Tiger Bear Wolf formed in North Carolina in the early 2000’s, releasing two records that brought their diverse musical interests together. They began working on their third album in 2009 and then…life got in the way.
So here we are fifteen years later, and the band has finally finished and released their self-titled third album, a captivating mix of southern rock, hardcore and psychedelic post-punk music. Listening to the album, one of the tracks that really drew me in was “Silver Tongues,” so I reached out to the band to discuss that song, its place in the album, and what the future holds for the band.
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THE INDY REVIEW: Your upcoming third album was almost lost to time. How does this record and its songs speak to you today compared to when the tracks were first started in 2009?
Noah: Though we began tracking these songs in 2009, we actually began writing them right after our second record, which was released in 2005. So, some of these songs are closer to 21 years old. I would say that this time and space is part of what speaks loudest to me… the process of curing, seasoning, learning & expanding. At the time of composing these songs in our early 20s, we were just sprouts, the world was big, we all had a lot of inquisitiveness and eagerness to get out in the open and run around, as well as an enthusiasm for just being loud. All of this is audible when I listen to these songs. However, as the recordings were completed, and as we are performing this material now, there’s a bit more weight in the aspects of our experiences that have proven to be structural and foundational, like our friendship and connection to each other, and honestly still, just having an enthusiasm for being loud.
IR: A highlight of the album for me is “Silver Tongues.” Can you discuss (if you recall) when that track was first started, and the initial inspirations for it?
Matt: It’s hard not to write a work of fiction here, as it’s been a while, but I remember that this one came pretty quick. We were listening to a lot of Karate and Hot Snakes albums on the road, and I can hear those influences on this song. I think that a lot of parts to songs in those days came from collectively jamming on whatever spontaneously happened during practice.
3. How close was the song to completion when you first went back to it? How different do you think it would have turned out if you had finished it when you first began writing it versus the completed version now?
Jon: We had basic instrumental tracks finished in 2009, but Noah went back and redid a lot of his guitar tracks, so the structure was all there. This is one where the lyrics were mostly written, but I didn’t record any vocals until probably 2017. This is the only song that got any new lyrics from me – the “Rolling wheels / rolling tape” part was written as I was recording, and is probably my favorite part now
4. The song is really rhythm-focused, with an infectious groove, compared to some of the more guitar-driven songs on the album. Was this an intentional departure/experimentation?
Larry: Songwriting with Tiger Bear Wolf was generally a full collaborative and consensus driven process where any member of the band was encouraged to submit the germ of an idea which would then be explored through improvisation in rehearsal. Several songs on this and previous records started life with a drum pattern, with melodic elements following thereafter. This song in particular captures that process of shaking the snowglobe, and all of our fondness for rhythm and blues, dynamic play, and the element of surprise in songcraft. I will always remember with fondness after one show, someone from the audience came up and asked us whether we listened to a lot of Marvin Gaye when, in fact, we had been listening to Marvin Gaye on the way to that same show. While I wouldn’t say that we would have consciously tried to dial in those elements for any particular tune, we are all fairly omnivorous musically and never wanted to feel confined to any one form of expression.
5. I love how the song continues to evolve, growing heavier and fiercer while maintaining its melodic core. It’s a bit looser structurally, and reminds me a bit more of 70’s classic rock than early 2000’s indie/post-hardcore style music. Was there any specific classic rock influence(s) you were looking to when writing this?
Jon: We listened to the first Captain Beyond record endlessly when we were writing most of these songs. It’s guys from Iron Butterfly, Deep Purple, and Johnny Winter’s band. The first side of the record kind of meanders all over the place, with sick riffs around every corner. It’s also constantly switching time signatures, but never losing the groove. Noah’s dad was pretty into CB, so he had the good fortune of hearing it as a little bitty baby, but the rest of us had to catch up. Mesmerization Eclipse is the heaviest shit on 8 legs and in 7/8 time (except the part in the middle that’s in 11/8).
6. The lyrics of the song have an air of mystery to them, but lines like “When silver tongues backed by heaving lungs say so and so, I can’t say no” and “I’m sneaky, I’m a snake” give the sense the person singing it is struggling with their morality and choices. Is this song coming from a personal place, or being seen through the eyes of a character?
Jon: I’m going to be a little circumspect here, apologies. Interesting that you ask if it’s personal or a character study, because I think that this song is mostly about how the theater of everyday life is inescapable. Is there a real you, or are there only the yous that exist in relation to others? Do you act certain ways when you need something? How deep is your need? How deep are other people’s pockets?
7. Does the new album have a thematic throughline, and if so, where does “Silver Tongues” fit into its grander narrative?
Noah: The most prominent through line would probably have to be self realization. All of the songs touch on different aspects of reckoning with places we have come from, places we were at the moment, and horizons we might have our eyes on. There’s plenty of reflection on relationships to family, self, and the cultures we live within. I think “Silver Tongues” more specifically addresses our relationship to self in the context of our relations with others.
8. Following the album’s July release, will that mark the official end of Tiger Bear Wolf’s music careers, or has reviving these songs inspired any desire to write brand new material?
Matt: Jonathan ends the first track on side A of the new record with the most perfectly majestic final note of his guitar solo. It screams with harmonic feedback and somehow resonates forever. If you listen carefully, the mic pics up on him laughing and then saying something like, “Well, that shit’s never gonna happen again!”. Will we continue to resonate together a bit longer, or is this shit never happening again? We’ve kind of run out of our namesake apex predators that appear on album covers. So maybe end it in July? Maybe continue the pattern that mimics the cycle of certain cicada populations that emerge every 17 years to loudly annoy everyone, then get freaky before dying? Noah just texted me about a potential show in October.
Noah: We haven’t even opened that question together. We’ve been so focused on connecting with the material and each other that the future beyond this album release and a few shows has been relatively unaddressed. I can say that we’ve all really enjoyed spending this time together and reconnecting through this music. I personally feel that our ability to play together is at least as strong now as it ever was, if not more so. In many ways I feel we are better listeners at this point in our lives, especially speaking for myself. So I guess the answer is… who knows! Folks have been reaching out to us to do more shows, so we’ll see where that goes. We all have other music projects we’re involved in, some of which are with each other, so there is already a foundation of fresh creativity. I think regardless of the future of TBW, we will certainly continue to support each other creatively.
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There you have it. You can listen to “Silver Tongues” in our A Single Sit-Down Playlist now, and hear the full album July 17th.
The Indy Review 