Bandapalooza's First Winner Announced

, Black Taxi, a band from Brooklyn made up of lead vocalist, piano and trumpet player Ezra Huleatt, guitarist Bill Mayo, bassist Krisana Soponpong, and percussionist Jason Holmes, will take the stage as the first Bandapalooza winners to open for an Alive @ Five show this summer.

Black Taxi’s publicist, Stamford resident Nichole Nawfel, encouraged them to compete in Bandapalooza this year and has helped the band to build a fan base in the area.

“I've been going to Alive @ Five for several years now,” Nawfel told Patch. “ I knew the competition would be interesting since bands that are more local than Black Taxi could potentially draw more fans to the competition, but Black Taxi has been playing the Stamford market for a couple years now so they have established their own loyal, local following.”

Black Taxi began Bandapalooza at and followed up that win with the second round on Bedford Street.

“It went pretty smoothly, we got where we wanted to be,” Huleatt said. “It was very professional and everyone was super nice…on Bedford Street we had two sets, time to chat and get to know the other bands. We’re in Stamford every month or two, we’ve been building relationships with local places.”

Black Taxi will return to Rack 'n' Roll after their Alive @ Five performance to play another show on Thursday at 11 pm. There’s no time to rest, the group will be heading up to New Hampshire to play a wedding the following day.

"We're excited, we love outdoor festivals,” Huleatt said."We'll be ready to roll."

Black Taxi is having a productive summer, they're also currently at work on a new album due out in early fall of this year.

“We believe in albums. I'm one of the few people that still buys albums," Huleatt said."We're in a generation that's very singles-driven...we haven't put an album out in awhile, but we always have stuff coming out."

As for Thursday, Black Taxi is enjoying the ride, excited to grow their presence in Stamford the way they have taken on New York City and Boston, sharing their love of their music and the joy of performing live.

“There's no downside," Huleatt laughed. "We have the momentum."

Voting continues to decide the remaining two winners of Bandapalooza, with the competition down to Stalking Sally versus The Mike Cusato band and The Adam Currie Band versus The Mad Things featuring the Good Doctor.