Shooting for the moon

The band Moon Taxi started as a group of “buddies that wanted to play music” in college. More than a decade later, the band members — including Vestavia Hills natives Tommy Putnam, Trevor Terndrup and Tyler Ritter — are still buddies, but they’re now playing on national and global stages.

“We’re excited to see the success that has come about over 10 years of very hard work,” Ritter said.

Ritter knew of Putnam and Terndrup while they were students at Vestavia Hills High School and the duo played in a band called Apex. Putnam and Terndrup graduated and went to Belmont University in Nashville in 2002, while Ritter graduated and came to Belmont in 2004.

By the time Ritter arrived at college, Putnam (bass) and Terndrup (vocals and guitar) had formed Moon Taxi with bandmate Spencer Thomson (guitar). Ritter met the band at a party and, as he describes it, “kind of weaseled my way in” to becoming their drummer in 2006. The group added Wes Bailey (keyboard) in 2007.

“We have been the same five guys ever since,” Ritter said.

Ritter has played the drums for more than 20 years and was part of multiple bands in high school. Being part of Moon Taxi was something different.

“Moon Taxi is my first and only serious and successful group,” Ritter said. “I was just impressed by the musicality, I was impressed by the songs they were writing.”

Moon Taxi started as many college bands do, playing small gigs at local bars. Ritter was the youngest of the band, which occasionally presented a problem.

“I was under 21 when I started playing with them, and they would have to sneak me into bars every now and then to play a show,” he said.

Their following started to grow, first in the Southeast, then with performances in California and Colorado. By around 2014, Ritter said, they had gained some name recognition on the east coast, due in part to a 2013 appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

Appearances on “Conan,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and use of their song “The New Black” in a BMW commercial helped Moon Taxi get industry attention, Ritter said. They have also appeared at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Hangout Fest, and the band has been touring with their album “Daybreaker” for the past two years.

“All of our success has been very gradual,” Ritter said.

The release of their single “Two High” in spring 2017, Ritter said, caused a spike in popularity. It also gave them the chance to go on a brief European tour — including Germany, Sweden and Norway — for the first time right before Thanksgiving.

“We have a demand for us now in Europe,” Ritter said.

Moon Taxi’s newest album, “Let the Record Play” is set to release on Jan. 19. Ritter said they produced the album themselves, a throwback to the band’s early days when Thomson would mix and master their records.

“We’ve gone back to how we used to make records, which was very much in-house,” Ritter said.

Ritter said he wants to keep seeing Moon Taxi’s audience grow, and they have a full slate of festivals and other appearances lined up for 2018. Even after playing for 10 years together, Ritter said the members of Moon Taxi still have a strong relationship.

“We’re family at this point. I love getting to do what I do with those guys,” Ritter said.