We’re presenting an AMAZING show at Great American Music Hall this Saturday, featuring a local San Francisco band we totally love, Rin Tin Tiger.
Wanna win a pair of tix? Easy, just leave a comment below and we’ll pick a winner before noon Eastern on Saturday.
While you’re hear, listen to the band’s new LP below, and check out what band member Sean E. Sullivan has to say about the gig and the band’s live stage show.
How does preparation for a hometown gig differ from playing live on the road?
The biggest difference is the kind of rooms we play and the kind of set list. In the Bay Area we play pretty good sized rooms that fit hundreds of people. When we’re on the road sometimes we play comparable places but oftentimes we end up at smaller bars or even restaurants. There’s all kinds of funky places to play on the road and we’ve done a lot of them. The other big difference is the style and length of the set list. For hometown shows, especially headlining ones, we like to toss in a bunch of older classic cuts for those that have been with through the years.
What do you like best about Great American Music Hall?
The ambiance. It’s such a gorgeous building rich in history and being surrounded by that kind of atmosphere is really inspiring when on stage. The lights are also top notch and the staff are all very friendly.
What’s your favorite part of performing live?
Feeding off of the energy of the audience. Crazy dance moves and singing along really make the performance aspect of being a musician very rewarding. Recording is great but having people react to something live is the best.
What can an audience expect in a RTT show?
Lots of sweat, headbanging, dancing, jumping off of things, lengthy in between song comedy/banter, and hopefully some awesome sing-a-longs.
What can fans and newcomers expect from the new LP?
Some classic RTT elements – acoustic guitar, groovy bass, lots of lyrics, and punk rock drumming – all taken to the next level. This record captures our live sound more accurately than we’ve been able to in the past and feels very much like a “band” album. All of the parts are very important and we all worked well together to create something we’re very proud of.
How does the new album compare to your previous records?
It’s longer, it’s better, it’s more “band oriented”, as in there’s only 1 out of 12 songs that are just guitar and vocals, whereas our last album, Toxic Pocketbook, had 3 of 8 tracks with just Kevin. It’s also some of the most aggressive material we’ve released and also some of the most country leaning. Diverse yet cohesive (hopefully).
There are a lot of acts jumping on the “folk” bandwagon these days, in the wake of Mumford & Sons’ success. What makes Rin Tin Tiger stand out in this new revival?
I think we basically sound nothing like Mumford or the other popular folk acts right now. Nothing against any of those bands because they’re great at what they do, I just think that what we do is very different. The only real similarity is the acoustic guitar element. Our songs are much more rooted in rock and rhythm and blues with a lot of the folk influence coming from the emphasis and importance of the lyrics. A lot of our new songs are rock or country songs played with a Guild instead of a Telecaster and at a fast tempo. Everything else about us is different too. Our live shows are more like punk shows and we don’t dress like we’re from the 1920s. We’re three dudes making serious music with a fun attitude. A lot of contemporary folk music takes itself too seriously without having the content to back it up. We’re trying to fill a gap between country and punk and folk that hopefully comes off as not only fun but artistic as well.