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16 tracks
There is a certain thing Americana music does better than other genres. A defiance, a transcendence that acknowledges death and drink and all the worldly troubles people carry around on a daily basis. Gets in grief’s face and gives it the finger. Tigerman Whoa’s music embodies this, and on Live at The Bridge Sound & Stage, they get right into it, kicking off this set with “My Grave,” leading the crowd singing the refrain, “Oh, though they’ve tried/I’ll send myself to my grave.” The struggles are familiar. Promises not to get drunk (“Old Plank Road”), fighting the boss (“The ’69 Strike”), love and hate (“Guess So”), racism “Babydolls”), and even environmental apocalypse (“Count Me In”). The beating heart of the thing is country mythology, similar to how the Drive-By Truckers write. Musically, they cast a wide net. Plinking banjos and octave-split guitar solos. Walls of distortion and slinky Marc Ribot-inspired licks. Train beats and Gene Krupa-inspired swinging tom beats. The low, grumbling vocals sound like Woody Guthrie reborn in Soloman Grundy’s body. It’s hard not to feel the intensity when they play, especially when they’ve got a crowd in front of it. The music is a rallying cry for your feet and your soul. (Nick Zaino)