Static Taxi
Static Taxi was a post-punk band formed in the late 1980s by Bob Stinson, former lead guitarist of The Replacements, and members of Uptown from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Static Taxi officially formed on June 1, 1988. John Reipas (drums) and Ray Reigstad (vocals) had been playing with Bob Stinson since the spring/summer of 1986, when Bob was still the lead guitarist for the band The Replacements. Bob was subsequently kicked out of The Replacements in 1986.
Static Taxi originally played Guess Who covers in the basement of 3017 Garfield Ave S (which they called "Rhythms"), where they eventually forged their own sound.
Two years later, with Texas transplant Chris Corbett on bass, Static Taxi started rehearsing in an abandoned train boxcar near the University of Minnesota campus in southeast Minneapolis. It was a collection of vacant boxcars that were rented out to various artists and musicians. It was also home to a number of homeless Vets. One named Hillbilly actually makes an appearance on the album Stinson Blvd, singing "Hillbilly's Lament"
Static Taxi recorded two albums before folding in 1991. Stinson died in 1995, while vocalist Ray Reigstad went on to form the band Stepchild.
Five years after Bob's death "Stinson Blvd" by Static Taxi was released on Rock X-Change Records. In 2003 Birdman Records released "Closer2Normal" by Static Taxi.
There is a park bench near Lake of the Isles (South end, between the bridges) in Uptown Minneapolis dedicated to Bob. It was one of his favorite spots.