Tigernite

Glam rock from Milwaukee? Sure, why not? Tigernite are a throbbing neon blast of colour and energy, and their new, self-titled album is basically Jesus Christ Superstar set in 1985 with Bowie for Jesus and Tigernite's own Molly Roberts as the superstar. - Classic Rock Magazine

Before the modern era of music that finds it not at all unusual for a band’s first public outing to double as its album (or, more often, its digital download card) release show, there was a time when a record’s release really meant something. Whether on CD, cassette, or pressed to wax, the act of ceremoniously putting an album out into the world functioned as a physical representation of countless hours spent writing, dozens of past shows to see which songs thrived and which died, and immeasurable quantities of thought, consideration, and money put into every recorded moment. Less than a week from releasing its self-titled debut album and within days of celebrating the two-year anniversary of its first show, Milwaukee glam rock quartet Tigernite took a now-uncommonly slow and calculated approach to publicly announcing its presence in the recorded realm. Mere seconds into that eight-song introduction (outside of a couple of digital singles and the band’s patently rowdy live shows, that is), it’s utterly apparent Tigernite was absolutely worth the wait.

The blistering, dirty Max Emmet guitar solo and flurry of uptempo noise from the rhythm section kick the doors open on “Million Years” before relenting to the powerhouse vocals of frontwoman Molly Roberts, which continues into the meaty distortion of “Wasteland” and should-be rock radio mainstay “Witch.” Clocking in just a shade under half an hour, Tigernite—whose members are quick to admit they’re not making high art—manage to forge a group of songs sometimes bombastic (“Tarantula”), other times beautiful (“Drag”), and always big in scope. Roberts heaps effortlessly catchy hooks and arena-suited operatics atop her band’s airtight instrumentation.

Recorded by Alex Smolinski at Wonder Wonder Sound (with additional tracking by Shane Hochstetler at Howl Street, and Paul Meyer), Tigernite is a true testament to the significance of taking time to do something right. It’s said you can only make one first impression. From front to back, Tigernite’s first true impression just so happens to be one of the most fun and fully realized releases Milwaukee has seen this year. Listen to Tigernite now, only at Milwaukee Record. - Milwaukee Record

Since she was 14, every band Molly Roberts had been in was "really, really worried about sort of a coolness factor." Not the case with Tigernite.

"I went to art school, and the school of thought is, unless you're expressing all of your hurt and all of the doom and gloom in your life, this isn't legitimate," Roberts said. "That never resonated with me. So when (guitarist Maxwell Emmet) and I started the band, we said, 'Let's write songs we want to hear, songs that are fun, that have no pretense of seriousness around it.'"

Tigernite, with its '70s glam rock-style, is definitely fun. But a lot of heart, and art, factor into the band, from its over-the-top wardrobe (Roberts is a professional costume designer), to an impressive debut music video (bassist Eric Arsnow works at a postproduction house), to a comic book by local artist Brian Ellis that will be released with Tigernite's self-titled debut album July 31.

Who's who: Eric Arsnow, 31 (bass); Alex Becker, 28 (drums); Maxwell Emmet, 25 (guitar); Molly Roberts, 27 (frontwoman). Roberts spoke for the band.

Day jobs: Arsnow works at postproduction house Wonder Wonder. Becker is a line cook at Tenuta's Italian Restaurant. Emmet works at a software company. Roberts is a costume designer for Olympus Group.

Early influences: The first time I knew I wanted to be a musician is when my parents got season tickets to the Milwaukee Symphony. I fell in love with (violinist) Frank Almond and played orchestra. I didn't think I'd be a singer until high school. I was in my first band with my brother, and we used to go to local shows together. I remember going to see Pretty Girls Make Graves when the Globe (East) existed. That was the first time I saw a female-fronted band. I realized this is what I wanted to do.

When Tigernite formed: It was really Maxwell's idea. We used to work together at a burger-flipping joint in college. My fiancé, Alex, and I were in a metal band, and Maxwell said it'd be great to be a power trio. When I saw (Emmet) playing out I thought, "I want this guy to be our guitar player someday," so we got together over a summer almost three years ago now to bang out some songs and make cellphone recordings for each other. Eric found his way to us after a couple of months.

Band name backstory: We didn't have a name until a couple weeks before our first show. The idea came after my brother and I went to the circus for his birthday, and there was something about the announcer saying "a pile of tigers." So I texted the band, "What about TigerPile?" It was a fun name so, of course, somebody had taken it. The next time we were jamming together, we decided we wanted a one-word band name, someone said "Tigernite" and it stuck.

The songwriting process: A lot of the songs (for "Tigernite") came to me after I left a really soul-crushing job in 2012, before I became a designer. It was a classic moment that everyone has in their early 20s where they wonder, "What am I going to do? How am I going to show myself to the world?" Alex and I had spent the majority of the summer going on road trips, visiting caves, hiking, staying at funky motels. These were songs about how I wanted to be excited about my life.

