[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” _builder_version=”3.0.51″ background_color=”#74c13e” global_module=”33170″][et_pb_fullwidth_menu admin_label=”MENU HEAVY DIGI-MAG #21″ global_parent=”33170″ _builder_version=”3.0.51″ menu_id=”80″ background_color=”1e1e1e” submenu_direction=”downwards” fullwidth_menu=”off” background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”center” dropdown_menu_animation=”expand” active_link_color=”#ffffff” dropdown_menu_text_color=”#ffffff” menu_font=”Oswald||||” menu_text_color=”#ffffff” mobile_menu_bg_color=”#353535″ mobile_menu_text_color=”#ffffff” menu_font_size=”15px” dropdown_menu_bg_color=”#353535″ dropdown_menu_line_color=”#bcbcbc” /][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” background_image=”https://digi.heavymag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/02/tumblr_static_23dupvjif6f4wkc8gwkw4cwo0_2048_v2.jpg” background_color=”#000000″ parallax=”on” custom_padding=”0px|0px|58px|0px” padding_mobile=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://digi.heavymag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/02/tumblr_static_1klgp8voxl7o8gccoswg48wko.png” url_new_window=”on” animation=”fade_in” align=”center” max_width=”600px” /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” custom_padding=”17px|0px|0px|0px” padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”center” header_font=”Luckiest Guy||||” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]
Listen to TIGER ARMY while you read.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” custom_padding=”14px|0px|0px|394px” padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_code admin_label=”Code”]<iframe width=”300″ height=”56″ src=”https://embed.spotify.com/follow/1/?uri=spotify%3Aartist%3A7ivKiS6TITQYizkbUUahbi&size=detail&theme=dark” scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ style=”border:none; overflow:hidden;” allowtransparency=”true”></iframe>[/et_pb_code][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” custom_padding=”17px|0px|0px|0px” padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_code admin_label=”Code”]<iframe src=”https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aartist%3A7ivKiS6TITQYizkbUUahbi” width=”100%” height=”380″ frameborder=”0″ allowtransparency=”true”></iframe>[/et_pb_code][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” background_color=”#1e1e1e” custom_padding=”59px|0px|1px|0px” padding_mobile=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” custom_padding=”0px|0px|53px|0px” padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”justified” text_font=”Luckiest Guy||||” text_font_size=”18px” text_text_color=”#e8e8e8″ background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]
Sometimes, despite all of the talent in the world and how much effort you put into something, you just need a little bit of luck to get a project over the line.
Vocalist and guitarist Nick 13 found this out early in his career in Tiger Army when by chance one of his recordings made it to the ears of one Tim Armstrong of Rancid fame who liked what he heard and provided that spark and impetus which can only benefit a fledgling career.
“He didn’t see us play live,” corrected Nick on how the introduction came about, “but we recorded some stuff which ended up being our first E.P and was actually our 7 inch and a friend of mine Adam Carson from AFI played drums on that and he passed it on to a friend of Tim’s who was actually Tim’s roommate at the time. Tim liked it and gave me a call. At that time the first bass player had just left the band to concentrate on university and I didn’t really have a line – up but Tim asked me some questions about the songwriting and when he found out I wrote all of the songs including the bass lines and everything on it he suggested we put together a band so I could make a record. It took a bit of time – it didn’t happen for about a year and a half – but it did eventually. There is no question that the whole situation was a huge help to me but I would have been playing music one way or the other (laughs).”
As the only original and constant member of the band since 1996 Nick has had to endure Tiger Army’s entire fortunes and tribulations on his own shoulders, but is adamant that he is happy with where the band is currently at.
“Very much so,” he enthused. “There have been quite a few players over the years come through the band but right now the band is Mike Fasano on drums, who actually played on our third album Tiger Army III : Ghost Tigers Rise, and a very talented stand up bass player –one of the best I’ve seen actually – named Djordic Stijepovic. We’ve been touring here in the States for over a year now and I’m really happy with where the band is and where the live show is at. The vibe I think is great. On stage we really gel together and we’ve got over 100 shows under our belt so by the time we hit the East Coast of Australia we’ll be in fighting form.”
