Tiger Army

American psychobilly band Tiger Army, formed in Berkeley, California in 1995, currently comprises of Nick 13 as guitarist and lead vocalist, James Meza as drummer and percussionist and Geoffe Kresge as backing vocalist and upright bassist. Their former member include upright bassists Joel Day and Jeff Roffredo, and drummers Adam Carson, London May and Fred Hall. They are best known for being among the pioneering psychobilly acts in North America where they introduced and popularized the sound, and have released four studio albums to date alongside three EPs. In addition they have also worked in several compilations including Nightmare Revisited, Give ‘Em the Boot VI, and Warped Tour Compilation, among many others.  Their distinct sound has influence a whole new genre and their Tiger Army tickets are one the most sought-after treats among psychobilly music fans.

Tiger Army performed their first ever concert in 1996 in Berkeley, California at the well-known Gilman Street venue. They then went on to play more shows, popularizing the genre in the music scene of North America where their sound stood out for its distinct melodies and lyrical content.  Their characteristic sound is rooted in the early rock n’ roll, rockabilly and punk era while also drawing on the dark English pop techniques. Their lyrics have been singlehandedly written by Nick 13 who has always put special emphasis on melodies while laboriously gathering lyrical inspirations from a diverse range of literature, which has contributed to distinguishing the group from some of the recently added characteristics of the genre. The band released its first official record as a self-titled EP vinyl record now known as Temptation EP on Chapter 11 records in 1997. Two year later, they recorded their first album in January 1999. Just before the group could be signed to the label their stand-up bassist Joel Day quit so that they were joined by Rob Peltier who had already played for the Quakers. Also performing on this self-titled debut album was drummer Adam Carson who had been playing with AFI and had performed with the Tigers earlier in concerts.

Following the release of their first album, Tiger Army took a mini-tour of California to promote the album. By 2000, their lead member Nick 13 requested former AFI’s bassist Geoff Kresge to become part of their lineup, and in the meantime the band was also joined by drummer London May from Samhain. A year later they were on their way to releasing their next album titled Tiger Army II: Moonlite Power, which was supported with a promotion tour across Japan and Europe. On this tour the band was joined by other well-known acts including hard rock group TSOL, punk rock act Dropkick Murphys and English rock band The Damned. This marked the first time the band performed internationally. On their next album called Tiger Army III: The Ghost Tigers Rise, they were joined by the group’s longtime friend as well as exceptionally skilled drum tech Mike Fasano who was to replace Hell since the latter was unable to play on tour or in the studio.

Tiger Army made their first prominent appearances in festivals across Europe and the United States to promote their fourth album called Music of Regions Beyond, which was produced by Jerry Finn and was released in 2007. Their single Forever Fades Away hit the number one spot on Los Angeles’s rock station while the song was also performed when the band made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. This marked the first time the group came into major spotlight being covered by publication like Spin and New York Times. In addition, in 2011 the group performed an enormous headlining standalone show at the famous Orange County Fair. By the following year, they played two concerts in Las Vegas and Southern California that were dubbed as Spring Forward. By the end of 2012, they announced another Spring Forward that would take place in Las Vegas, San Diego and Ventura. Their shows are truly one of a kind so hurry to grab Tiger Army tickets and enrich yourself with some psychobilly tunes.