Tiger Army

Armed with a storming new record and a touring schedule that’ll see them on the road until 2008, Tiger Army are all set to take things to the next level.

Main man Nick 13 took some time out to answer these questions…

Interview w/ Tiger Army (USA)

by Cameron Chambers

Monday June 18^th

2007

Hey mate, thanks for speaking

with us today. 

No problem, how are you? 

Good thanks man, where are

you calling from? 

I’m back home in Los Angeles

at the moment. 

Did you guys just get back

from tour? 

Well, since the record’s been

out we’ve been doing the odd show here and there. We actually just

got back from Detroit where we did a MySpace secret show which was pretty

cool. 

Awesome, how was that? 

Yeah, it was a really fun show.

The place was pretty small, I think it was about a 200 person capacity

venue and we flew over for that one show but it was really fun. 

“Music From Regions Beyond”

and pre-production right through to the completion of the record. 

Let’s see. In 2005 – not too

long after we came back from Australia actually – we sort of finished

up the main touring on the last record. We’d bee on the road for a

few years straight and I was feeling a little burnt out. 

Once we came off the road we began

writing for the next record. Little by little I started to get a collection

of songs that I liked. I don’t really believe in forcing the writing

process. Certain bands use a time frame and I don’t find that to be

a productive way to work. You may be able to write an album if you’re

working to a set time frame but it might not be that great. You can’t

force inspiration. 

The writing period gradually became

longer while I waited for that inspiration to come.  

In 2006 we did some shows to stay

in touch with the live experience but we ended up getting a lot of great

tour offers that were too good to knock back. 

We ended up doing some shows with

Morrissey which was great and some shows with our friends in AFI but

little by little we had enough songs that I felt passionately about.

Jerry Fin ended up coming to the practice space and was a fan right

away. We went into the studio and did 6 day weeks – about 10 hours

a day – and then 3 months later we had our best album. 

Were there any prominent influences

song writing this time round? 

I wouldn’t say there were any

new influences but some of the influences that had been bubbling under

the surface for the last record have become more prominent. 

This record definitely has more

pronounced dark wave and 1980’s British dark pop influences. It’s

always been there in the lyrics but I guess this time round it became

more prominent. A song like “As The Cold Rain Falls” is a great

example of that. 

At the same time, we still have

some fast and aggressive tracks on the new record. I got in touch with

my 80’s hardcore roots and stuff that I was listening to as a kid.

At the same time, it’s still pretty diverse.  

A lot of bands aren’t 100%

you satisfied that you guys have made the best record you could? 

That’s a good point. I’m really

quite happy with this record. I mean, I’m proud of all our records

but with each of our previous albums there’s always been a few things

I’d change with each of them. With this “Music From Regions Beyond”

it’s the first time that nothing really comes to mind that I’d like

to change. I’m really please with how it turned out! 

How do you think

“Music From Regions Beyond” stands up against other Tiger Army records? 

For me it’s the best one. It’s

got the strongest collection of songs in terms of song writing. Each

record has a song or two that’s not so hot, whereas I stand behind

every song on this record. 

As far as playing live goes, it’s

the best material to play – in terms of line up, the way everything

gels, the way our rhythm sections locks together, in terms of sonics,

it absolutely sounds the best and has the biggest tones. 

For me it’s my favourite! 

This was the first time that

like Jerry Fin’s? 

At first it was definitely intimidating.

The first night he came to practice to hear the new material I was a

little nervous, I just hoped he liked what he heard! 

That went away very quickly though

because Jerry liked the new songs right away. I’d gotten to know him

through working on the last AFI record so by the time we started the

Tiger Army record I felt like I knew him really well.  

We had a very easy working relationship

and we had a lot of fun. He definitely helped make it into a much stronger

record than if he hadn’t been involved. 

How differently would the record

have turned out if Jerry wasn’t handling the production duties? 

It’s hard to say. Song wise,

it wouldn’t have been incredibly different but there’s no question

that it wouldn’t sound as good. Jerry has a great ear for tone and

just has great ideas on how to record. He’s got great equipment as

well so it definitely wouldn’t sound as powerful without Jerry. 

Your long standing friendship

did the track just need a little something extra to make it work? 

The backup vocal thing is a pretty

informal process. Whether it’s me on their records which dates all

the way back to 1996 or Davey appearing on Tiger Army records which

goes back to our first album in 1999. 

Over the years, it’s taken both

forms. I hear a part in my head and think “this part would be great

for this kind of voice”, which makes it a bit easier because I know

Davey’s voice so well. Sometimes you finish a song and think, you

know, it needs some extra. 

What’s the response to the

new record been like so far? 

It’s been overwhelming positive.

People enjoy it which is a nice thing. After saying that, I don’t

really write for the fans – I write for myself per se.  

The test a song has to pass is

if I enjoy it and think it’s worthwhile. I write the songs I want

to hear and just draw from everything that I enjoy. 

Has there been a change in

varied material? 

I think this actually dates back

to the beginning of when our 3^rd record (III: Ghost Tigers

Rise) was released. We placed more of an emphasis on variety at our

live show. We’ll play a song with a country ballad feel to it and

then we’ll do a more rockabilly influenced number and then go with

a hardcore song like “Fuck The World”. 

We’re all about “pacing”

at a Tiger Army show now. I come from a punk/hardcore background so

I love to see things go off live – but that’s not all there is to

live music. Getting to explore other stuff provides the band and the

audience with a chance to take a breath before we kick it up again. 

The line up for this year’s

– how do you think Tiger Army will go down with the kids? 

It’s always hard to say. The

vibe of Warped Tour evolves every few years. We last did the tour in

2004 and one of the great things about it is its diversity. It has been

criticised in recent years for leaning too much towards emo so I think

they’ve made a big effort this year to put on a more well rounded

bill. 

It’s great that Bad Religion

is playing this year! 

The other great thing about Warped

Tour is that the audience is a bit younger so you’re playing to kids

who are more musically opened. They haven’t picked their sub-culture

yet, so they’re keen just to soak up as much music as possible. 

It’s nice to catch those open

minds when they’re fresh if you will, and you know, get a chance to

play to people who wouldn’t normally see a Tiger Army show. 

Are there any bands on Warped

Tour this summer that you’re keen to check out? 

Bad Religion definitely. A band

that has some members from Australia called The Dear And Departed. 

I’ve also been hearing a lot

about Gallows from the UK so I’m sure I’ll see those guys at some

stage. 

What have you guys got planned

for the remainder of the year? 

After Warped Tour we’re doing

a US headline tour which will be great. It’s tentative at the moment

but we’re aiming to hit Australia again at the end of 2007.  

It’s in the works and the time

frame could slide around a bit but I’d say we’ll be down there in

November or December. 

If Tiger Army could hit the

– who would it be and why? 

Hmmm, let’s see.  

Joy Division because I would’ve

loved to have seen them. The Smiths for the same reason and to round

the bill out, something a bit harder, a bit more punk. The Ramones! 

That wraps it up man, anything

else you’d like to add?

I’d just like to thank everyone

in Australia for their support. We hear from everyone on MySpace and

it definitely seems like Australia has a lot of vocal Tiger Army fans. 

We had a great time in 2005 so

returning is definitely on our minds. Like I said, hopefully we can

round out the year but hitting Australia again. 

Cool. Thanks heaps for your

time man and hopefully we see you again in a few months. 

Fore more info on Tiger Army check

out: 

http://www.tigerarmy.com