As alluded to by Nick, Tiger Army have had almost a revolving door of members in the past, and although agreeing that it has caused distractions over the years, Nick believes much of that can be contributed to the growth and evolution of the band.
“Yes and no,” he mused on if the changes had affected the flow of the band. “The sound always evolves and part of that is more where I am at. I think with our fourth record Music From Regions Beyond there was some stuff that I was able to do for the first time because the rhythm section could actually play it. There was some ideas that I wanted to try out for a while but maybe didn’t have the right situation to try those ideas in and then by the latest record V, some of the growth in that had to do with my development as a player. Things like early rock and roll and artists like Roy Orbison have always been influences on me going back to the beginning of Tiger Army. My playing level – certainly when the band started – couldn’t always reflect that. Playing and singing at the same time is a thing. There were always things I could do as a guitar player if I didn’t have to sing over them and a singer if I didn’t have to play at the same time but being a three piece put constraints on things as well. Now, I’ve gotten to the point where I can reflect some of those influences that I’ve had all along but couldn’t pull off live so that is part of the bands evolution and sound as well.”
Another constant of Tiger Army has been their consistent use of stand up bass players, and this is one part of the band that Nick believes strongly is a key component of their sound and success.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”justified” text_font=”Luckiest Guy||||” text_font_size=”18px” text_text_color=”#e8e8e8″ background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]
“Even though our sound has evolved over the years I do think at the core of it there is a Tiger Army sound,” he explained, “and the stand-up bass is just part of that. At the beginning of rock and roll, it was something that was a little more common – I think there’ something at the heart of our sound that has to do with taking that early rock and roll and infusing it with the energy of punk that I couldn’t really imagine doing in this band without the double bass.”
When V came out in May last year, it was Tiger Army’s first album in nine years, with Nick admitting to feeling some trepidation after such a long absence.
“It’s cool to see people’s reactions to the album grow and change over time since it’s been out,” he offered. “I don’t know if there’s ever been a new album that we’ve done that people have taken to straight away. The third album in particular, Ghost Tigers Rise, a lot of people didn’t know what to make of it when it first came out but it wound up being an album that stayed with people and I have a feeling V is like that. People didn’t know what to expect or what it would be like after a certain number of years away and I would rather make an album that grows on people and they listen to it year after year than make an album of the sort that when you get it it sounds great for the first year and then you put it on the shelf and never think of it again.”
“I did feel some pressure,” he continued, “since it had been so long between it and the last Tiger Army record. I felt like it had to have… it had to be a new step. It had to be the next step and it had to show some growth and some change but at the same time remain true to the roots of where we come from. That was one of the reasons it took me a while to write it because I knew I wanted to take the music somewhere new but I had to work out where that was, somewhere that I could be excited and passionate about. I didn’t want to be in that trap of putting out an album because it’s time for one or to keep up with a tour schedule. I really believe in standing behind every record I make. Even if there are things I would do differently now after reflection they are still exactly what I wanted to do at that time.”
With Tiger Army’s first Australian tour in eight years kicking off in Brisbane on February 19 Nick says while he sends apologies to his fans Down Under for their extended absence they haven’t been the only ones missing out.
“It’s not just Australia,” he laughed. “We’ve really neglected everyone for that long. The band has only played shows in Southern California for the most part of all those years. We’ve been doing our annual October Flame shows every year but we hadn’t been to the East Coast or anywhere else in the U.S or Europe or anywhere for the last eight years. Part of that was because I’d been doing my solo stuff and touring that and part of it was writing and figuring out the next step for the band so really 2016 was the first year in a long while that we had been out on the road properly. As soon as we started touring again we started thinking about coming back to Australia because it is honestly one of my favourite places to visit and favourite places to play in the world.”
Written by Kris Peters
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” background_color=”#161616″ custom_padding=”56px|0px|59px|0px” padding_mobile=”off” fullwidth=”on”][et_pb_fullwidth_code admin_label=”Fullwidth Code”]<center><iframe width=”1220″ height=”630″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/BU-EVLryGxo” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe></center>[/et_pb_fullwidth_code][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” background_image=”https://digi.heavymag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/02/tigerarmy_1mb_presspic.jpg” custom_padding=”730px|0px|75px|0px” padding_mobile=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
