Twin Tigers

Not Fitting the Athens Mold

By Charley Lee; photo by Mike White

Twin Tigers are not into being niche. They don’t go on and on about the Athens music “scene.” You won’t be able to labelthem, pigeon-hole them or group them along with any other bands. Theirs is a sound so dynamic that it’s unique unto them. For Twin Tigers, it’s simply about making good music, whatever the genre, sound or style.

“We are just people who like to make music,” says guitarist Aimee Morris. “Right now, we are such a small piece in the indie rock puzzle that we don’t really have a position. Every night on tour we end up playing with different kinds of bands. We just want everybody to have a good time.”

Though the band has only been together for roughly a year, the music it has made in that time is some of the best to come out of Athens as of late. Vocalist Matthew Rain (formerly of Psychic Hearts) and met Morris at The Grit where all the members happento currently work. Morris later met guitarist Enoch Bledsoe at a party. After the dissolution of Psychic Hearts and the split up of Morris and Bledsoe’s band, Morris and Rain began writing songs as a duo. After Bledsoe returned from a sabbatical in Florida, the two-piece became a trio and began practicing and writing songs. Thusly, Twin Tigers was born. The band played its first live gig in late 2007 and released an EP, Curious Faces/Violet Future, with the help of Athens mainstay Joel Hatstat (Pegasuses XL).

The music of Twin Tigers sounds like a powerhouse amalgamation of many sounds and influences. The most recognizable perhaps are My Bloody Valentine, Electro Group and maybe even a little Flaming Lips, with an aura of 1960s psychedelia permeating the whole thing. Curious Faces/Violet Future gives a good indicationof what Twin Tigers sounds like, but the EP pales in comparison to the live show. The disjointed melodies and use of distortion and feed-back sound much more epic in person.

“The foundation of all Twin Tigers songs is essentially rock ‘n’ roll, with a personal interpretation of sound and songs,” says to Morris. “As far as genre-categorizing, we will be in between ‘s’ and ‘u’ in your library.”

Though the band has been through its share of ups and downs (replacing drummer Richard Young, unfounded rumors of splits and side projects, and, of course, attention from college radio and NPR), the band has actually spent more time in the spotlight than out, playing various shows and festivals including Athfest, Popfest, andCorndogorama. But that’s not enough for these overachievers.

The band hopes to release a 7-inch in the fall when they return from a tour with other Athens up-and-comers, Dead Confederate. “After that we will start working on the full-length, probably for spring ‘09,” Morris adds. “We are also helping a friend with a soundtrack for the Sundance Festival. We need to be on tour eight months a year with a new album annually.” Twin Tigers are certainly becoming one of the most talked about bands in Athens as of now, and a quick listen on the band’s MySpace should put all the naysayers to rest. As they continue to tour and make a name for themselves, one thing’s for certain: these kids know how to rock.

www.myspace.com/thetwintigers