More Than Fare
Award-winning Melbourne band Taxiride are revving up for pop stardom.
At the ARIA Music Awards last month, rookie pop group Taxiride had the trip of a lifetime soaking up the atmosphere and grooving ith contemporary rock royalty Powderfinger and Regurgitator. So when guest presenter Mel C announced their hit "Get Set" joint winner of the Best New Artist Single category, "We all jumped out of our seats," grins lead guitarist Tim Wild. "It was a shock. I'd never been to the ARIAs, so what an amazing first one, eh?"
Since then, the pace has only accelerated. While all-boy bands are sprouting quicker than you can say "Backstreet Boys," Taxiride's Wild, Tim Watson, Daniel Hall and Jason Singh - each a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist - march to a different beat. Yes, they're cute as pin-ups, but the quartet - whose first album, Imaginate, debuted last week at No. 1 - prefer to spotlight their gutsy harmonies and guitar-based melodies rather than their looks. The buzz began with "Get Set," which peaked at No. 8; thir next single, "Everywhere You Go" is at No. 15. "I've come close to fame before," says "Get Set" writer Wild in the mini music studio in his inner-east Melbourne cottage, "but nothing as successful as this."
"The quality of the demos was great, the songs were brilliant, and the voices!" raves Warner Music's general manager of Australian artists, Mark Pope, who signed the band 19 months ago. And, he adds, "These guys have a tremendous work ethic."
But over night success was three years in the making for Taxiride. Before they switched on the meter in '96, each member struggled for years in Melbourne's music scene, honing songwriting and performing skills with different bands. Former music teacher Wild, whose great-uncle was pianist Percy Granger and dad Don is a jazz musician, grew up with music. As did multi-instrumentalist Hall, 21, a pianist since age 4 whose parents, Sue and Charlie, play in a band, the McQuades. Self-taught guitarist Singh, 25, chose music over his family's Indian food business, and guitarist Watson, 27, worked at Westpac by day and played gigs by night.
The question of a name for the new group was settled, says Wild, by his cab-driver mate, Terry Green. The motoring moniker was a nod to Green, who played the band's demo tapes in his taxi. "Terry was a self-appointed marketing tool for us," says Wild. And the cabbie remains the group's biggest fan: "I listen to their music more than they do ... it's a mix of 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s all in one album."
As the guys horse around at Wild's studio, it's clear the guys - who are all attached (sorry girls) - have an easy rapport. "You have to put up with everyone's different needs and wants, but you can still pay out on each other," laughs Hall. They key, decides Wild, is contrast: "I bring the snags, another the salad, someone else the bread rolls and another brings the beer ... that's why it works."
