Biography

Where did it all begin?
At high school of course. Where else? To be exact: the Lyceum in Baarn, heart of the Netherlands.

Baarn: What is there to do in Baarn?
Sweet FA nothin. So a few friends would get together every Friday and Saturday night, play a bit of music, drink coke and eat chocolate éclairs as you do. Taxi to the ocean was born.

And what has all this got to do with Frank Zappa?
He once said there was no such thing as bass players only a second rate guitarists. The famous words apply here. Guitarist Joost started playing bass because they didnt have a bass-player.

But that Remmert dude, the drummer, wasnt he his bass teacher?
Yeah, OK, on paper I suppose. But what really happened is that they were listening to Gentle Giant stoned every evening and came up with a revelation: Thats where we have to go rich tapestry music!

How did Taxi to the ocean sound in the beginning?
A bit like the Smashing Pumpkins: Loud, soft then loud again. But no covers.

None at all?
Ok, one then. A Dylan cover an obscure b-side.

Dylan?
Yep. But the band was listening to everything: dEUS, Tim & Jeff Buckley, Motorpsycho, MC Miker G, Sebadoh. And guitarist Robin van Saaze was a big AC/DC fan (the line-up with Bon of course). Broad taste? We havent even mentioned Strawinsky or Justin Timberlake yet!

Has there been an album of this stuff yet?
Love it where I am celebrated by a launch gig in the Winston in Amsterdam

Wait a minute! Wasnt that launch somewhere else?
Er...um..yeah. They called every gig they did a CD launch. There were more gigs that way.

How long was that infamous marathon gig they did in that cafe in Hoorn again?
Six hours. They go like a train, they do.

A train? So not that fast really?
Oh yeah, full-speed. But a Taxi to the ocean gig is a different bag of fish than just re-creating the album live. Charged-up would be the right word. Just ask the bass player who got stretchered away from a gig once with a dislocated knee after too much stage gymnastics.

What happened next?
Support spots with Millionaire, The Darkness and Mauro & the Grooms. A self-released album: Minglemood. And last year the Sunday Longplay album which was distributed in the Benelux by the legendary Munich Records.

And how was it received?
OOR (leading Dutch music magazine) on the last album: A more than pleasant surprise
Utrecht s Nieuwsblad (an important Dutch newspaper): A familiar sound that doesnt at all resort to obligatory clichés
Live XS (a famous Dutch alternative music magazine): A luscious, ripe and mature album

But wait a minute thats an album a year isnt it?
Absolutely. Thats what the lads want. To build up a catalogue.

And now?
The new album: Taxi to the ocean Easily the best, rawest, freshest sounding TTTO release so far etc etc etc . Just listen to it yourself and let the music do the convincing.

Theme?
Making choices. Because thats what theyve been doing lately. The choice to make music and do everything around it needed to get that choice happening.

Is it all or nothing this album?
You bet. Almost is nowhere is the bands motto. Anything is better than almost. Theyd rather take risks and end up face first in the dirt than play it safe.

OK guess that explains the album cover then?
Yep. The New York artist Steve Keene did that. He churns out paintings on a production line but it aint production line work. Hundreds of paintings a day. The band begged him to do one for the album Sounds fun! said Steve. Then he sent twelve of them!

But what if he had sent crap paintings?
Listen, thats exactly the point. Thats not how the band thinks. First make it then think about it. Thats how Steve works and thats how Taxi operates as well. You could do it the other way around but not much gets made that way.

What kind of music is it? Give us a label please.
One of the band members put David Bowies Heroes into his iPod recently. The display said Rock. If thats what Rock is then Taxi to the ocean make Rock as well.