to take inspiration.

With aspects of reggae, swing and calypso, Americana began as a response to the carefully polished and commercialized music that was mainstream during the 1970s.

Inspired by musical legends like Bob Dylan and Woody Gunthrie, Great American Taxi strives to keep this tradition alive.

This materializes in not only a sound that keyboardist Chad Staehly describes as "stripped down," but also lyrics that touch on themes connected to being an American.

This direction allows the band to connect to people throughout the nation.

"There are two trends in the world: That which brings us closer, and that which pulls us apart," said singer Vince Herman.

Herman said that the basic concept of borders needs to be re-evaluated.

The globalization of the world's economies, the different regions' attempts to gain self-sufficiency and the need for a good foreign worker program all have a place in the thought process behind the songs.

Charleston residents might have a chance to meet Herman before the show as he walks around town.

Herman has gained a reputation for trying to gain an understanding of a town and using that knowledge to alter lyrics to better fit the audience.

Those he talks to may find their words reflected in his lyrics.

For the members of Great American Taxi, it is all part of what makes them proud of being American, and seeing different places and peoples is a reward in itself.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools

The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.

Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.

Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.

If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.