San Diego’s own Old Tiger are set to celebrate the release their new record, Love Have Mercy, with a live show Friday October 12th at the Casbah. Join us as we talk about the band, review the brand new record and sit down and chat about both and more with singer and songwriter, Dustin Lothspeich.

 
Are you someone who loves the blues? Someone who loves the sound and feel of an old, smoky, gritty lounge? Do you love the idea of a band playing this lounge, filling the available air with songs about love, past and present tense, with ballads dripping of the color blue? Do you find yourself dropping to your knees, shaking your fists at the cloudy, October sky, shouting “Why does this not exist anymore!? Nobody writes songs like they used to!” Well, my friend today is your lucky day. We have the distinct pleasure of introducing you to Old Tiger, and their brand new full-length record Love Have Mercy!

Old Tiger has been filling local clubs, bars and showrooms with their blend of classic blues, rock ‘n roll since 2009. Singer, guitarist and songwriter Dustin Lothspeich and drummer Eric Boone met the year prior while co-workers at a local business, while Boone played in another local band with Old Tiger bass player, Matt Phillips. Lothspeich says, “I found out that Eric played drums in a band called The High Rolling Loners and ended up going to see them play a couple times. At one point, I was hanging out at their practice space with him and I picked up a guitar that was layin’ around and played a few songs I had written, just to have some fun. Much to my surprise, he really liked them, so we started jamming together.” He continues, “Matt overheard us a couple weeks later and wanted in on the spot. We started seriously writing and rehearsing more and more songs over the following 6 months until we all agreed: it was time to let the Tiger out.” Now, in 2012, the Tiger is out of the cage and ready to roar its way into the hearts of music fans everywhere.

If you have ever found yourself asking, “Why doesn’t anyone write songs like they used to?” then Old Tiger’s new record Love Have Mercy is exactly what you have been longing for. A classically written record filled with old-fashioned rock ‘n roll and hip rhythm and blues, breathing life back into the famous sounds of music past. Channeling sounds from the Golden Age of music including Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles and many other Motown Era artists, all while adding their own modern, subtle twist to the equation. “I don’t know if we purposely try to make our music sound old or something – but certain chord progressions, tempos, etc. do tend to lend themselves to a particular era. And we’re OK with that”, states Lothspeich. Love Have Mercy, comprised of 10 steel solid tracks, is a showcase of songwriting and musicianship. With the addition of multiple guitar tracks, a horn section, Rhodes, organ, a full choir handling back-up vocals and not to mention new full time band member, Ted Kocher’s fingers dancing upon the ivories, Old Tiger finds themselves with a stronger, more full sound than ever before. According to Lothspeich a hand full of songs have been played here and there over the past few years, but, he tells us, “The challenge was to really re-write and re-structure to their true essence.” And “…in the end, we feel like we’ve re-written them to their full potential.”

Love Have Mercy opens with the track “You Can’t Do Better”, which kicks the record off on the right feet. And by feet, we mean the dancing kind. A two and a half-minute blast of blues-rock, which when played live should tear even the strongest dance floor to splinters. This song mixes together a killer blend of classic guitar tones, a solid rhythm backing with a strong horn section and the beautiful sound of twinkling keys. Of course, we can’t leave out Lothspeich’s crooning vocal performance, backed up by The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir’s collection of angelic voices. Delivering a musical experience that might trick you into thinking the track took a time machine from the past, right in to your stereo. The song, “Settle Down” is everything a perfect ballad from the Golden Age of music should be. Guitar and piano weep together, along with a subtle vocal performance adding to the overall perfect sadness. Track “Get Along” brings together elements of beach rock, bringing together surf rock guitar riffing and drum beats, with old school electric organ creating a sound that will pair perfectly with a cruise down the PCH any day of the week. The record ends with the track “Like A Woman”, which is laced with conviction, and pissed off love. The 2:36 ball of fury soars with angry bass and a horn solo backing it up, and finishes the record off red-hot. So when it comes to Old Tiger and their modern twist on blues-rock n roll, in America’s Finest City, “You can’t do better.” So why try?

Be sure to check out the live record release show at the Casbah San Diego, Friday October 12th. Line up includes Red Fox Tails, Nena Anderson, The Heavy Guilt and Old Tiger. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased by clicking here.

Want to read a full interview with singer and songwriter Dustin Lothspeich? We thought so… Check it out below!
 

 
What is the story behind the title, Love Have Mercy?

