Black Taxi at Bowery Ballroom

by Sky Disco

Last night, I was having dinner with my close friend Rob, and a buddy of his showed up having just left the sold out Bowery Ballroom. He had just seen his college friend play keys in one of the opening bands of the night, The Attic Ends and said he was thinking of returning to see headliner Black Taxi. He said I should come along. After dinner and having a couple of drinks in an amazing Soho artists flat, we scurried cross town and he walked me right in. I love my life!

When we arrived, Black Taxi was within minutes of going on. The place was packed wall to wall, and the energy was fantastic.  The audience had a vibrant mix of models, punks and indie rock types. As soon as the band took the stage, the crowd rumbled with cheer.

Setting them apart were the inclusion of a brass section, and individual trumpet lines in certain songs. There was a xylophone, a marching band style bass drum and keyboards.  The overall sound was vibrant and colorful. The lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Ezra, was shirtless with colorful body paint and a black hand print on his torso. At one point, he made his way off stage, through the crowd to the balcony with a bullhorn.  He then climbed over the balcony rails to the main floor. The guitarist joked, "I think we're missing somebody!"  It still hurts me I couldn't get my camera out for that one.