We tracked down the Tigers—frontman Kenn Jankowski, drummer Justin Tricomi, guitarist/keyboardist Ryan Pinkston, guitarist Adam McGill and bassist Marc Pepperman—on a hot, sunny day at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, to ask them about their unique sound and compliment their taste in guitars.
Is this your first time at South by Southwest? Has it been fun so far?
Justin Tricomi: Yes, very much. You know what to expect a little bit, but it’s still overwhelming. There’s a lot of enthusiasm—everybody running to go see or play a show; it never seems to die down.
Your live show has big percussive elements that make the sound fuller and more exciting, by using an extra snare, bass drum and tambourine. How did you arrive at this sound?
Kenn Jankowski: The energy is motivated by the way we record. There’s almost a marching band or anthemy feel to our live shows because we overdub a lot of tracks in the studio, so live it’s a lot more interesting to watch someone bang a drum than…I don’t know, dance around.
Ryan, that’s an awesome vintage-looking mint-green guitar.
Ryan Pinkston: Thank you.
Adam McGill: Ryan and I are big fans of pastels; we’re always getting ready for Easter in our hearts.
How is your new album “Keep Color” different from previous projects?
KJ: The songwriting has a lot more maturity. I think we were thinking about all of our divergent tastes, so it’s more tasteful but not minimalist.
AG: It’s the culmination of our diverse backgrounds and influences. We enjoyed making this album more because there seems like there’s a lot less compromise than our previous projects.
So you recently got signed to Chop Shop Records. Are you ready to be broken down and sold for parts?
JT: I did find myself a couple of times thinking, “what does the name represent?” [Laughs] We have friends that say [signing to a label is] risky, hit or miss. Then someone asks you what your record label’s name is, and you’re like, “um…Chop Shop?” It might turn out that the name doesn’t matter. But we are excited to be on Chop Shop.
AG: There’s also a hip-hop label in Ohio named Chop Shop.
Are you all looking forward to a hip-hop crowd showing up at your next show?
AG: That would be awesome.
JT: I hope so.
What’s next for you guys?
Marc Pepperman: Well, we just made the album, so we’re trying to sell it by going on tour. We’re also filming a video soon.
Are you scared they’re going to put you in some weird outfits for this new video?
KJ: They say they base our wardrobe on what we normally wear, so I’m not worried.
JT: I’m scared. I picture being forced to wear a ruffled clown necklace and like nothing else and being asked to look sad. [Laughs] Sorry, we’re recovering from being up all night at the Playboy party.
AG: [Laughs] You’re making us all look like alcoholics.
JT: Hey, I met Lance Armstrong. It was a good night.
