by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Nick 13, guitarist and singer for California psychobilly band Tiger Army, has been busier than a 10-dicked dog lately. On the eve of going out on tour, Nick is hurriedly putting the finishing touches on a new video, but managed to take some time away from the editing suite to take a call from the Mirror.

“This is our second video that I directed,” he says. “Directing is cool for me ’cause it’s a great opportunity to extend the band’s art into the visual realm. I love movies and filmmaking and this gives me a chance to show stuff from films that have really inspired me. I didn’t really have any experience before I started directing, other than helping a friend direct a video for AFI. I just observed him during that video and tried to learn as much as I could.”

If Tiger Army are busy now, they are only going to get busier. After only a 7” under their studded belts, they were quickly sought after by Rancid’s Tim Armstrong and his label Hellcat. “Tim wasn’t really a close friend or anything. I had met him a couple of times at early Rancid shows, but we were just acquaintances. When he got our demo, I didn’t have a steady line-up at the time and he just said to put one together for the studio and he would put out the record. It’s a great label and we try to work really hard and tour. They are working really hard so it’s been great.”

With more and more young punkers getting fed up with the saccharine-enriched “punk” flooding the airwaves, there has been a resurgence in kids digging ’50s rock ’n’ roll and trading the Marshall-stack downstroke for a Gretsch twang. With bands like the Cramps more popular than ever, as well as newfound interest in psychobilly bands like the Meteors, this new breed is proving be the next big punk subgenre. “For me, a lot of the punk rock that I was drawn to had a direct link to ’50s rock ’n’ roll. A lot of ’70s punk from the U.S. and U.K. had roots in it. The Sex Pistols’ covers of Eddie Cochran is what made me go out and buy his records. Rockabilly and ’50s rock ’n’ roll are more just an extension of my interest in punk and rock ’n’ roll in general.”

Nick has got a lot to be excited about with his new record just out and new video in the works, but their upcoming tour with punk rock legends the Damned proves to be the real crowning moment so far. “I love the Damned. They are obviously an influence and an inspiration. It’s really a great bill for us because both bands share a darker aesthetic, and as well, their singer Dave Vanian draws on a lot of ’50s rock ’n’ roll in his vocals. Hopefully, a good portion of people there to see the Damned will be able to pick up on what we’re doing.” :

With the Damned and Poxy at Cabaret
on Sunday, Oct. 6, 9pm, $22

>> Music Listings