Locust Street Taxi celebrates 15 years of joyous stage performances, eclectic compositions and improvised songs with TaxiFest V, taking place this Saturday in Chimacum.

The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., Nov. 19 at the Chimacum High School auditorium, 91 W. Valley Road.

Locust Street Taxi is known for having too much fun on stage, and for inspiring adults and children to laughter, dancing, attempts at one-armed push-ups, singing, horn playing and other romantic activities – like getting married and purchasing insurance. The group’s original music sounds like it was written by the Beatles, arranged by Paul Simon and improved by the Muppets, the band says.

The group was in 2015 voted “Best Performance Group” in Jefferson County.

Fans of the group have come to love its members for their spontaneity and huge dynamic range, according to a press release, from stage antics such as wall climbing, stage hopping, bovine trombone explosions and suburban Caucasian rap parodies to sincere and embarrassing love songs complete with three-part harmonies.

Locust Street Taxi – currently composed of Franco Bertucci, Nathan Geyer and Port Townsend natives James Porter and Sam Stockard – has performed throughout the Northwest, as far south as San Diego and as far east as North Carolina.

The band was formed in 2001 in Centralia, Washington. Founding members Bertucci, Geyer and Mario Pesacreta were music students at Centralia Community College at the time. The band’s first drummer, Collin MacCleod, and first bass player, Darick Baker, were also students at the college.

Port Townsend native Sam Stockard toured one summer with Locust Street Taxi in 2005 and joined the band for good in 2008.

“Sam has played more LST shows than all 11 of our previous drummers combined,” said Bertucci.

Stockard, now living in Winthrop, Washington, was instrumental in bringing another PT native, James Porter, on board as the new bass player in 2010. Porter has been with Locust Street Taxi ever since and now lives in Seattle as a programmer.

Stockard and Porter have known each other and been playing music together since second grade. They provide a seamless and compelling rhythm foundation for the craziness that is Locust Street Taxi.

Geyer, a native of Olympia, now lives in Las Vegas and teaches music at Desert Oasis High School. Bertucci lives in Quilcene where he raises children, works on the family farm and teaching local music classes.

TaxiFest V continues the Locust Street Taxi tradition of holding a festival celebrating itself, its favorite county to perform in and, this year, 15 years of bandhood.

As per TaxiFest tradition, a giant, taxi-shaped piñata takes the stage at intermission. Danny Milholland of Thunderbull Productions said he will lead kids in the audience ages 11 and younger in the bashing of the piñata, full of Elevated Ice Cream Co. candy paired with dental hygiene products donated by dentist David Chuljian.

Tom Brown of HiYu Productions is to run the sound board. He has recorded two studio albums for the band and runs live sound at enough Locust Street Taxi events that the group considers him to be part of the band.

Pesacreta, former group member and trumpet player, also joins the band on stage, Milholland said.

TAXI SONGS

Locust Street Taxi plans to relearn some favorite taxi songs from its past as a special treat for fans. If you have a request for the concert, email it to

locuststreettaxi@gmail.com and the band will consider it, Milholland said.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for youths 13-18, and free for kids ages 12 and younger. Tickets are available for purchase at Crossroads Music, the Quilcene Village Store and online at

taxifest.brownpapertickets.com. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.