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A Look into the Soul Behind Lick My Soul with Jesus Christ Taxi Driver

Read The Full Interview Here…

“I feel like the music has a weight to it, but I also don’t think it takes itself too seriously.”

Jesus Christ Taxi Driver is a staple indie rock band to the Northern Colorado music scene and one that is relatively new. Having started in May 2022, the band’s trajectory is exponential and they are already planning a winter tour after releasing their debut album, Lick My Soul in July. You can read the whole review of their live album release, but the highlights are that this band packs a frenzied and melodic punch. Their song “Poultrygeist” captures the swirling, ceaselessness that sits consistently in the background of the album. Combined with the despondently religious lyrics, Jesus Christ Taxi Driver manages to sneak some cultivated art into what at first glance appears to be a flippant indie album. It’s hard to compare Jesus Christ Taxi Driver to any other bands, they have captured a unique mixture of indie rock that translates from live to recorded. Songs like “Goat Hell” have a blithe snark to them that becomes more artistic than actually snarky when paired with the balls-to-the-walls energy supplied by their live performances.

“It’s like frenetic like whatever comes out like comes out and it’s like as stupid as this is, maybe that’s like what I’m feeling or something. Anyway, that’s how the record came about.”

If you have the chance to meet their lead singer, Ian Earhart, you will realize that there is no act on stage, his all-smiles pandemonium is as heartwarming as it is authentic. It highlights one of the major aspects of Jesus Christ Taxi Driver’s music that I find so important: the no-judgment connection, throw-yourself-into-the-experience welcomeness that they have managed to capture not only through their music but also through their presence on stage. Indie rock bands like Jesus Christ Taxi Driver have a delicate line to walk around capturing that chaotic energy to their music and performances. Flying too close to the sun results in shows that are sloppy or unfocused, and dipping close to the ocean loses the authenticity behind their energy. Their debut album walks along this line, and I think that is part of why people are so entranced by them. They manage to walk this line without dipping too far into either end.

“It’s not like anybody’s trying to prove themselves or anything. It’s just really about having a good time and then it kind of unfolds naturally.”

I am interested to see where Jesus Christ Taxi Driver continues to develop their sound. Their debut album is indulgent, a generous mixture of garage rock and sleaze. They saturate their songs with sharp guitar tones and drums, the songs catchy in the way indie songs are. At-ease vocals drawl over their melodies, singing of rock n roll. “Ding Dong The Beeves are Dead” sucks you in, spins you around, and spits you out feeling flustered. It seems physically impossible not to dance along to “Diabolical Catholic” and its chorus, the guitar tone chewy and sticky. As they continue their journey with touring, I look forward to seeing where the creative direction goes as they begin to work on songs together.

Read More on Jesus Christ Taxi Driver…

Interview

Q: Let’s start with your name, what you do in the band, and a fun fact.

Ian: My name is Ian Earhart. I play guitar and sing in the band. My fun fact is that I’m neurotic and scared of everything.
Riley: I am Riley. I play bass guitar and sing in the band. My fun fact is that I like when Colin brings me pedals, and I like when other bands let me play through their amps.
Colin: I am Colin Kelly. I play guitar and sing in the band. My fun fact is that I love coddling these three young men here.
Will: I’m Will Earhart. I play the drums and do background vocals. A fun fact about anything or about myself? The Florida Everglades are the only ecosystem in South Florida to host both crocodiles and alligators in the same ecosystem.
Colin: In Florida or like in the world?
Will: *thinks about it* In the world.

(I fact-checked for everyone, Will is in fact correct about this.)

Q: You guys started in May 2022, over a year now. You guys have had some pretty big successes. How are you feeling about your trajectory as a band?

Ian: It feels really good. You know, it’s kind of scary transitioning after the pandemic to doing something new. I feel like we all work really well together, and we have a good time, and we are generally good communicators. So, we end up having really fun shows and it feels worthwhile and fun. So, yeah, I feel really excited about everything that’s happening, especially this show. This is like, I’ve never been this excited for a show in my life, cause I love this band, A Giant Dog.

