Swanky Tiger
Dark, mysterious yet loud and in your face come to mind when you first hear Brooklyn based band Swanky Tiger - with an intriguing name like theirs, it’s no wonder they’re building up quite a fan base. Debuting the first full length album in 2015, Empires, caught the attention of several music websites and listeners alike. There’s a gritty, hard rock element that Empires carries the perfect recipe for crafting catchy songs - strong guitar riffs, seductive bass lines, and loud as hell drums. Their video, Glamorous, off of their album Empires - shows off their darker more complex, deeper side of dealing with failures in life with some indie movie horror vibes.
Just as Empires, Mechanical Nightmares, has shivers down your spine moments where lead singer, Oliver’s voice hits a raspy note and fluctuates in a low, darkish tone. Mechanical Nightmare EP carries on the sound Swanky Tiger established with Empire but it’s evolved with a faster tempo and edgier. Swanky Tiger’s music is the type of music you’d love to hear when you’re on the way to work and have to frustratingly squeeze into the already packed train, it’ll keep you motivated and intrigued especially with a distinctive name like such. Playing in icon New York City venues, Swanky Tiger has molded their sound that is uniquely theirs - taking all of the influences sounds and creating their own diverse music. Swanky Tiger emanates New York City rock ‘n’ roll swagger.
Swanky Tiger
I caught up with Swanky Tiger as they began their adventure filled tour...
First off, how's the tour going?
ST: "The tour is going fantastically! We've hurt ourselves with BBQ and hot chicken, played with some amazing musicians (they REALLY rock down here), stayed in some strange murder motels, swam in some hip lakes (and the ocean), and generally whooped it up. We're excited for these last two shows (Memphis and Nashville)!"
You just released your EP "Mechanical Nightmares", do you ever worry if a song is missing something or too over produced?
ST: Occasionally - for this EP we consciously tried to have a sort of pneumatic mix - we worked with J. Chris Griffin (Madonna, Justin Bieber) at Engine Room Audio in NYC to really nail down exactly what we wanted on these four tracks. Our first album was self-recorded and very raw, so we wanted to try something new. "I Saw The Light," in particular, went through lots of previous mutations before becoming the banger that it is today.
Most surreal experience as a band?
ST: "Probably having our whole perspective of the rock n' roll scene shaken up on this tour, in the absolute best way. Playing these shows with all of these ferocious bands has really opened our eyes to how vital this music is, and has made us even more proud to play it. Playing with the Chris Simmons Band (Leon Russell's bandmate) in Alabama was an especially rollicking time."
What has been the oddest job you've ever had before the band?
ST: "Oliver used to render ice cream out of liquid nitrogen, and never managed to burn himself. Clemens used to make mulled wine as a child in a small German village on the outskirts of the Black Forest."
You guys have played a lot of NYC's well known venues, which is your favorite one so far?
ST: Definitely The Bowery Electric, Diane runs one of the best rooms in the city with consistently amazing sound and acts like Tommy Stinson, Richard Lloyd, and of course, Swanky Tiger. We've played there so many times we've lost count, and Oliver held his birthday show there two years in a row. It is exactly what we imaged a lower east side rock n' roll club should be! "