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roots. We went for a live, emotional feel, as most songs were done in 1 or 2 takes. Each member of Blue Taxi has had many influences, and with the addition of Kurt England, we were able to do more vocal harmonies, and a wider variety of musical styles that we'd always wanted to explore. We were also able to concentrate more on our songwriting technique… The 11 original songs on the CD, "Ridin' Shotgun", deal with various topics, and musical styles." - Bill "Cap" Capuano |
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Blue Taxi's "Ridin'Shotgun"
"Blue Taxi takes the best of country, and mixes it up with a great blues sound.
Excellent vocals from their female vocalist backed by fantastic guitar work."
~ From MusicTV.com's "Ridin' Shotgun" Blue Taxi Artist Notes
"A veteran
quartet, Blue Taxi stands at the crossroads of blues, rock, and country."
~ From
Shagbark
Record's "Twisted Country" MP3.com
Artist Notes
"This
combo is tighter than a Texas Tick that has been on the same dog for
two
years. Please forgive that visual scene, but the group is fantastic.
Billis
somewhere between Stevie Ray/Santana, but about the time you think
you
have him pegged, he will pull you into a rockabilly/swing/bluesy feel."
- Steve
"Big Daddy BluzHarp" Harvell - BluzHarpOn-Line
Review, Nov. 1999
CLICK
HERE For the Rest of "Big
Daddy BluzHarp's" Blue Taxi Review!
"I could
sum up this release in one word… AMAZING. Blue Taxi is a band
that
plays
with emotion, which is clearly evident on 'Ridin' Shotgun'. It's
obvious
that
this band has an honest love for the style of music they choose to play."
- Paul
Autry - From The
1/2
Creeper Magazine, Pennsylvania
"'Ridin'
Shotgun' is an appealing mixture of Rock/Pop/Blues. Irresistible
driving
rhythms
pump you up and get your body and soul in motion, while the guitar
cuts
its
way through your heart." - Keith Hannaleck
- MusicMan.com - Sept. 1999
"Good
playing and singing by three guys and a girl on a well-produced CD.
Is it
country,
blues, rock? Some of each. Even a nice cover of
the Beatles' "While My
Guitar
Gently Weeps". Most are Blue Taxi originals, though, and darned good
ones..
Song with
the most commercial potential: "She's Cold (Like The Winter)".
- Char
Whittaker - From the Renegade Newsletter,
Newport, Rhode Island
"Ohio-based
vets with an impressively wide range of material...blues swing, a
little
jazz, and rock (a cover of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"). The Taxi's
strong
musical presence is led by many-faceted guitarist Bill Capuano."
-
From Blues Access Magazine, Spring, 1999
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February '99 Cover Story! |
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They're Sayin' 'Bout Blue Taxi's 2nd CD… Ridin'Shotgun |
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Not Just The Blues Anymore...
Blue Taxi Stretch Out On Latest Release
by Mark Holan, Excerpted From SCENE Magazine, Vol.29-No.32, August 13-19, 1998
Although Blue Taxi's been known
primarily as a blues outfit, Ridin' Shotgun shows the band's
musical evolution into heretofore unreachable lyrical and exposing him
to different types of musimelodic areas. Bill gives his new bass
player credit for exposing him to different types of music.
"He's the one who turned me on to John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams and all
of that stuff," Bill says, "so he brought in a different kind of feel to
some of the songs that we'd always wanted to do. He sings well, so
we were able to do more vocal harmonies on this CD."
All of the songs on Ridin' Shotgun are band originals,
with the exceptions of covers of the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently
Weeps" and Quicksilver Messenger Service's "Gypsy Lights." The band has
been performing those covers live for a while, but when it came time to
actually record them, it was a different story. Interestingly enough, the
version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on the CD is a first take.
Blue
Taxi find themselves at a musical crossroads. "On this CD,
not every song has a scream-ing guitar lead," Bill concludes. "There are
some nice, melodic stuff. There are songs that are three minutes and under.
That's another side of us that we're never able to show. We're all big
Beatles fans; we tried to bring that side of our music out on this
CD."
"If I put any effects on my guitar, I get a look from Bob," Bill continues.
"It's pretty straight-forward. I like it because it brings out that style.
You have to play harder. There's no studio cover-ups on this CD.
It's all right there."
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SCENE Magazine's Regional Beat
Blue Taxi - Ridin' Shotgun
by Steve Byrne, Excerpted From SCENE Magazine, Vol.29-No.33, August 20-26, 1998
. If Clevelanders really believe their city is the rock and roll capital, they better get off this kick with Alan Freed and the fact that Elvis Presley played his first concert in the North at Brooklyn High School and start digging the rock that is coming out of the "Comeback City" now.
