Tigers Jaw brings new record ‘Spin’ to Grey Eagle
REVIEW
KARRIGANMONK
Editor-in-Chief
kmonk@unca.edu
The crowd surges forward, caus
ing those who were standing direct
ly in front of the stage to now spill
onto it. Only a few chords into their
set at The Grey Eagle, Tigers Jaw
ignites the audience and maintains
the energy throughout the show.
Just moments before, the audience
swayed to the crooning of Yowler
and bopped to the rock of Looming.
Though the room was only half full
at best for the two opening bands,
the venue was packed for the head
liner.
The last time Tigers Jaw graced
an Asheville stage was at UNC
Asheville’s own Alumni Hall in
2015. Though that night featured
only band members Ben Walsh and
Brianna Collins playing an acoustic
set. The Grey Eagle show last Tues
day featured a full touring band,
offering a higher energy show than
the previous show three years ago.
On tour in support of their latest
album Spin, Tigers Jaw played a
mix of old and new songs. Though
Spin was released in May 2017, by
the time the band got to Asheville
their loyal audience had memorized
every word, with the singing of the
crowd often drowning out that of
the actual band. For one song, the
band took a step back from their
mics, opting to play for the singing
crowd and enjoy the moment.
Tigers Jaw opened their set with a
new song, “Favorite.” Immediately,
their audience pressed further into
the stage and shouted the words
along with Walsh. Known for their
emotionally raw lyrics. Tigers Jaw
does not disappoint with their latest
effort and “Favorite” is no different.
With lines like, “Call me up to cut
me open again” and “What’s your
favorite way to dull the pain? I ha
ven’t found a way to replace you,”
the duo that makes up Tigers Jaw
is characterized by their vulnerabil
ity. Though often masked by hard
Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins are the two remaining band members behind the band’s consistent sound.
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guitars and loud drums, their sen
sitivity remains a consistent chord
throughout their discography, if one
takes only a moment to look.
Though formed in 2005, the band
has gone through many changes.
Originally formed as a full band,
several members left the project
throughout its iteration. Spin marks
the first time the remaining mem
bers have created an album written
'
and recorded solely as a two-piece
band.
While the latest effort is by no
means a departure from their orig
inal sound, the album introduces a
clear view into what the band has
become. With Spin, listeners be
come intimately close with Walsh
and Collins, getting to know the
band in a way they could not have
before with the influence of other
artists on Tigers Jaw’s music.
This time around, the two dedi
cated an entire month to recording.
The effort paid off as, out of the five
albums Tigers Jaw has produced.
Spin is easily the tightest and most
cohesive.
Though each member contribut
ed different aspects of the album, it
comes together seamlessly. Both in
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