Fresh off a two-night New Year’s run at the Exit/In in Nashville, Moon Taxi will kick off their tour in Bowling Green on Friday night at Tidball’s. Lead singer Trevor Terndrup sat down with the Herald to discuss the band’s Bowling Green roots and their new record, Cabaret, due out Feb. 7.

Herald: Many bands never think of Bowling Green as an option when planning their tours. What brings Moon Taxi back time and time again?

Terndrup: Bowling Green is almost like a second home to us. It was one of the first places we ever played out live. It wasn’t at Tidball’s — it was at a place called Froggy’s. This was a couple of years back. Our guitarist, Spencer Thomson, is from Bowling Green. So when we were starting out we would just invite all of our friends out to shows. So it helped that he was from Bowling Green because we could get more people to come out.

Herald: Where does Tidball’s rank as a venue for Moon Taxi?

Terndrup: Tidball’s holds a special place in our hearts, just because it’s very different to play there. You’re right there on ground level playing for people, and you just really feel like you’re part of the party. It’s just a great sense of community. It ranks up there. It’s definitely a spot we will always remember.

Herald: Are you hoping to come back to Starry Nights Music Festival this year?

Terndrup: I hope so. We’ve been there since the first year. We headlined the first year and the second year. We didn’t headline the third year but we got a good time slot, and that’s when we broke out the light set.

Herald: Do you have any favorite Bowling Green bands?

Terndrup: We know a bunch of Bowling Green bands, but the guys that we go back the furthest with — our best buds — are the guys from Canago. They’re just really good friends and I think our guitarist is working with them on producing their next album.

Herald: You’re opening on Galactic for a few dates in April. How did that come about?

Terndrup: I think their manager heard our new record (“Cabaret“) that’s about to come out, and they were impressed by it and wanted us to come play with them.

Herald: What can you tell us about “Cabaret”?

Terndrup: It’s definitely a mature studio record. We went into it not wanting to play these songs like we play them live. We really thought about what would be appropriate and what would make the best studio record. In the past we’ve written songs based around what will really get people going wild when we play it live. I think it will change your mindset to make a really good studio record, and we did, in order to prove to ourselves that we can be more than just a great live band.

Herald: Are you planning to do a CD release show when “Cabaret” comes out?

Terndrup: We’re doing a show at 3rd and Lindsley. It’s on a Sunday, but it’s one of those live broadcast shows where Lightning 100 broadcasts a live feed. We were thinking that would be a cool way to do the release show as opposed to a huge blow out at the Exit In.

Herald: You guys have been on the brink of success for the past two years. Are you hoping “Cabaret” will be the definitive step forward for Moon Taxi?

Terndrup: That’s a pretty accurate assessment. Big things don’t really happen overnight, I mean, unless you’re going to be a Top 40 band. Our rise has been very slow and gradual, and it really makes us appreciate the journey. I definitely think this studio record will get us to the next level. People don’t really know us as a band that can make great records. They know us as a band that puts on a live show. I want us to have elements of both.

Herald: What can people expect from the show?

Terndrup: I’m not really sure what we’re going to do. We haven’t written a set list yet, but it will be a fun energetic show. Maybe we will play some of the stuff that we played on New Year’s for the people that didn’t get to come down.