Album Notes

The Tiger and Me have been described as folk with gypsy and cabaret flavours. However, they offer something much more interesting than new-world longing for the drama and high stakes of old. The big-top energy of the Melbourne five-piece ignites with male/female lead vocals surrounded by driving piano, lusty violin, upright bass, drums, banjo, guitar, ukulele, a chorus of voices and a trilby-wearing accordionist. Their live show is an event for the ears, for the soul, and for all those rampant feet out there looking for the ultimate place to whirl and stomp. They are currently recording their debut LP at Newmarket Studios. Featuring recordings of songs previously heard on Live at Manchester Lane and a host of new material, the album represents the culmination of the band’s growth from promising duo to captivating band. The Tiger and Me began life as a duo when Ade Vincent and Jane Hendry recorded six songs in late 2007 which, originally intended as demos, were released as an EP after friends in the industry declared the recordings to be worthy of release. The self-titled EP received strong support from radio in Australia, including leading station Triple J, which interviewed the duo and broadcast several of their songs. They were also featured as one of ‘six of the best’ unearthed roots bands in Australia in Triple J's 'Jmag'. The band’s diverse blend of influences, including Beirut, Jolie Holland, Martin Martini and Béla Bartók, represents the arrival at the style of music lead songwriter Ade Vincent spent his youth trying to locate. It was unearthed by songstress Jane Hendry, whose penchant for old cabaret tunes, 1940s wartime songs and the Hungarian waltzes for violin she played as a youngster created the spark that was needed. The EP was successful in generating interest in the duo and drawing comparisons to the likes of Angus and Julia Stone. Their expansion to a band for their sell-out show at Manchester Lane in April 2008, however, marked the group’s true birth as they added Tim Keegan’s upright bass (previously seen playing for Liz Stringer and Jaimi Faulkner), Paul Daniel’s poetic drumming (Brendan Welch) and Tobias Selkirk’s quirky accordion playing (Tobias Cummings: Band). The show was recorded and released, capturing the band’s juxtaposition of high-energy shout outs and gentle folk melodies. Immediately following the release of their live album, they undertook a tour of Canada, including shows at North by Northeast in Toronto and Vancouver’s New Music West Festival, before returning to play an east-coast support tour with Jess McAvoy in late 2008. They began 2009 with a string of successful headlining shows around Melbourne, drawing excellent crowds and acclaim from the Melbourne music community, as they made the public sit-up and take notice with their growth from sweet duo to raucous five-piece. The Tiger and Me’s music shows more of a wink and a nod to the old cabaret den or speakeasy tradition than a blind adhesion to it. They have velvet plushness, braces, and accordions. And banjos. And unscripted whooping. The Tiger may have started out as a quirky kitten, but it is now well and truly grown, ravaging the curtains and threatening to topple your expectations with its outsize tail. “The Tiger and Me, a cute romantic and musical couple, delivered a very charming set of spare, violin-laced cabaret-pop...that struck the right balance between grounded and theatrical”. CBC (Canada) “...an entwined and tight partnership. The Forsaken Few and Murderer in Uniform fly the album on towards the Paul Kelly/George airstrip, concentrating on a tightly compact and generally profound set of lyrics.” BEAT MAGAZINE (Melbourne) "The vocals are sung with pure and simple qualities with velvety harmonies bringing together the collection of songs on the album." "Split lead vocals...showcase how these impressive lyrics are interpreted." RADIOINDY.COM “Elements of country rub up against a cabaret feel and some Gypsyish tendencies. Accessible but esoteric enough to still stand out.” NOW MAGAZINE (Toronto) "a live looped circus act enters...making it hard to know what circus tent you’ve entered!" BEAT MAGAZINE (Melbourne) “A feisty, circus-folk ramble with genteel cabaret leanings, in ‘Big Trapeze’ The Tiger and Me walk the treacherous tightrope of new and old; dark and light. Stomping piano and old-world gypsy fiddle transport you to another time, under a Big Top, tapping one’s toe and swinging one’s hips.” GEORGIA FIELDS (Melbourne) If you like a little folk music entwined with a little country beat you will not be disappointed when you hear the album “The Tiger and Me.” RADIOINDY.COM