Tiger Army

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tiger Army

Tiger Army performing at Warped Tour 2007
Background information
Genres Psychobilly, punk rock, alternative rock, horror punk, rock n' roll, cowpunk
Years active 1996–present
Labels Chapter Eleven, Hellcat Records
Website www.tigerarmy.com
Members Nick 13
Geoff Kresge
James Meza
Past members Joel Day
Adam Carson
London May
Fred Hell
Jeff Roffredo

Tiger Army is an American psychobilly band that was formed in 1995 in Berkeley, California.[1][2] Its constant member and lead songwriter is singer/guitarist Nick 13. The other band members are Geoff Kresge (upright bass and backing vocals) and James Meza (drums). The band have released four studio albums and one EP. Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres.

History

Tiger Army played their first show at the 924 Gilman Street venue in Berkeley, California, on March 29, 1996. The band went on to popularize the psychobilly genre in North America. [citation needed] The band's sound draws from early punk, rock n' roll and rockabilly, as well as dark English pop. Nick 13's emphasis on melody and his lyrical inspirations from various types of literature have helped to distinguish them from some of the more "novelty" aspects the psychobilly genre sometimes embraces. The band's first official release was a self-titled vinyl record EP, now referred to as the Temptation EP. The record was released by Chapter 11 Records. This EP caught the attention of Tim Armstrong, co-owner of Hellcat Records, who signed the band.

Tiger Army recorded their first full-length, the self-titled Tiger Army, in January 1999. It was released that October. Stand-up bassist Joel Day left Tiger Army before the band was signed, so the Quakes stand-up bassist Rob Peltier was hired to play on the album. Drummer Adam Carson of AFI (band), who had been helping out the band live, played on the record, as well. The band then embarked on a California mini-tour promoting the album in 1999. Then in 2000 Nick 13 asked former AFI (band) bassist Geoff Kresge, one of his former bandmates from Influence 13, to join Tiger Army. Ex-Samhain drummer London May came on board as well.

Tiger Army II: Power of Moonlite followed in 2001. Fred Hell replaced London May shortly after the recording. The band toured with TSOL, The Damned (band), Dropkick Murphys and others in support of the record and went to Europe and Japan for the first time on the album as well. The band's friend and drum tech Mike Fasano played on the next Tiger Army album, Tiger Army III: Ghost Tigers Rise, when Hell was unable to record or tour behind the album. Nick 13 announced a new line-up for Tiger Army, featuring drummer James Meza and stand-up bassist Jeff Roffredo, formerly of Los Angeles psychobilly bands Cosmic Voodoo, Calavera, and The Rezurex in 2004. This lineup supported Social Distortion on an extensive US tour.

In spring, 2005, the band headlined a string of five sold out shows at the Hollywood House Of Blues. The following year, the band sold out four nights at the Anaheim House Of Blues. They also hit the road with Morrissey and AFI (band) performed several headlining tours around the world.

Nick 13 performing at a Warped Tour.

Tiger Army made major festival appearances across the US and Europe in support of their fourth album, titled Music from Regions Beyond. The album was released on June 5, 2007[3] and was produced by Jerry Finn.[4] "Forever Fades Away" went to #1 on Los Angeles rock station KROQ FM, which Tiger Army performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live and at radio festivals like "BFD." Publications like New York Times and Spin covered the band for the first time, as well.

Geoff Kresge returned to Tiger Army in early 2008 and joined Nick 13 and drummer James Meza on tours of the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan and Europe. The band launched a multi-night festival, Octoberflame, in Southern California in 2008, concluding two years of touring behind Music From Regions Beyond. Nick launched a solo project focused on Americana/country music in 2009, making his first live solo appearance at the Stagecoach Festival in 2010 in Indio, California. Tiger Army continued to appear at Octoberflame each year, as well as in cities like Las Vegas, San Diego, Tempe, Costa Mesa and the MusInk Festival. On June 7, 2011 Nick 13 released his solo album on Sugar Hill Records. Tiger Army has been less active while 13 has built his solo career in the Americana world.

Tiger Army played their largest standalone headlining show to date at the Orange County Fair in 2011. In March/April 2012, the band performed two shows in Southern California and one in Las Vegas dubbed "Spring Forward." Octoberflame V followed with 6 shows in 5 cities.[5] In December, 2012, Tiger Army announced "Spring Forward 2013," which took place in March, 2013 in San Diego, Ventura, CA and Las Vegas.[6] The band played a radio show in Arizona around the same time.

Octoberflame VI will take place in October, 2013 at City National Grove of Anaheim on October 25 and October 26.[7] The two back-to-back shows have been advertised as Tiger Army's last shows of 2013.[8] The Octoberflame events have become known for varied set lists that explore deep cuts and cover songs, special guests and diverse support acts running the gamut of rock, alt-rock, punk, hardcore, psychobilly, industrial, rockabilly and more.

Band members

Current
  • Nick 13 – lead vocals and guitars (since 1996)
  • Geoff Kresge – upright bass, backing vocals (2000–2004, since 2008)
  • James Meza – drums, percussion (since 2004)
Former
  • Joel Day – upright bass (1996–1997)
  • Adam Carson – drums, percussion (1996–1999, one show in 2008, 2 songs in 2012)
  • London May – drums, percussion (2000–2001)
  • Fred Hell – drums, percussion (2002–2004)
  • Jeff Roffredo – upright bass (2004–2008)
Session
Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

  • 1997: Temptation EP
  • 2002: Early Years EP
  • 2004: Ghost Tigers EP

Compilations

References

  1. ↑ "Tiger Army Biography". Tigerarmy.com. Retrieved 2011-07-15. 
  2. ↑ "Psychobilly bands - Tiger Army". Wreckingpit.com. 2009-06-06. Retrieved 2011-07-15. 
  3. ↑ "Tiger Army Discography". Tigerarmy.com. Retrieved 2011-07-15. 
  4. ↑ "Tiger Army News". Tigerarmy.com. Retrieved 2011-07-15. 
  5. ↑ "Tiger Army News". Tigerarmy.com. Retrieved 2012-08-06. 
  6. ↑ "Tiger Army News". Tigerarmy.com. Retrieved 2012-12-06. 
  7. ↑ "Orange County Register". Orange County Register. 2012-06-18. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 
  8. ↑ "Tiger Army News". Tigerarmy.com. Retrieved 2012-07-30. 

External links

Tiger Army
Studio albums
EPs
  • Temptation
  • Early Years
  • Ghost Tigers
Compilations
Related articles
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.