Miscellaneous - Interview

  by Aaron Brown

published: 24 / 5 / 2006

intro

Psychobilly Southern Californian band have just finished touring with Morrisey. Aaron Brown chats to front man Nick 13 about the problems he has had with constant line-up changes, and the group's increasing status in both the United States and Europe

Tiger Army’s Nick 13 is not a happy man. It is not that I was late for the interview (on the contrary, he was late). It is because I have just asked him a question about a certain big-chinned sexually ambiguous Oscar Wilde spouting Mancurian whom he has recently just toured with. Down but not beaten, my tutor always told me there would be interviews like this. "Tell a joke" he would say. I do. The fucker is not budging, but I saunter on anyway. “I don’t care to discuss the situation” he says again. "Okay, I’ll get my coat" I say. We laugh; I die a little inside, having just spent the last three hours on the M6 in warm weather. Tiger Army are a three-piece psychobilly act from Southern California. Formed in 1996, the band has steadily built up a cult fan-base of loyal devotees throughout the world. Gaining recognition has no been easy task for the band however. Only original member Nick 13 had to rely on the help of friends, as Tiger Army had no permanent line-up throughout the early years of the band. Constant line-up changes and in one case their drummer being shot in a home invasion did not help matters. Despite the unpredictable line-up, the band’s demo fell into the lap of Rancid singer and Hell Cat records founder, Tim Armstrong. Armstrong signed them to the Hellcat imprint and soon after the band released their self-titled debut album in 1999. Their second album ‘II Power of Moonlite’ followed in 2001, establishing the band on the psychobilly scene as a unique act. 2004’s ‘III Ghost Tiger Rise’ was the break through album, establishing them as a headline act in North America and the United Kingdom. I join a reserved Nick 13 before their show at Jilly’s Rockworld in Manchester. PB : What is the deal with your ever-changing line-up? You seem to have a revolving door of band members bar yourself of course. N.13 : Not really, we’ve had the same line-up now since 2004. Jeff (Roffredo, stand-up bass) and James (Meza, drums) have done over a hundred shows now. PB : You had bad luck with members, either leaving or in the case of your old drummer getting shot. N.13 : We have had our share of bad luck. One thing I think a lot of people do not realise about the early years of band, was that generally the line-ups were never intended to be permanent. It was usually just friends who had other full-time projects they were committed too. They were just helping us out during tours and recording sessions. I am pleased to say that I think this the best line-up Tiger Army has had and both of the guys are great musicians. I am really excited about making this next record with them. PB : When is the new album out then and what is it called? Or can you not divulge? N.13 : I am afraid I can’t. But after we do this tour of England we return home for a brief tour of the West Coast. We will then resume writing which we have been kind of doing on and off for the last year. We are getting closer to entering the studio so that will might happen by late summer or early fall. PB : The last record was great. N.13 : Thanks. PBM : You seem to be moving on from fast punk to more melodic psychobilly stuff. Is it just age, or are you just getting better at writing songs? N.13 : I think each album just kind of reflects where we are as musicians and as players. As far as we are into with each given time, I think there is going to be some surprises on the next record. I would not say there will not be fast stuff. That is just one element of what we do. PB : Can you describe Tiger Army’s sound ? Some people are calling it retro because you are psychobilly band. N.13 : I don’t necessarily consider it retro myself. Certainly, we are drawing on some things from the 1950's early rock n’ roll. Then again, you know rockabilly was one of the types of music that inspired the Beatles. So just because we have that element, we are not trying to recreate an era or a particular sound. We are taking ideas from the past 50 years of rock n’ roll and trying to forge it into something new and contemporary, something that is looking forward, rather than back. As far as what our sound is, that is always hard for me to describe. Maybe it is best left to other people. There is elements of everything from early punk, early rock n’ roll to 80's dark-wave so I guess I will leave that to the listener. PB : The band’s mantra is 'Never Die', yet most of your songs seem to be romantic visions of death. N.13 : I think death is one of the most over-looked parts of life. By embracing death and the fact that it is a reality, I think it is a good way to lead a happier and more productive life. I have always asked myself, if I was going to die tomorrow or in a year, would I be doing what I am doing right now, and would I want to be living my life the way I am right now. For me, the answer has always been yes, whereas some people who are trapped in dead-end jobs or in bad relationships, I think it is important for them to change their lives. PB : Who do you write your songs for? A song like 'Rose in the Devil’s Garden' for example? N.13 : I think I have always tended to - and I mean this in a different sense to your question, as far as writing in general- have written for myself first rather than a specific person, listener or fan. I figure, if the songs are communicating something that I want to, then it pleases me that someone will pick up their own ideas and interpretations and that is the most important thing. PB : How do you go into the song writing process? What is your inspiration? N.13 : Inspiration comes at odd times definitely. The process of writing a song can be quite different for me depending on the songs. Sometimes, a melody just pops into my head and it is just a matter of picking up guitar and figuring out which chords go behind it. Sometimes a song starts from messing about on the guitar and coming up with a riff for a part I like. Sometimes the lyrical inspiration is what comes first. A phrase or whatever just pops into my head and it goes from there. PB : Tim Armstrong has been a big supporter of the band. N.13 : Yeah, he is the person who signed us to Hellcat/ Epitaph Records, basically from just hearing our demo. At the time, I did not have a line-up and he has always been a big supporter of what we do. PB : Bit of a weird question. Do you think the Europeans (ie the Danes) are better at playing psychobilly from the So CAL crowd ? N.13 : (Laughs) No. PB : Thanks.

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