- published: 20 Jun 2008
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Nick 13 is the guitarist, vocalist, and main songwriter of psychobilly band Tiger Army as well as a solo artist in the Americana/Country genre.
In an interview with Alternative Press, Nick was asked why the sole songwriter for a band would launch a solo career. "The first person to give me the idea of a primary songwriter making a solo record was Paul Fenech of The Meteors," he said. "I always thought there was something cool about that: You write all the songs for the band, and there's a certain sound people expect. But while Tiger Army has always tested those kinds of boundaries, there are certain things that relate to heaviness and aggression that aren't part of my solo project, at all." When asked about the status of Tiger Army, he said, "Tiger Army aren't going anywhere--we will be back."
Nick debuted his solo material at Tiger Army's Octoberflame II event in Los Angeles and Orange County in October, 2009. His first full performance as a solo artist was at the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California, in spring, 2010, where he opened for Merle Haggard and Ray Price[disambiguation needed ]. A handful of small club dates in California followed, leading up to an appearance at the Hootenanny Festival in Orange County just before Chuck Berry. Press reviews for both festival events were favorable.
Tiger Army is an American psychobilly band that was formed in 1995 in Berkeley, California. Its constant member and lead song writer is Nick 13. The band have released a total of four studio albums.
Tiger Army played their first show at the famous 924 Gilman Street venue in Berkeley, California, on March 29, 1996.
The band's first official release was a self-titled vinyl record EP, now referred to as the Temptation EP. The record was released by Chapter 11 Records. This EP caught the attention of Tim Armstrong, co-owner of Hellcat Records, who signed the band.
Tiger Army recorded their first full-length, the self-titled Tiger Army, in January 1999. It was released that October. Stand-up bassist Joel Day left Tiger Army before the band was signed, so the Quakes stand-up bassist Rob Peltier was hired to play on the album.
During the ensuing California mini-tour promoting the album, Nick 13 asked Geoff Kresge, one of his former bandmates from Influence 13, to join Tiger Army. Kresge accepted and joined as a permanent member a few months later. The band was asked to play on the Danzig and Samhain tour in 2000, where they befriended Samhain drummer London May. He joined the band when Adam Carson left.
Six actors are brought together in a country house over one weekend to put on an improvised version of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. As old friends they are excited to see each other and begin to explore the house and talk about old times. They chat about the play and what they feel needs to be done during this weekend but as they cast themselves as suitable characters cracks begin to appear. They discuss the dramatic themes - longing for things past, decay, regret, loss, spite and jealousy which slowly and imperceptibly begin to take over the actors and their characters. Little do the actors realise they will be consumed by the play both as the characters, over which they argue, bitch, make alliances and betrayals, and as themselves, loving, jealous, spiteful, bullying human beings. What begins as a light-hearted weekend of theatrical fun gradually turns into a self-doubting and destructive scenario. As they gather in the garden to make their theatrical entrance will they ever be able to be friends again?
Keywords: acting, anton-chekhov, cherry-orchard, independent-film