Paradise Taxi

---

We’ve all got the mentality of wanting to make our sound distinguished and accessible to anyone who wants to listen - or doesn't! If those who don't want to listen end up enjoying what they do tune into, then we know we've hit the mark.  Our skills certainly aren't limited to these, but we'll give you an idea...

I [singer & guitarist] typically write the foundations, the lyrics and general idea of the tracks, then I like to bring the songs to the band. Catchy melodies tend to be my strong suit.

Liam [bass] often likes to take the jazzy route, which lends itself well to the harmony of Paradise Taxi. The initial version of "Don't Be A Lover" was no where near how it sounds now until Liam worked it and give it some structure.

As well as being a fantastic player, Sam [elec. guitar] is great at suggesting different influences which we might not have considered.  He's also not afraid to question when & why something doesn't work, which is useful in the room.

Andrés [drums] brings us interesting rhythmic textures from a whole host of influences, from metal to alternative-indie. We've been impressed with his creativeness in "Beautiful Mess", which lent itself well to a cajon initially, but sounds great as a full sound now the drum feel has been worked on.

I think it's too soon to tell exactly which similarities & differences have helped us so far as we're relatively new as a group of musicians, but our love of playing, The Beatles, indie music and a good pint definitely bounds us together.

Any thing you feel you done especially well, lessons learnt, connections made etc?  What about venue / event sizes - how would you compare performing at smaller venues with bigger festivals?

We've enjoyed every gig we've done, although the biggest standout has got to be our Camden gig at The Fiddlers Elbow, supporting the National Playboys.  We felt like we put on an enjoyable night and built some interest for our family and friends which will set the foundation of a supportive grassroots following. 

We're learning new things every time we play together, and we prefer to listen to each other and the feedback coming our way rather than being in a bubble. At the end of the day, appreciating those who support you creates a lovely sense of community!

Venue and event sizes mean very little when people focus on your work and artistry. There could be 5 people listening or 50, it's all about holding the attention of people. Let us take you in and give you a story or two that you might relate to. One of my friends especially likes our name because it's got connotations of music taking you on a journey, like in a car. It's also why 'Getaway Driver' is on-brand.

What have you accomplished so far? Seems like you've got a busy summer. How has it been finding gigs for a  band with not much history / recorded music to send to promoters etc? What do you want to do before / by the end of the year?

So far we've had a few festivals including IslandFest and Guilfest. We particularly enjoyed being on the line-up amid many big names like The Stranglers and Sam Ryder at Guilfest. Coming up we've got Pillage Scream and ManiFest, both in Southend, which was where I grew up. 

After these festivals we've got the Fiddler's Elbow on the 19th July for our debut gig in a venue. We're excited for this one as we've been spreading the word far and wide!

We're unsigned at the moment, with only our demos to promote us, but we know that every band starts somewhere. Those demos are more a guide to show that we have solid original songs and often times they communicate well with venues we contact. We're under no illusion that not everyone will respond to a fresh indie band - but they will!

By the end of the year we're aiming for 12 original songs so we can play shows with purely original songs, with maybe one cover to pay homage to our influences. Then by the start of next year we can begin prepping for our first EP.