Q: Is that where you get your influences, your own personal taste? Do you juggle with the others? Like, the other members of the bands, like, how do you guys decide where the sound goes?

Ian: We all have some through-line stuff, except for Riley, just kidding. I mean me, Riley, and Colin are definitely more like, well actually, Will’s also on a jazz level. But, I feel like Will’s and I’s tastes collide the most since we’re brothers, and we just kind of grew up with the same stuff.

Q: Do you guys have more background in music? What does your background in music look like?

Ian: Yeah, playing music is the only thing I know how to do.
Colin: Yeah, I do have a background in music, I went to college for music and it didn’t get me anywhere until Jesus Christ Taxi Driver picked me up out of the gutter.

Q: How did you guys meet? Obviously, Ian and Will are brothers.

Will: During the pandemic, Ian had recorded a record and I guess he was looking to play it live and we sort of just started forming this band. Ian and I at first and then Colin came along at the very beginning as well. We went through a few bassists and picked up Riley and now we’re kind of writing more together and playing all sorts of songs.

Q: I personally think you guys have incredible chemistry on stage, how do you deal with arguments or disagreements? How do you keep the chemistry going?

Riley: Ian actually says I hurt him on stage a lot.
Ian: That’s true, I do get kicked in the ribs quite a bit. We just had to talk about this last night, Will says that I am mean to Riley, but I don’t think I am.
Will: Sometimes Riley and Ian on stage, I can’t tell if it’s like serious. One time Riley kicked Ian in the shin and then Ian went back and almost punched him or something and I’m like I can’t tell if it’s for real sometimes. I think it’s just for show.
Ian: Yeah *laughs*. I think the chemistry has taken just being around each other. I think after we toured for the first time altogether we all settled in with each other and then kind of compounded.

Q: Yeah, you guys went on a summer tour and I just saw you announced a winter tour. Are you excited about that? Do you like touring?

Colin: Yeah, we are headed out in like two weeks? Yeah, the 16th to the Midwest, and then in December we’re gonna head to the Northwest and yeah, that’s the plan. I mean I like touring, we seem to all like touring and I think it’s there are some markets in the Midwest where we’ve made a lot of friends and it’s nice to go and hopefully people start to be happy when we come to town.

Q: You guys also released an album, for the release show you did an incredible job, what was it like recording Lick My Soul?

Colin: Basically, I recorded a record and then Ian came in and took all my good ideas and recorded Lick My Soul.
Ian: *laughs* It’s inspired by Colin greatly, he’s like the Beatles to me. No, it was just a weird transition period. After our pandemic stuff had happened and feeling very lost and without a band. I got the opportunity to take studio time and so I took it rather than curl up into a ball and just lament everything. So, I ended up having to hire musicians and Will did some work on it and Colin did some work on it. We didn’t really know Riley back then, he was just a fan. I hired the Yawpers to play on it and just wrote those songs really quick. Cause it was just like we have next month available, can you do it or not? I was like I don’t have any songs but ok I’ll do it. So, I just was trying to write songs really quick and that’s the way I like doing it too. It’s the frenetic like whatever comes out like comes out and it’s like as stupid as this is maybe that’s what I’m feeling or something. Anyway, that’s how the record came about. A week in the Ole Dirt Bar, that’s what the studio is called.

Q: Yeah, there’s quite a bit of religious imagery throughout the entire album, was that on purpose or a happy coincidence?

