Tiger Army Bio
Since 1995 Tiger Army is trying to improve their psychobilly skills and they have come a long way. They came from a place where some other popular bands like Greed Day, Rancid and Operation Ivy made their names. In 1997, Tiger Army was falling apart as team members began departing from the group. The only band member left in this group was Nick 13, who later went into a contract with Armstrong's Hellcat Record. Almost two years after, Quakes bassist Rob Peltier and drummer Adam Carson became a part of the band and recorded the band’s self titled album. It was out in December 1999.
Their latest album Ghost Tigers Rise speaks about perseverance and so does the band. The band still exists after facing so many hardships. Many band members left, one was shot by the robbers and there were internal issues among band members. However, still the band is alive. All the credit goes to the famous songwriter/singer/ guitarist Nick 13. He never got discouraged and every hardship that he faced motivated him further to remain a part of the band. Under his guidance, their album Ghost Tigers Rise was released and it is their best album till date.
Intoxicating mix of bittersweet melody, punk and rock 'n' roll music are some of the distinct characteristic of this album. This album truly shows the “psychobilly” style of music that the Tiger Army is known for. You may hear a hillbilly pedal steel guitar or the 80's dark pop, but your attention will be more towards the lyrics and not the melodies. Song like “Rose of the Devil's Garden” and “Ghostfire” is vibrant and beautiful and has some outstanding lyrics in them. Songs such as these show band’s inclination towards the hip hop and rock and roll genre.
Their music is distinct and unique. One is able to connect him or herself to the song when he or she listens to it. The lyrics are so beautifully written that you can feel the pain or the beauty yourself. Since its formation Tiger Army has come a long way, however the journey was not as easy as it seems. The band staged their first performance in the 924 Gilman in Berkeley, California, in the year 1996. This place was legendry and was also the place of start for various popular bands such as Green Day, Rancid and Operation Ivy. The band borrowed the AFI drummer Adam Crarson for the event and it was appreciated by all. The band released some recording bills and music demos. It was then that Tim Armstrong, who was the co founder of Hellcat Records, contacted Nick 13 and offered him to record an album under his label. Nick 13 was overjoyed, however he didn’t have the lineup and he conveyed the same to Tim. However, Tim had full confidence in Nick and decided to go with a studio lineup. He knew that Nick 13 was the only song writer, but still he decided to go ahead.
Due to Tim’s and Nick’s efforts, the self titled album was finally released in the year 1999. This album introduced psychobilly subculture to the North American people. The people loved this genre of music and it was appreciated widely. This music was listened everywhere from homes to restaurants to bars to discs. Nick 13, in the year 2000 moved to LA, to find a new lineup for the band Tiger Army.
The band soon released their second album which was titled Power of Moonlite in the year 2001 and immediately after the release the band went on a tiring tour which lasted over 18 months. During this period, the band toured many places in Europe and Japan. The band at this stage comprised of Fred Hell and Geoff Kresge along with Nick 13. The band toured with The Damned, Reverend Horton Heat and Dropkick Murphys.
In 2003, Tiger Army was busy preparing their third album Ghost Tigers Rise, when the band drummer Fred Hell was injured while resisting robbers at a friend’s home. He was shot at by robbers four times and was seriously injured in the incident. The band members waited and prayed for his recovery however, after four months Fred called it quits from the band. It was then ace drummer Mike Fasano became the band’s drummer and started to record albums with Tiger Band.
A couple of sold out release shows at the very famous House of Blues Sunset marked the coming of the album Ghost Tigers Rise. In 2004 Mike was once again with the Tiger Army for the Vans Warped Tour and took part in almost 30 stage performances. However, the band’s bassist Geoff Kresge departed from the band after returning from this tour, he was the member of the band since its second album.
Other bands that face such kind of situation usually dissolve. However, Tiger Army was different and so was Nick 13. He took it as an opportunity rather than a threat. He was determined to keep the band alive and made the band overcome all the difficulties. He had a clear vision about the band in his mind. Soon a drummer James Meza and a bassist Jeff Roffredo became a part of the band. Jeff who was earlier part of Cosmic Voodoo and the Calavera was well known to Nick since long. Jeff’s love to psychobilly was known to all and at one point of time Jeff was interested in playing for Tiger Army in their first album. James on the other hand, was active member of various local Los Angeles psychobilly outfits and was also known to Nick 13 since long.
This Tiger Army’s tour was their longest and it extended more than nine weeks, in which it covered around 46 shows. This band lineup has a sordid chemistry and according to the stalwarts of music, it was the strongest band composition till date. The chemistry between the band members was amazing.
The year 2005 was amazing for Tiger Army, the band performed many successful shows while touring Ireland and UK. The audience appreciated them and they were in the news everywhere. This tour gave the band the much needed popularity. The band also got an opportunity to record with BBC for broadcasting on their radio, Radio One. After that the band went of its maiden tour of Australia and to their surprise, the tour became an instant hit.
After coming back from the Australian tour the band the band headed for their first United States Headlining Tour. The theme of this tour was “Dark Romance Tour”. This tour lasted over two months and ended in May. The band got five sold out shows in the House of Blues, Los Angeles. This was a big achievement for the Tiger Army as it was highly unusual for a band working with an independent label and almost without airplay, to achieve such feat. Frequent tours and positive word of mouth increased the fan following of this band tremendously. The Dark Romance Tour proved to be the turning point of this band and helped a lot in making this band a popular one. The enthusiasm and the energy that Tiger Army created among people while performing, was a treat to watch.
The end of this tour marked the end of two years of continuous touring and recording cycle for the band co-founder Nick 13. Tiger Army didn’t do much after this tour; they gave themselves some time to relax, apart from performing on certain occasions. The latter half of the year was spent working on the next full length album of the band.
In the year 2006, the band continued it outstanding performance. It saw four sold outs shows at House of Blues Anaheim, a headlining tour of UK, dates with Morrissey, performance at “Hootenanny”, which is Orange County's annual festival, and a visit to the legendry Red Rocks Amphitheatre, situated in Denver. Apart from all this, the band performed a large number of shows in western U.S. The band then went on a tour with AFI and after coming back, they were busy working on their new album.
Nick 13 is the soul of Tiger Army. It is because of this person, the band has a vision. When you will listen to the band’s third album Ghost Tigers Rise, you will feel the originality, passion and energy of this band.