Tiger Army

On the heels of their latest album, 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day is going on tour this summer and bringing fellow San Franciscans and 924 Gilman Street alum AFI along as the opening act. The tour will come through Philadelphia by way of Camden's Susquhanna Bank Center, which is a venue I find a little big for my personal tastes, so I'm debating whether or not to go. Of course, the decision would be a lot easier if my dream of adding a third San Francisco based band and Gilman Street alum were added to the bill were to come true. I'm talking about Tiger Army, who unfortunately don't have a new album to promote, so I can forget about this Back to Our Roots Tour (tm) happening.

Tiger Army is great because they combine elements of music not seen often enough in today's cookie cutter era of rock music with bands like Nickelback and faux-punkers like Fall Out Boy. I'm talking, of course, about the upright bass, and the sound known only as "psychobilly," which Tiger Army offer their own twisted take on with only 3 members. A "power psychobilly trio" if you will, and a singer who goes only by the name of "Nick 13." It's intriguing, right? And the upright bass is up there with the moog synthesizer on the list of most underrated instrument. [Side Note: I saw Bob Dylan in Hershey 2 summers ago and of of course the show was great. But I've always wondered, was it great because I saw a two-hour mix of past and present super-hits performed by one of the world's most popular and influential music legends, or was it because Dylan's bassist strummed an upright bass? I may never know.]

Listen to that bass go walking on "Pain" from 2007's Music From Regions Beyond.