Moon Taxi: From the Moon to Nashville to the Garter

(this piece was published by Planet JH Weekly)Intense on composition with dense layering over an indie-pop-rock foundation, Nashville’s Moon Taxi is not as electronic as the band name suggests. Their sound is reminiscent of Kings of Leon’s radio sensibility. From a batch of reviews that I read from newbies that caught them at Bonnaroo on a side stage, Moon Taxi was their favorite surprise of the weekend. The band just released Acoustic on West 56th EP, a batch of six stripped down versions of tunes from last year’s Mountains Beaches Cities LP.“For the past couple years we’ve enjoyed playing acoustically, for videos or just for publications,” said guitarist Spencer Thomson to Paste Magazine, which is currently offering a free stream of the EP. “It’s something that we like doing, and something that our fans have started to like hearing. It’s a different side, since our live shows can be be so loud and energetic. We like to also show the songs in a more simplified, pure form.” Moon Taxi, 9 p.m. Saturday at the Pink Garter Theatre. $12/advance, $14/day-of-show. PinkGarterTheatre.com.