Usually, I'll write the lyrics first, which is backwards, and I'll come up with a hook to build around it. It's usually me banging it out on acoustic guitar over the phone to Maxwell, and he'll take it and really flesh it out and arrange it and present it to the group, when the editing process starts to happen.

Favorite track on "Tigernite": "Witch." It's really visceral and a really physical song to perform. It's the only track on the album that the first take I did was the take I used.

Making the "Witch" music video: We wanted something that would give people a clue as to what they might experience at a live show. Eric had this great idea of making a stop-motion video using 3,000 Xerox copies. We filmed a performance in a garage, then he broke it out frame by frame, and then after he broke out all the frames he printed out the images. Some of the images were removed or modified by hand with paint, or Eric's son Dexter would run his Hot Wheels in paint and draw on the images. They were rescanned and made into a 31/2-minute flipbook.

Describe your look: People refer to it as glam punk. I wore a girl's one-piece swimsuit to our second show, and I kept doing it. We played the Bay View Bash, and I was talking to a group of girls who watched the show. One of them asked me with a straight face, "What was it like to be a superhero?" and they wanted to talk leotards. I like leather and glitter and faux fur. I love (fantasy writer) Neil Gaiman, and am inspired by his images for stageware. I make most of the outfits.

Where do you want to be in five years?: I think there'll be many more Tigernite records. And Maxwell and I have talked about how fun it would be to write a rock opera. - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

If there’s one thing Milwaukee four-piece Tigernite sets out to accomplish on its anthemic debut full-length, it’s to leave all pretension at the door and simply have a good time. While it may sound like the natural route to take, lead singer Molly Roberts says her art school education at UW-Milwaukee often stressed that legitimately passionate art emerged from some morose internal drama, and for a while, she bought in to that notion. But in order to create something as bold and lively as this daring 8-song romp, she needed to release those melancholy restrictions and let go.

“We’ve always been and will admit easily that we’re not in the business of making high art,” she admits. “We’re in the business of trying to be sincere and having fun.”

The glam rock/power pop band began auspiciously in 2013, playing its third gig at the wrestling spectacular, Mondo Lucha. It really couldn’t have been a better introduction, as the vaudevillian-like show informed the band’s future direction, leading to more over-the-top theatrical performances and comic book-influenced songs.

“Honestly, it really shaped what we do now,” Roberts says. “It presented really early on in our lifespan what we want to do to make a mark.”

This album is a culmination of what the band set out to realize two years ago, one that’s filled with endless classic rock riffs and Roberts’ soaring vocals. The songs sound so vivid and real, like graphic novels come to life.

“We draw a lot of imagery from art,” she says. “I’ll find a painting or illustration and send the guys a sketch for lyrics and will write a song that sounds the way this looks.”

“Half the band going to art school, I think informed our process,” she continues. “You know, doing research, making sketches, sharing images, making tapes for each other, things like that have played a large role in shaping our content.”

Accompanying the album is a striking 20-page booklet that’s illustrated by local artist Brian Ellis. It follows four space rangers through a journey amongst a futuristic, dystopian landscape. Ellis created the whole narrative based on lyrics alone; he hadn’t even heard the music at the time. Initially the plan was to have him solely do the cover, but “we thought there’s way too much beautiful material not to let people see,” Roberts says.

Tigernite spent this summer playing a chorus of summer festivals, from smaller block parties like the Brady Street Festival and Summer Soulstice to the bigger stages of Pridefest and Summerfest. Its captivating live shows feel earmarked for this type of performance, where outdoors a band needs to rattle the attention from its audience. Plus, those opportunities offer a slightly different turnout than the 21-and-over clubs.

“One of the bonuses of playing festivals is getting to play for kids,” Roberts says. “That’s really fun because they’re into it and they don’t care. They want to rage.”

It’s not hard to see why playing to kids comes as such fun to Tigernite. Releasing one’s inhibitions seems to be the band’s main tenent. When onstage Roberts says she embodies a character that’s a combination between her own self and something else. “It’s the person you wish you had the courage to be all the time,” she says. - Milwaukee Magazine

“Spectacular” is a very dramatic way to describe your album release party, but could a glam rock band do anything less for a debut record? This Milwaukee-based, sequin-studded act will be unveiling their self-titled debut, packed full of songs inspired by witchcraft, comic books and beat poetry and sung by their manically soulful frontwoman Molly Roberts. - Wisconsin Gazette

Milwaukee’s Tigernite never forget that rock ’n’ roll is supposed to be fun. Centered around the steely voice of singer Molly Roberts, their big, glammy take on alternative rock imagines Paramore through the prism of The Darkness, pairing wily songs with roaring classic-rock guitars. As this show they’ll celebrate the release of their self-titled debut album, which features some grandiose sci-fi artwork from Brian Ellis that would make Journey jealous. - Shepherd Express