For the second time Nick 13 from Tiger Army answers some questions from me. Their third fullength is coming out in june and it sounds really good. Nick 13 took his time in the beginning of may to answer these questions.

The new record, how would you say that it´s different from your past releases?

 -Let's see... I think the new record is more mid-tempo in terms of speed.  It's not slow, but the last one was quite a bit faster.  I think it's consistent with our sound, but we've grown in some ways.  There's a bit of an 80's influence on this album that didn't come through as much before, both 80's psychobilly and 80's darkpop -- in some songs you can hear a bit of the Smiths, the Cure or Depeche mode.  I'm extremely happy with all the tones and the mix, which wasn't the case for the last album.

Have it been any members changes since the last time I interviewed you (September 2001)?

-We've had the same lineup since July, 2001, although a friend named Mike Fasano plays drums on the new album.  This is due to the fact that Fred Hell was shot last year.  I'm happy to report that Fred's doing really well -- we've toured with him back on the drums in November, December and April and his playing sounds great. 

Which is the most embarrassing record in your collection?

-I'm not embarrassed by anything that I'd buy or listen to, although some of the records I listen to might surprise some people.  The only things I'd be embarrassed by are promos that I'd never buy or listen to more than once!

I really like your covers, who does them and is it important how a cover looks like?

-All the covers have been designed by myself and put together by a graphic artist called Sergie Loobkof.  The music comes first of course, but the visual element of the band is very important to me.

Have you heard any reactions on your new record?

-Just in the last week or so ... all the reactions to the record so far from interviewers, the label, friends and so on has been very positive, so that's nice.

Do you care about reviews? Which do you trust the most the bad or the good ones? 

-I don't care too much about reviews ... of course you want people to like what you've created, but not everyone is going to like or even understand what you're trying to do.  The most important thing is to please yourself, because there's a satisfaction that comes with that that can't be taken away by anyone.

You´re going out on tour now or?

-We did a month in the States right after the studio, and we're about to start another few weeks in May, from California to Florida.  We get a bit of time off, then more touring once the album is released.

Which record must be in the tourbus?

-Well, we're normally in a van although we will be in a bus for Warped Tour this summer! ;)  On the road I listen to a lot of Smiths/Morrissey, a lot of newer industrial/EBM and a lot of old hillbilly/honky-tonk/bluegrass.

You said in the last interview that you´re always behind with your email, have you manage to answer all mails in time now?

 -I'm afraid not!  All my time goes to Tiger Army and I'm always behind on keeping up with friends and everything else... ..

How much does a group of Tiger Army's caliber sell?

-II: Power of Moonlite has scanned over 40,000 copies to date (not counting Europe or Japan) and still moves steadily.  It's not the biggest selling record of all time, but that's pretty respectable for a band on an independent label playing an underground style of music.  Of course it is our hope that the new album will reach even more people.

Do you have any bands on the side of Tiger Army? And did you have any bands before Tiger Army?

-I'm too busy for anything musical side projects outside of Tiger Army.  My first band was called Influence 13, a punk band that existed from 1991-93.  Geoff of TA and Jade of AFI were bandmates with me in that band.

Which was your ambitions when you started as Tiger Army and which is your ambitions now?

-Many of our early goals have been met, simple things such as making an album, playing a psychobilly festival in Europe, going on tour.  Many of my goals now are more long term -- it is my hope that Tiger Army will be a band that is remembered years from now and influence new generations of musicians.  One important element of success for me has already been achieved, we are able to make a living doing what we love most.  As long as I can do that, I'll be happy.

How is it to live in USA today, the last time I interviewed you was precisely after the terrorist attack 2001. How have life changed after that?

-Things are much the same, perhaps a little less convenient.  I don't think people have the illusion of safety that they used to, but the fact is you're never really safe anywhere.

And Bush have attacked Iraq, is it good that USA is involved everywhere?

-As Tiger Army doesn't deal with political matters in our music, I don't much care to deal with them in interviews.  I will say that I'm growing increasingly tired of current administration and the Christian agenda they're trying to force down everyone's throats.

Politics and music, does it goes hand in hand?

-Not for me!

Future plans for the  band?

-We spent most of 2003 at home, it's time to hit the road again!  We'll be on tour for the rest of this year and into next year as well.  We hope to return to Europe in the fall!  We're going to shoot our third "proper" video in June as well.  I won't be ready to see the inside of a recording studio for a while!

Something to add?

-We'd like to thank everyone who's supported us in Scandinavia & the rest of Europe as well! Hopefully we'll see some of you at the gigs later this year!  We're really proud of the new album, I think it's the best thing we've done & we hope people will check it out when it's released at the end of June!  Check out our website at  www.tigerarmy.com to hear a free MP3 and to find out the latest news about tours and more!  Cheers!