American Taxi is Artist of the Month

A few months back, I did a profile on a band called The Insecurities, featuring the lead singer from Lucky Boys Confusion and his new band. This week, we focus on a band created by two other members of LBC, named American Taxi.

Formed in 2007 as an outlet for songwriter Adam Krier, American Taxi quickly found a niche in Chicago, garnering acclaim for their honest rock and roll music. Krier perfected his songwriting formula in LBC, and he stays true to form in American Taxi. Gang vocals, catchy choruses and upbeat tempos are common place, but the most striking change in the songs is the lyrics. Left behind is the party rock, and in its place are songs of a more self-loathing variety. Krier tries his hand at being the focal singer, and his raw and raspy vocals give American Taxi an instantly recognizable and unforgettable sound. Perhaps not as gifted as a pure vocalist as LBC singer Kaustubh Pandav, he makes up for it with unadulterated emotion and energy.

As a band, they are extremely proficient and get to the heart of a song better than most bands out today. Krier is backed by some of the best musicians in Chicago. Bassist Jason Schultejann was always the secret weapon of LBC, and in America Taxi, it is his surging bass lines that keep the songs flowing naturally. I would even go as far to say that without Schultejann, some of American Taxi’s songs would not grab the listener as well as they do. Drummer Chris Smith, Guitarist John Schmitt and keyboardist Luke Schmitt all come from acclaimed Chicago bands, and proves that Krier also excels at picking musicians that can get the best out of his song ideas.

American Taxi released their first CD, ‘Runaway Songs’ in fall of 2007 to generally positive reviews and strong initial sales. Radio airplay on local alternative radio station Q101 soon followed, and after a year of playing local shows under the shadow of LBC, American Taxi started to step out and distance themselves from the legacy of their previous band.

Things started to move quickly at the beginning part of this year. A showcase at the Double Door in January started an avalanche of interest from record labels. In February, they released their second CD, ‘The Good, The Bad and the Fed Up’ which solidified their position as major label band in waiting. After a quick courtship, American Taxi signed a multi-album deal to Virgin Records. True to their gritty rock and roll sound, they signed the deal in their favorite local bar among their closest friends.

2009 looks to be an extremely busy year for American Taxi. They will be recording their major label debut shortly, and are heading out on the road in May to play some dates with Sum 41.

You can check out American Taxi at their MySpace Page.