Ian: No, I mean, some of the songs when I wrote them we didn’t have a band name so we were just really you know trying to figure out what to call the band for a long time. There was already a lot of religious imagery in the songs as was there in our last band just our name didn’t like scream religion. So, I think weirdly the name came completely unrelated from any of the songs or anything even though we grew up as Catholic. I guess you know we grew up with it in the background and for me at least it was just a lot of contradiction in the Bible and things that didn’t really align with my values. I think I actually worked through some stuff because I felt like I used to be a lot more angry at religion and like, oh my gosh, there’s another mass shooter or something and they’re driven by religion or something like that. I don’t know I was just kind of jaded with the whole thing and now I’m like I understand religion and I appreciate it for what it does for certain people. At the time I was just kind of angry at it a little bit but I was also just figuring it out for myself all those songs came from. Then the name, completely unrelated, Will and I went to Mexico and our taxi driver was named Jesus, it was like hey it’s like Jesus Christ Super Star. At first, it was just Jesus Taxi Driver, but that doesn’t really roll off the tongue very well. I like the idea of Jesus like getting you where you need to go.

Q: Colin, you said you had a bit of writing in that album as well, tell me about that.

Colin: Yeah, no, I actually had nothing to do with the record. I made a record right before Lick My Soul was made and Ian was in the studio hanging out writing Lick My Soul when my record was getting tracked.

Q: Do you find these different projects and avenues tie together for you personally or do you separate them in your mind?

Colin: That’s interesting. I think that’s a case-to-case basis. The record I made right before Lick My Soul feels akin to Lick My Soul in some very strange ways I don’t fully understand and Ian and I are going to have a conversation about that. The music that I made before that is very very different and doesn’t feel in line with Jesus Christ Taxi Driver. Especially considering, I don’t know, the timing in my own personal life.
Riley: Also, the fact that it was recorded in the same studio, same producer. I mean that studio has a sound.
Colin: Yes, it was touched by the same hands. So, they’re very different but definitely hear the similarities.

Q: Do you guys have a favorite song to play? A favorite off the album?

Will: I like Ding Dong.
Riley: Roger.
Ian: Stupidmotherfucker. Oh, go tell. Actually, Lana Del Rey now.

Q: What makes you different from the other genres of other bands in Fort Collins? What do you think makes Jesus Christ Taxi Driver, Jesus Christ Taxi Driver?

Riley: I feel like the music has a weight to it, but I also don’t think it takes itself too seriously. I do feel like you can feel when you watch a band on stage and they kind of like, it’s about the gravitas, I guess. It’s just kind of fun to be a part of something that’s not as high stakes or something. You know it’s not like anybody’s trying to prove themselves or anything. It’s just really about having a good time and then it kind of unfolds naturally. Is how I feel…
Ian: No, I agree. I think it’s that perfect mixture of comedic arrogance.

Q: Another thing I write about is community, especially within Northern Colorado and the music scene. What do you think makes Northern Colorado special or not special?

Will: I think Fort Collins, especially, as a community is very supportive of music whereas in Denver or Boulder, it’s like there’s something missing. Fort Collins, I feel like you can start a band and you can just start playing wherever you want. Which is a good thing and a bad thing I guess.
Ian: I think everyone has a common goal and everything like everybody’s trying to raise each other up. Of course, there comes times when everybody will try to tear each other down but that’s not a positive aspect. I don’t know why that happens, it’s like people who feel competitive and they treat each other like shit sometimes. Fort Collins though is very supportive like what Elke did last weekend to raise money for Doctors without Borders and then my friend Jesse Reed raised money for Planned Parenthood, everybody’s using their platforms for good causes.
Colin: I think the listeners in Fort Collins are really nice. The listeners, the people that aren’t necessarily participating as artists but participating as listeners are just incredibly big-hearted and it warms us as artists and it makes our lives a little easier.
Riley: I just feel like the fact that everything is a little bit closer together in Fort Collins and Greeley and that’s their advantage. Like I live in Denver, and if I have to drive like 15 minutes to get to a venue, which isn’t a huge obstacle, but it will make me not go to a show. In Fort Collins, just about anywhere you live, you can walk to any place you want to see anybody you want and so as a result people will go to shows.