When I started at WRFL, people often told me I had the “coolest job ever.” While that may be true, what they didn’t mention was that one day I’d get to interview a band I’ve been listening to since I was 14, and somehow be able to call it “work.”
Being Music Director at WRFL comes with a lot of perks, but one of my favorites is connecting with promoters across the country who help bring new music to college radio stations like ours. Through those conversations, I’ve gotten a firsthand look at how important college radio remains for artists and listeners alike. It’s also how I ended up with the opportunity to interview Tigers Jaw before their show at The Burl.
Tigers Jaw formed in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 2005 while the members were still in high school. Over the years, the band has become one of the most influential names in modern emo and alternative rock. Ahead of their Lexington stop, I spoke with vocalist and guitarist Ben Walsh about the band’s new album Lost On You, touring, college radio, and even the pizza shop featured on one of their most iconic album covers.
On Lost On You and Songwriting
Abby: What album or artist was most influential in the making of Lost On You?
Ben Walsh: “I would say one of the most influential albums was Wildflowers by Tom Petty. I am constantly going back to it and finding a new favorite song time and time again.”
Abby: What was the most fun song to write on Lost On You?
Ben: “I think the title track itself was very fun to write. It’s just very upbeat and it was really fun creating a callback to the opening track for the outro of the last track. It came together really quickly and naturally once we knew what vibe we wanted the song to be.”
Abby: Which song changed the most during the writing process?
Ben: “Staring At Empty Faces.” “It’s a riff that our drummer Teddy wrote and brought to the table. Originally it was more of a standard alternative rock song. We tried it a couple different ways, even playing it really fast, before slowing it down and changing the vocal approach. It ended up becoming something completely different.”
Playing Live
Abby: What song do you enjoy playing live the most right now?
Ben: “Currently it’s one of the new songs, Baptized on a Redwood Drive. It’s kind of a journey of a song. It’s moody and has all these peaks and valleys of dynamics, so it’s been a really fun one.”
Abby: How different is touring now compared to your early basement-show days?
Ben: “Touring is awesome, but it can be really difficult the older you get. You become more firmly planted in your home life, so leaving gets more difficult. When you’re young, you just want to leave and see the world. I still love that aspect of it, but you miss people at home. At the same time, new people are still finding the band and we’re still playing bigger and better shows, so that makes it worth it.”
Tigers Jaw and College Radio
Abby: What does college radio mean to you and the band?
Ben: “When I went to college at Marywood in Scranton, the university had a really awesome college station. I always fantasized about having a radio show, but I never had the time between studying and playing shows.”
“I have a lot of respect for college radio. It’s such an important part of supporting up-and-coming artists because students have their ear to the ground for discovering new music. Also, you get played on the radio when you otherwise might not. It’s a foundational part of growing a band and reaching new people.”
The Name
Abby: Where did the name Tigers Jaw come from?
Ben: “The name comes from a lyric by The Microphones. They were hugely influential, especially in the early days of the band.”
The Joyce Manor Collab
Abby: How did your collaboration with Joyce Manor come together?
Ben: “We were supposed to play a show together in Central Park, but there was an insane storm and the show got rescheduled. Unfortunately, Bri and I had a friend’s wedding in California on the new date, so we couldn’t play.”
“People started texting us saying, ‘Oh my God, Joyce Manor is covering one of your songs.’ A couple months later they reached out and said they had recordings from the show and wanted to do something with them. We ended up recording Constant Headache and released the split. We’ve been friends with that band for a long time, so it was really cool. Their new album is awesome!”
The REALLY Important Questions
Abby: Where was the pizza spot featured on your self-titled album cover?
Ben: “It’s a place in Scranton called Buona Pizza. It’s kind of a time capsule. It has looked the same for as long as I can remember. We’d go there after practice or before shows downtown. It was an instrumental spot for us. When the album got picked up by Run For Cover Records, they asked if we wanted alternate artwork. We spent a day taking photos around town, and that’s one of the pictures Bri (vocals and keyboard) took.”
Abby: If you had to introduce someone to Tigers Jaw with only three songs, which would you choose?
Ben: “I’d say The Sun because it was the first Tigers Jaw song that existed. Then June, because it represented a new era for the band. For a newer song, I’d choose either Head Is Like a Sinking Stone” or “Baptized on a Redwood Drive.”
Abby: What’s the funniest disaster that’s happened on tour?
Ben: “Actually, last night we got locked inside our bandwagon. Pool Kids had just finished playing and we were getting ready to go on. I went to leave and the door wouldn’t open. I ended up climbing out the window and later had to completely disassemble the lock to fix it. You couldn’t get in on the inside or outside.”
Abby: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve signed for a fan?
Ben: “Probably either a Zyn container or, lately, a lot of Pokémon cards.”
Final Thoughts
After nearly twenty years as a band, Tigers Jaw continues to evolve while remaining connected to the community that helped them grow. Whether they’re talking about discovering music to be their own, collaborating with longtime friends, or reminiscing about pizza shops in Scranton, it’s clear they haven’t lost sight of where they came from.