Blue Taxi would be an excellent place to start. Ridin' Shotgun, their second CD, has them riding on the Autobahn straight ahead and with no speed limit. Although the name would suggest we have a blues band here. Blue Taxi are a 1970's- style rock group that's merely influenced by the blues. Sometimes it's heavy, like when keyboardist Theresa Capuano does her best Bonnie Raitt on "Bait On A Hook", or when guitarist brother-in-law Bill Capuano sails through the rocking blues of "Little Mariah" or "Blues Avenue". New bassist Kurt England gives Blue Taxi a fourth strong songwriter.
There isn't much on this CD that misses. Even the mandolin-charged "Down That Road" fits in nicely among the guitar-laden rock, blues, and soul tunes.
Let's not allow the adjectives "local" or "regional" to be the kiss of death to Blue Taxi ... They need radio exposure. How about it, program directors in the Rock and Roll Capital?
Akron Beacon-Journal
Blue Taxi - Ridin' Shotgun CD Review
by Glenn Gamboa, Akron Beacon-Journal, August 13, 1998
The Peninsula quartet's CD runs the gamut from country-tinged rock of "It's Time for You to Go" to the blues-steeped cover of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", to the catchy swing of "She's Cold (Like the Winter)".
The versatility of Bill "Cap" Capuano's voice and guitar work, combined with the lovely vocals of Theresa Capuano, and the powerful rhythm section of bassist Kurt England, and drummer Bob Capuano, show why
Blue Taxi has built such a loyal following among fans and club owners.
Blue Taxi has opened for everyone from Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, to Peter Frampton and Pat Benatar...And it looks like their reputation will grow based on Ridin' Shotgun.
Local Band, Blue Taxi, Picking Up Speed,
Gaining On Ultimate Destination - Stardom…
Excerpts from an article that appeared in: The Twinsburg Bulletin, The News Leader, Bedford Times Register,
Maple Heights Press, Cuyahoga Falls News-Press, Hudson Hub-Times, Stow Sentry,
Tallmadge Express, Aurora Advocate, and The Gateway News
By Elaine T. Cicora, Correspondent, August 30, 1998
After 10 years of cruising down Northeast Ohio's musical highways and byways, and with two CD's fueling it's travels, Blue Taxi is still hoping for a head-on collision with stardom.
Blue Taxi (whose current lineup also includes Bill Capuano, his brother and drummer Bob; Bob's wife,vocalist and keyboard player Theresa; and bass player Kurt England), has opened for such musical big-guns as Brian Auger, Lynyrd Skynrd, ZZ Top, the Doobie Brothers and Pat Benatar.
They also warmed up the crowd for a John Mayall performance at Wilbert's in Cleveland, an experience Bill says was a highlight of his career.
"He's like 'IT' to us," he says, still awestruck at the memory. "He's one of our biggest influences ... And he just never talks to anyone. But after our set, he grinned at us and shook my hand and said we were good. It was great!
And in 1990, Bill, whose guitar playing has been favorably compared to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn, got to impersonate a major-league rocker when the group had a gig opening for Steppenwolf and Spirit in Indiana, when Spirit'sguitarist, Randy California, had missed his flight.
With about an hour of mostly original material, Ridin' Shotgun is a showcase for Bill's blistering guitar work and Theresa's rich, sinuous voice. All the band members shared the songwriting duties, and Bill says they had more original material than they needed for the 13-cut disc. "We started writing songs for it almost two years ago," Bill says. "We really wanted to concentrate on our own material and to include a lot of different styles of blues and rock." It only takes one listen to see that they succeeded. Cuts range in style from the classic ("Bait on a Hook") to the funky ("Something's Going On") to a rock-a-billy ("She's Cold") to the folk/blue-grass-y ("Down the Road"). The CD also includes spirited covers of George Harrison's classic "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", and Quicksilver Messenger Service's "Gypsy Lights".
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CD'sNowAvailable! Only$15.00 (Includes Shipping) Our 1st CD - The Meter's Running Is Still Available! $12.00 Blue Taxi T-Shirts Available! $15.00 - To Order Blue Taxi CD's/Stuff: MAIL a Check or Money Order - Payable to Blue Taxi - To: Blue Taxi - P.O. Box 163, Northfield, Ohio 44067 FREE Bumper Stickers Too!(Great for hidin' dem pesky rust spots!) |
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