Tiger Army

Tiger Army Formed by Nick 13

In 1995 Nick 13 formed the band Tiger, and a year later on March 29, 1996, Tiger Army played their first show. Founding member Nick 13 grew up in Mendocino County which is about 2 hours north of the bay area in Northern California. He formed his first band in 1991 while attending UC Berkeley, an area that has long been know for it's local punk rock/ hardcore music culture. It is here that he would begin his relationship with members of the band AFI. Members of AFI have long been apart of Tiger Army since it's inception. Tiger Army first show was played where bands such as Operation Ivy, Rancid, Green Day, AFI, all began, the now legendary Berkeley music venue ,924 Gilman. The original line included Nick 13 (guitarist, vocalist), Joel Day (Stand-up bass) and Adam Carson (drums). Members have changed through the years but the one constant member has always been Nick 13.

The band recorded and EP in 1996, and toured heavily throughout there first few years but their first full-length album did not come out until 1999. The self-titled album was released on Hellcat Records, owned by another Berkeley local, Tim Armstrong, lead singer of Rancid. The bands psychobilly sound was influenced by founders of the genre, The Meteors, and The Cramps. Psychobilly begin in the early 1980s but Tiger Army can be credited as one of the reason for it's mainstream popularity in the late 90s.

The band would continue to grow and released their second album, "Tiger Army II: Power of Moonlite" in mid-2001, again on Hellcat Records. This would be the first album which, AFI member Geoff Kresge appeared on playing the stand-up bass. Geoff would has taken breaks from the band but is in the band current line up in 2009.