It just kind of embodies the sound of the record. All of the songs are about relationships in various states of disarray. It’s about realizing that love is both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes you just gotta hope for a break. We went through a lot of potential titles but when this one came up, we all knew instantly that it’d be the one.

What was the writing process that Old Tiger went through for the new record?

It was strange, to say the least. The bulk of these songs have been played live for the last 3 years or so. We’ve played ‘em hundreds of times. So, the challenge was to really re-write and re-structure to their true essence. We’d realized we’ve been playing some of them completely wrong. So all of them have tweaks and additional parts we’ve never played before. It was kind of an odd thing, to release 10 songs that have been around for awhile. But, in the end, we feel like we’ve re-written them to their full potential – and they were just so good that we had to release them on an official record. Even though our friends and fans have probably heard most of these songs, they’ve never heard ‘em like this.

You created a truly full sound on the record with the addition of different instruments and backing singers. Who were the other players you worked with to put together the sound the came to be Love Have Mercy?

Well, we’ve gotta credit the sound to our producer, Mike Butler. The dude is the mastermind behind the record and really helped us achieve the vision we had for it. In that vein, he knew and brought in all the extra players on the record. Archie Thompson was instrumental, playing Rhodes, piano, organ and saxophone on the album. The guy is a man of all trades and we are so grateful he could come in and help us out so much. We also got to bring in the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir for three songs and that was just epic. We never imagined we’d have a choir on one song, much less three.

What are some of the emotions and feelings portrayed within the songs on the new record?

Well, I’d like to think people make their own interpretations on the songs – but it’s pretty apparent that all of the songs have to do with some level of heartache. Sometimes the songs have to do with what I’ve gone through personally, and others are observations on relationships around me. I think the final feeling we’d like people to come away with from listening to our record is: there’s always hope. Always be strong. Believe in yourself and your self worth, no matter what. “You Can’t Do Better” is about that exact sentiment.

What are some of the bands favorite tracks off the new record and why?

We all collectively love “You Can’t Do Better” and “Settle Down” mainly because they’re the newest, but also because we really got them to sound absolutely huge. It just feels good to listen to them. It also doesn’t hurt to have a gospel choir on both of them.

The record will officially be released at the Casbah October 12th when you share the stage with Nena Anderson, The Heavy Guilt and Red Fox Tails. How did this power house of a show come together?

We just wanted to invite our friends to play with us – besides the fact that they’re 3 fantastic bands that make such great, inspiring music. We’ve been fans of The Heavy Guilt for the last couple years but this is the first time we’ve been able to play a show with them so we couldn’t be more excited about it. That Al Howard guy is an artistic genius. I have crazy respect for him and he’s in pretty much every band in San Diego.

Nena Anderson is just on a whole other level, as far as songwriting goes. I don’t think she can write a bad song – and she sounds absolutely killer singing all of them. She asked us to play her album release show last year at the Belly Up and we wanted to keep the tradition going, because we’re always thrilled to share a stage with her. Her record, “Beyond the Lights” should’ve won like, 10 San Diego Music Awards this past year, for real.

The Red Fox Tails have been good friends of ours for the past 3 years, ever since we played our first show together. They’re magnificent musicians and their sound is truly their own – I don’t even know how to describe it: salsa soul surf jazz? All I know is it’s great and we always love hanging with them and doing shows together.

Old Tiger has always been a trio, but recently jumped into the quartet world with the addition of Ted on organ. What was the motivation behind adding a new instrument to the group?

We’ve always wanted a guy playing organ in our band. We were kind of limited to a trio sound for the past 3 years out of necessity rather than preference. We just couldn’t find anyone that really fit. After we tracked the record, we were trying to play these songs live and it just became apparent that we were just missing a whole part of what make our songs feel right. So we stepped up our search a little, our buddy referred Ted, and the rest is history. The dude is absolutely a pro and has taken our entire sound up about a million notches.

What can we look forward to next from Old Tiger?

Writing new music and playing as many shows as we can (especially out of town). Our shows after the release will be a healthy mix of tunes off the record, one or two older songs, and a bunch of new things we’ve been working on. Hopefully the next record won’t be another 3 year project.

Please finish this sentence… Love Have Mercy is…My favorite Old Tiger album!
 

 
Special Thank You to Dustin Lothspeich and Old Tiger. Please check out their official website to check out events and to pick up the new record. Also follow them on Twitter and Facebook for updates.