Tiger Army played their first show in 1996 at the Bay Area’s legendary punk collective, 924 Gilman Street, known as the venue where everyone from Green Day to Rancid got their start. The gig saw them opening for AFI, who lent Nick 13 their drummer, Adam Carson. Rancid’s Tim Armstrong took notice of Nick 13’s songs via a series of demos (later collected as The Early Years EP) and signed Tiger Army to his Hellcat Records imprint strictly on the strength of Nick’s songs and vision knowing full well he had yet to secure a steady lineup. The first Tiger Army album followed in late 1999.
The fledgling psychobilly scene in North America took flight shortly thereafter. Songs like “Nocturnal” and “True Romance” presaged the dark palette that would paint much of underground music in the coming year. Geoff Kresge (ex-AFI) came onboard on stand-up after the first album’s release. Now based in Los Angeles, Tiger Army embarked upon eighteen months of touring in support of II: Power of Moonlite, including trips to Europe and Japan and sharing stages with Dropkick Murphys, Reverend Horton Heat and The Damned.
Two sold-out record release shows at the House Of Blues on the Sunset Strip marked the June, 2004 arrival of III: Ghost Tigers Rise as the band took off for a month on the main stage of the Vans Warped Tour. After Warped, Jeff Roffredo (the former bass player for seminal West Coast psychos Cosmic Voodoo who had nearly joined Tiger Army before the first album) came into Tiger Army following Kresge’s amicable departure, along with drummer James Meza. 46 shows with Social Distortion followed.
The Dark Romance Tour came later, after which the band took some time off to prepare Music From Regions Beyond, pausing briefly for gigs with Morrissey and AFI as well as a headlining performance at Orange County's annual “Hootenanny” festival and a trip to the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver to support Social Distortion, among other shows. During this period Nick 13 made a cameo appearance in “Inland Empire,” the latest film from legendary director David Lynch (“Twin Peaks,” “Mulholland Drive”). The band played a “MySpace Secret Show” around the release, a sold-out release show at the House Of Blues in Las Vegas and returned to the Vans Warped Tour as a headliner shortly before starting their own “Razor’s Kiss” US tour, which culminated with two sold-out nights at the Wiltern in Los Angeles.
Standup bass player Geoff Kresge returned to Tiger Army at the start of 2008 as the band geared up for their busiest year yet, headlining tours all around the world. They launched the Octoberflame event as well, headlining five nights at the Grove of Anaheim in 2008, two night at the Grove and two at the Wiltern in Los Angeles in 2009, and will return for Octoberflame III.
Tiger Army remains Nick 13’s vision and mission, with the new material representing his most fully realized songwriting yet.
Santa Carla Twilight
Tiger Army Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The ocean looms, past bonfires alight
I am a stranger in this place
And when I see you, I can't turn away
Under this beach lie pirate bones
We stand above them, at long last alone
There's something different in your heart
And we kiss in the Santa Carla twilight
On the beach, under a Santa Carla moon
I am lost but I've found you in my arms
And my heart and my heart
Is blacker than the dark ocean
Eternity, eternity belongs to us
Eternally, eternally lasts our love
If you want forever close your eyes and surrender to me
Just remember today was the last that you'll ever see the sun
In Santa Carla
Hear the song of night tide
It's been ages since I've felt this alive
At long last I've found you and it ends
The loneliness we feel that they could never understand
And in this land beyond the dusk
A consummation of unholy love
Between two children of the night
As all time dissolves into a crimson dream
Into a crimson dream
Forever lasts our love, eternity
And it belongs to us, eternally
Eternity
The song "Santa Carla Twilight" by Tiger Army is a love ballad set in a mysterious and somewhat ominous seaside town, likely referring to Santa Carla, California (the fictional location of the vampire movie "The Lost Boys"). The song's narrator is a stranger in this place, but when he sees the person he loves, he cannot look away. The lyrics describe a scene of bonfires on the beach and pirate bones buried beneath the sand. Despite the darkness of the setting, both lovers seem unafraid and fully committed to each other. They share a kiss under the moon, which illuminates the singer's heart that he describes as being "blacker than the dark ocean".
The song seems to suggest that the couple's love is eternal and belongs only to them. The singer invites his partner to surrender to him and forget the world they knew before, as they begin a new life in Santa Carla. The song's final stanza describes a "consummation of unholy love" between two "children of the night", perhaps alluding to a supernatural or immortal quality in their relationship. The lyrics suggest that they are beyond time, melting into a "crimson dream" that represents their eternal love.
Overall, "Santa Carla Twilight" paints a romantic and mysterious picture of a couple who have found each other amidst the trials and strangeness of life in Santa Carla, and who are committed to each other for eternity.
Line by Line Meaning
Watch the moonrise tonite
Observing the rise of the moon tonight.
The ocean looms, past bonfires alight
The ocean is visible beyond the glowing bonfires.
I am a stranger in this place
Feeling like an outsider in this location.
And when I see you, I can't turn away
Attracted to the person and unable to look away.
Under this beach lie pirate bones
Beneath the beach are the remains of pirates.
We stand above them, at long last alone
Standing over the pirate bones, finally alone.
There's something different in your heart
Noticing that the person has unique feelings.
You're not afraid of the darkness within us all
Not fearful of the dark parts of humanity within everyone.
And we kiss in the Santa Carla twilight
Sharing a kiss during sunset in Santa Carla.
On the beach, under a Santa Carla moon
On the beach while the Santa Carla moon is shining.
I am lost but I've found you in my arms
Feeling lost without direction but finding comfort in holding the person.
And my heart and my heart
The following line elaborates on this one.
Is blacker than the dark ocean
One's heart is dark and heavy, deeper than the ocean.
Eternity, eternity belongs to us
Eternity is ours, we possess it.
Eternally, eternally lasts our love
Our love endures eternally.
If you want forever close your eyes and surrender to me
By trusting the artist and embracing the moment, forever could be attained together.
Just remember today was the last that you'll ever see the sun
Today marks the end of a phase, things will be different now.
Hear the song of night tide
Listen to the ebb and flow of the ocean.
It's been ages since I've felt this alive
Not feeling alive for a long time and now rediscovering that sensation.
At long last I've found you and it ends
Finally finding the person, coming to a conclusion.
The loneliness we feel that they could never understand
Experiencing loneliness that others cannot empathize with.
And in this land beyond the dusk
In a mystical, almost other-worldly space.
A consummation of unholy love
An act of intimate, unorthodox, passionate and ungodly love.
Between two children of the night
Shared between two individuals who enjoy the darkness.
As all time dissolves into a crimson dream
Time falls away into a dreamy, red haze.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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