A&E

Playing Favorites with Like Trains & Taxis

by Dege Legg

New Jersey's Like Trains & Taxis sit down for a round of Playing Favorites.

New Jersey's Like Trains & Taxis play soulified, indie pop for hipsters and wallflowers who ain't afraid to get introspective and move their booty. Take some Stevie (Wonder, not Nicks), toss in some eclectic vocal melodics courtesy of frontman Chris Harris, throw in some Jersey turnpike world weariness, shake it up with Owen Susman's entirely too rad bass lines, pop in the rhythmic assault of Mike Del Priore, and shake & stir. It's like crazy magic, baby. It's all there. All you have to do is go see it...and you will believe it. Like Trains & Taxis play Artmosphere on Sunday, June 6.

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PLAYING FAVORITES WITH OWEN OF LIKE TRAINS & TAXIS**

White meat vs. dark meat?
I prefer a healthy mix of the two, but if I was stranded on a desert island and had to choose it would probably be dark meat.

Leon Russell vs. Leon Redbone?
I am going to forget that I've heard either artists work and choose solely on how cool their names are. Of course that means Leon Redbone.

Favorite Record of Past 10 Years?
Nine Inch Nails, Year Zero. I've always had a special place in my heart for Trent Reznor, and while I am not claiming it's the best album made in the last ten years I will say I prefer it to any other.

Favorite Worst Movie Ever Made?
The Untouchables with Kevin Costner. Man that movie is bad. I think my favorite thing about how bad it is, is that it is set during the time of Al Capone and there is this cheesy 80s music as the soundtrack. Whew like a train wreck, can't take my eyes of it.

Favorite Nutty Historical Figure?
Alexander Hamilton. This is a guy who told the press about his sex scandal way after it happened just so Jefferson couldn't leak it first. Hamilton actually thought that people wouldn't mind what he did as long as he didn't use government money to do it. It was political suicide.

Favorite Nick-Name for Significant Other?
Babe. I guess I've listened to too much Bob Dylan.

Weapon of choice?
Jewish guilt. Trust me, that sh*t's powerful.

Least favorite indie rock song ever written? Why?
"10,000 butterflies" or at least I think that's the name of that Owl City song. If we want to start commercializing indie music this would be a good template to work off of. The dude sounds like the guy from Death Cab and the whole thing is so contrived it makes me so angry. I just want too punch his vagina. (deep breaths). I mean it's just not my cup of tea.

Favorite Truck Stop food when on tour?
Cliff bars. I eat around 3-5 a day. I wouldn't be able to survive without them.

Most necessary item to bring on tour?
I bring something meaningful from everyone in my family, including my ancestors. It's superstitious but I freak out if I can't find one of them. Besides that, I have to take at least one episode of MASH and a Charlie Chaplin film. This tour it's City Lights.

Favorite icon who isn't a musician?
Charlie Chaplin. That man had style. Watch The Circus and you'll never feel lonely again.

Trains vs. Taxis?
Trains. I once took a train from NYC to Portland OR. Took three days and I was drunk the whole time. Hey if you're on a train for three days with nothing to do, you'd be loaded too.

Tolstoy vs. Turgenev?
Dostoevsky. Crime and Punishment may very well be the best murder novel ever written.  It got so deep in my head I had to take a weekend in the country before I could go back to Brooklyn, which is where I was living at the time.

North Jersey vs. South Jersey?
Central Jersey.  Best of all possible worlds.