5 writers, 5 questions, 1 band, hand-picked by MWA. Welcome to FIVE x FIVE. This week: Chicago-based indie rockers, Carbon Tigers.
Carbon Tigers is a group of four of the hardest working, most devoted musicians this side of the Midwest. Between working on a new album and playing a handful of butt-kickin’ live shows, Darien (drums/vocals) took some time to chat with Midwest Action.
The Wars at Home was released about a year ago. What do you think has changed since then?
I feel like a lot has changed since The Wars at Home was released. We’ve hit multiple markets that we hadn’t made it to before (SXSW, Columbus, Detroit) and are steadily pushing to hit as many markets as we can! It’s been a pretty cool journey since I’ve joined the band (been a little over a year now) and the progress that we’ve made is quite astounding. We’ve recorded 4 new songs and are continuing to write more, we’re hitting the East Coast in about a week and are seeing a consistent, organic fan base growing across the world! Can’t really complain at this point.
How was your experience playing the inaugural year of Columbus’s Fashion Meets Music Fest?
I think we all enjoyed the first year of FMMF, unfortunately Aaron was the only one that could stay all 3 days but the rest of us got to meet and play with some of the best bands out today (Desert Noises, Vacationer, Soil and the Sun, Modern Baseball)! It was really cool to be a part of a big production like that because it was our first big festival we’ve played and the response was pretty sweet. If you get a chance to go to Columbus next year, I’d definitely recommend it!
Would you guys mind describing your first show together as a band? Did everything come together perfectly?
So I joined the band about a year ago like I said earlier and the first 2 shows were actually in the same day! They both went smoothly and had decent turnouts so it was a success in my opinion. I think we were being put to the test to see if we could work together under stress, and I think we proved ourselves worthy.
What can we look forward to on your upcoming album? Anything new you’re exploring?
If you haven’t seen us live yet, you need to do that because that’s the sound we want to capture for the record we’re working on now! There’s so many ideas swarming in all of our heads to really say what the new work is gonna sound like in the end but we all are working towards are strengths and developing our weakness so it won’t disappoint, I promise. We’re growing as a band, as friends, and as individuals so you can expect a more mature sound for these new songs.
Being from Chicago, what was your best experience playing in front of an audience in a different city? What are your favorite out-of-town venues?
We’ve always gotten love from Milwaukee (shout out), but ask us when we get back from tour, I’m sure I’ll have a better answer for our favorite venues! Right now, I love Township and Schubas. There’s something about eating at one of the best restaurants before you play that really puts you in a good place. There’s this chicken salad croissant at Township… Fire.
Go listen to Boy Blue! They’re our homies in Milwaukee and bring extra good vibes to their live show! I’m stoked to be doing a couple of dates with those guys!
You have quite a few shows lined up – who are you looking forward to playing with in the very near future?
If you’re new to Carbon Tigers, we’ll be playing Schubas October 3rd for a single release party! And we’re on pretty much every social media platform under Carbon Tigers so give us a follow/like whatever – it won’t be a waste!
Carbon Tigers have a few shows coming up all over the Midwest! Check them out tonight at Double Happiness in Columbus, or catch them October 2nd in Milwaukee or October 3rd in Chicago. Additional tour dates are available on their website – and we can guarantee an awesome stage performance from these guys. Happy listening!