Interview with ADAM KRIER Lead Singer and Guitarist of AM TAXI
May 2010
By Lena Lamoray
AM TAXI is a straight up rock n’ roll band from Chicago that have a fantastic album coming out on VIRGIN RECORDS on June 8th entitled, WE DON’T STAND A CHANCE. You will have to wait until then to purchase it but I am lucky and got my very own sneak peak copy and it is pretty entertaining. AM TAXI is a blend of punk, pop and good old fashioned rock n’ roll that will help you escape your troubles for a bit. I don’t know about you but sometimes I just want a vacation and this is the perfect band to take one with. My favorite songs are THE MISTAKE, MAYDAYS AND ROSARIES, FED UP and RECKLESS WAYS. You should certainly pick up a copy when it’s out and go and see them on tour with THE SPILL CANVAS and then on the WARPED TOUR on the SKULL CANDY stage.
ADAM KRIER, the force behind AM TAXI spoke to me about the band, the recording process and his favorite channel on television. He is a very cool guy and from what I gathered pretty fun to be around so go and see AM TAXI live and perhaps you will get him to autograph something exciting!
Lena Lamoray: What was the name of the first song that you wrote and what was it about?
ADAM KRIER: Oh, I don’t remember although I remember one called Unhappy Monday, it was about hating to go to work or school every Monday morning when I was a kid. I remember it being a sarcastic tune.
Lena Lamoray: You can make up something cool if you want.
ADAM KRIER: Ha, ha I could but it’s not going to change it. I don’t know…
Lena Lamoray: How would you describe your stage presence?
ADAM KRIER: Fierce, it’s pretty intense and very dynamic.
Lena Lamoray: You must watch a lot of AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL? (TYRA BANKS refers to everything as fierce)
ADAM KRIER: I haven’t no. I only have one channel right now on my television and it only plays sitcoms and court shows so I really don’t get to see too much. We’ve been on tour for a bit so maybe when I get back.
Lena Lamoray: What was it like working with GENEVEIVE SCHATZ from COMPANY OF THIEVES?
ADAM KRIER: We’ve known those guys for awhile and I’ve actually collaborated with them in the past as well so they were on tour in Austin and I got a hold of her the night before and asked her if she had some time off in the afternoon before her show and she did so she came into the studio and sang on our album. It was great. She got there and I had already emailed her a demo so when she came in she nailed it and I think we nailed it in the first take but we did another one just to have a second take and we ended up using the first one. She’s a natural.
Lena Lamoray: Yeah, it is very rare to be able to do that.
ADAM KRIER: We did the cover song online and she pulled that off the same way.
Lena Lamoray: Yes, you guys sound great singing together. It is one of my favorite songs on the album.
ADAM KRIER: Oh, thank you.
Lena Lamoray: That one and THE MISTAKE so I think you are smart putting that out as a video.
ADAM KRIER: The first single and video is going to be FED UP, the third song on the cd. We just shot a video for that one, too.
Lena Lamoray: Is it a live video or a studio thing?
ADAM KRIER: We flew in a director that we chose over the other directors that submitted treatments because he wanted to shoot in and around Chicago which we loved the idea of so we flew him in and we did a video shoot at random locations. It was a lot of fun actually.
Lena Lamoray: Cool, that sounds interesting. How is the music scene in Chicago now?
ADAM KRIER: Pretty eclectic! There is a lot going on and it has something for everyone.
Lena Lamoray: The last I heard it had a pretty big goth scene.
ADAM KRIER: Oh yeah, there is that and then industrial music and then house music is huge and blues. There are also a lot of FALL OUT BOY style bands. If you think about it, it makes sense because Chicago is such a melting pot. There are all these different neighborhoods and there is sort of a strong scene for anything. It’s a nice scene for anything.
Lena Lamoray: What has been the biggest misconception of your name that you have heard like people thinking that you are easy listening taxi music?
ADAM KRIER: I don’t know, it’s nothing really specific with the AM. We used to be called American Taxi but there is another group with a similar name and they came along first so we changed it to AM TAXI. I don’t know, it has nothing to do with AM or morning Taxi but some people have called it am like am the word but for the most part that is about it.
Lena Lamoray: What are you looking forward to the most and least about WARPED TOUR?
ADAM KRIER: The thing I am looking forward to the most is the crowd and the people that I am going to meet. The thing I am looking forward to the least is the sun, the heat and brightness and the rain.
Lena Lamoray: Are you guys going to be touring in a van or are you getting a bus?
ADAM KRIER: Right now we are on tour in a van and the last few tours we have done in a van but we are going to get a minibus for the Warped tour.
Lena Lamoray: That’s nice so at least you will have somewhere to getaway. Just get some SPF 100 and you will be all set. That’s what I wear and it takes off your nail polish which is pretty scary but it works.
ADAM KRIER: Our guitar player has a Mohawk and the second day of the video shoot was all outside and he didn’t wear sun block and his head was all red.
Lena Lamoray: Aw, and then I’m sure it started to peel and that is always lovely.
ADAM KRIER: Yeah!
Lena Lamoray: What TV shows or movies are you into?
