by Ed. NimmervollAustralian harmony quartet Taxiride distance themselves from the choreographed dancing vocal "boy bands" of their time, seeing themselves stylistically more as an updated version of Crosby Stills Nash and Young, but definitely a band rather than a group of individuals. 　　For the three years prior to coming together Tim Watson, Tim Wild, Jason Singh, and Dan Hall had separately cut their teeth playing around Melbourne's extensive live music scene, making a living and learning songcraft from the inside out by performing the hits five nights a week in cover bands. When the two Tims first hooked up, they immediately began writing and recording original songs on the spot. Finding a need for another voice they auditioned Jason Singh, and the many months of woodsheding of songs continued. The wildcard arrived when Tim Wild came upon Dan Hall busking on the sidewalk at his local street market. Hall joined the rest of the group in the studio, writing and developing songs which for the moment were only heard by themselves and their family and friends. 　　A friend who was a cab driver made a habit of testing songs on his passengers. The first time anyone outside the group heard their songs was when the music went on its "taxi ride". Courtesy of another friend another tape found its way to a Sire Records executive in the US, leading to the unusual situation where Taxiride was signed to a US recording contract while still unheard and unknown at home. In mid 1998 the group went into the Los Angeles studio of producer Jack Joseph Puig (Jellyfish, Goo Goo Dolls, Semisonic). The resulting Imaginate album became a platinum seller in Australia. The group's first single, "Get Set" is heavily featured in the movie Elected. Get Set and Can You Feel appeared in fall 2000.