5 Questions with Nick 13

All right, I have to geek out a little bit here. If you've had your fingers on the pulse of punk rock music at all in the last 15 years, the subject of this week's 5 Questions needs absolutely no introduction at all. Throughout his colorful career, the heavily tattooed body of Nick 13 has carried his beautiful croon through four albums with his highly influential band, psychobilly pioneers Tiger Army. The band has toured with AFI (and at one time included AFI drummer Adam Carson), Social Distortion and Morrissey as well as headlining Warped Tour. Their last album debuted at #49 on the Billboard charts. They have spawned a seemingly countless sea of imitators and wannabes, and last year, Nick took a break from all of that to make a country record.

Wait, what?

Yes, it's true. And this ain't no Toby Keith record neither. His self-titled solo debut, out now on Sugar Hill Records, is full of the twang and sadness of the Nashville greats. And it's great. It's really, really great. It was my honor and pleasure to have conducted this interview with Nick, and I thank him kindly for his time.

1. Obviously, country has been an interest of yours for a while. Who are your favorite country artists and how did they influence your solo work?

There are so many, but I'll try to narrow it down.  Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, even though they're quite different – there's something about the attitude and sound that I really relate to, it's a West Coast sound.  Haggard is one of country music's greatest songwriters and he was born in the Golden State, so that's a big inspiration.  George Jones and Webb Pierce; so much range, such haunting voices. Jimmie Rodgers; he's responsible for so much of the feel of country music.  Hank Williams, there's a reason he's so revered.  There's a real lesson in his writing: less is more.  A lot of musicians write for other musicians; they think the more complicated something is, the better it is, but Hank showed us the beauty of songs when they're elegantly simple and emotionally direct.  The Louvin Brothers – a brother duo from the 1950s' who really, really grabbed me, stirred my soul about 15 years ago.  Anyone who has an interest in music period needs to hear them.  These people, and so many others, made me want to finally make the solo record that was released earlier this year. 

 2. Why did you choose to re-record two Tiger Army songs with a country slant? How did you pick those two out of all the material you had available?

I wasn't happy with the original recording of "In The Orchard" for various reasons.  Greg Leisz's steel playing on it was brilliant as usual, but the recording didn't wind up being what I'd envisioned in other respects.  I wanted to rerecord that song because I felt it could be something more.  James Intveld, who produced the album along with Greg, came up with the Orbison-esque arrangement which I loved, I'd wanted to do something like that for years.  "Cupid's Victim" started with an idea for a slower version that Paul Roman of The Quakes sent me years ago.  I wound up making it more country.  It was intended for use in the early live sets as sort of a transition piece for Tiger Army fans, but I really liked where the arrangement wound up, so I thought "Why not record it?"

3. Your fans know you love punk, rockabilly and country. Is there an album or artist that your fans might be surprised to learn you were into?

I doubt it. My tastes have always been pretty eclectic, and I think anyone who's really followed what I've done over the years knows that.  For me, it's about the songwriting.  A good song is a good song, no matter what the arrangement or genre.  But I have to say, modern music has become more and more of a turnoff for me.  There's still good current stuff out there hidden under rocks that I come across here and there, but there's so much to listen to when it comes to traditional country music from the 1920's and 30's, through the late 60s. I started digging deeper to find the inspiration for writing the solo album a few years ago, and I haven't stopped or looked back since.  That being said, it's important to me to put my own stamp on things and write for today rather than simply copy what's come before.  The past is a place to find inspiration, not a place to live.

4. How do the solo shows differ from Tiger Army shows? Do you prepare differently for performing each project live? Have you found yourself attracting new fans to your solo album that were not Tiger Army fans?

The vibe is completely different between the two; a much more relaxed energy at the solo show.  It's typical that I'll even play a different room in the same city solo than I would with Tiger Army. It's a chance to play venues that are seated, or more historic than Tiger Army would play. 

They're the rooms that must be all ages and open to slamdancing. Solo shows are appropriate from anyone from little kids to the elderly, and there's no slamdancing, so it's more of an old fashioned night out if people want to get dressed up.  I'm definitely starting to see more audience members coming from a point of country fandom who either don't know Tiger Army or in some cases get into it later, which is great too.

5. What's next for you? Will there be a new Tiger Army album in the near future or do you plan on doing another solo album?

Right now, I'm in the planning phase for 2012, getting it all figured out.  There will be some live appearances, both solo and with Tiger Army.  I'm thinking that a second solo album will happen before a new Tiger Army album; that's the writing mode I'm in right now, but I've written for both, and another Tiger Army album is definitely in the cards.