ADAM KRIER: Well, I only have that one channel so I haven’t seen that much but as far as movies CRAZY HEART, I like that one, I just saw it and thought it was good. We go to the drive-in in the summertime, you pay eight bucks and you get a double feature. Sometimes the movies are lousy but it’s so much fun to get a group of people together and go out to the drive-in and have a few beers and just hang out with friends. I think I saw THE HANGOVER there last summer and I thought that was pretty funny.
Lena Lamoray: Yeah, that was a good movie.
ADAM KRIER: Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
Lena Lamoray: Musically, your sound is very old school rock n’ roll and that is really hard to come by nowadays so do you find it difficult booking tours that will work with your style?
ADAM KRIER: Well, not really because we sort of find ways to blend and fit in. We are not that out there with our influences and how we come across and I think our music is still catchy so as long as we have an open minded audience we will do ok. We are pretty lucky, like what I was talking about earlier to be from Chicago which has an eclectic music scene so we can get away with playing with pretty much any band, indie, punk and all sorts of different things. All of those things in one way or another were influenced by straight up rock n’ roll, which is what we are doing.
Lena Lamoray: How would you describe your writing and recording process?
ADAM KRIER: Well, we stick to a formula and kind of the classic way of doing things where I will get a tune together with the words and the music and then we will work it out with the band. We do the arrangement together and structure and then we go in the studio and perform live. When we did our last recording we all played live together at the same time onto a tape machine, reel to reel tape and then we would go in and overdub vocals and then piano, percussion and a couple of guitar things here and there and then we mixed it and it was done. I don’t know how to describe it except that it is the classic formula of a rock n’ roll record. A lot of groups now will do the recording on the computer, one instrument at a time which to me, I’ve done it that way for years too and I’ve always thought that this way live to tape machines is the best. I don’t want to ever do it any other way.
Lena Lamoray: It must give you a better feel of who you really are as a band.
ADAM KRIER: It’s just more real. When you do one instrument at a time it can get sterile and kind of boring and it doesn’t sound real anymore.
Lena Lamoray: Now, you write all the music so are you able to play all the instruments, too?
ADAM KRIER: No, I play guitar, piano and what will happen is I’ll have the words and music done and I will bring it to the group and then we will start trying different ways of doing it, slow or fast and what type of keyboards, drum beats and what type of arrangements and everyone pretty much figures it out from there.
Lena Lamoray: So, it is a full on group effort. That’s good!
ADAM KRIER: Yeah.
Lena Lamoray: What type of reaction have you gotten from people that have seen you live and are you ever surprised by any of the feedback?
ADAM KRIER: Well, yeah it’s generally positive and enthusiastic. There really have not been any instances where it was bad and I think that we were pleasantly surprised that the last tour we went on with POISON THE WELL and all the bands were heavier than us so we kind of thought, uh oh I wonder what their crowd is going to think of us. We ended up being really happy and surprised when their audience on the whole tour was the best ever, really cool and open minded. It’s good to see that, you know.
Lena Lamoray: That’s good that you didn’t have to deal with the, “you suck” and people throwing things at you. That’s always awesome.
ADAM KRIER: Uh, no.
Lena Lamoray: Do your band mates have any nicknames for you and if so what are their nicknames?
ADAM KRIER: Luke’s nickname is the garbage man.
Lena Lamoray: How did he get that nickname?
ADAM KRIER: He used to sit on a garbage can because we didn’t have a keyboard stool in our practice room. John’s is Johnny Dog.
Lena Lamoray: Now, what’s yours?
ADAM KRIER: I don’t think I have any. No, I’m sure I will get one at some point.
Lena Lamoray: I’m sure by the end of the Warped Tour you will have one, after all those weeks of not being able to shower every day.
ADAM KRIER: I’m sure.
Lena Lamoray: What can your fans expect from a live show and do you make yourself available for autographs and fan photos after the show?
ADAM KRIER: Yeah, were accessible and we always hang out at the merch table and we walk around and stuff like that. Warped Tour is going to be a lot of fun and full of energy and I think that everyone will get something out of it.
Lena Lamoray: Do you know when you are going on and what stage?
ADAM KRIER: It sort of changes every day but we are on the Skull Candy stage but the time slot changes all the time. You’re from Boston, right? We are going to be there on THE SPILL CANVAS tour that we are on now during the middle or maybe late May.
Lena Lamoray: Yeah, the show is already sold out, too.
ADAM KRIER: Is it, awesome!
Lena Lamoray: That should be a good show for you. They have a pretty decent stage at THE MIDDLE EAST. Some of the clubs that they make bands perform at around here are awful.
ADAM KRIER: Yeah, it’s hit or miss. Sometimes you pull up to a place that you think is going to be a dump but you go inside and it’s really nice with a great stage and great sound. Sometimes those are the best ones.
Lena Lamoray: Yeah, and then no one comes. Some of the nicest places don’t have a draw.
ADAM KRIER: Ha, ha yeah, it can be frustrating sometimes but that is the fun part about touring since you never know what to expect.
Lena Lamoray: Exactly, but as long as it’s fun!
