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Geoff Kresge leaves Tiger Army

For the second time, bassist Geoff Kresge has left Tiger Army. You can check out a full (very, very long) statement released on Kresge’s Facebook page below.

“Geoff Kresge has left Tiger Army, for a second and final time. 

“Tiger Army has been off the road since the end of 2008 and has not released an album since the year before,” said Kresge via statement. “The fans all around the world have been hungry for new music and tour announcements for the past five years. I’ve finally accepted that if I want to remain a full-time musician, it’s time for me to move on.”

The guitarist, songwriter, producer and bass player first took the Upright Bass position in Tiger Army shortly after the release of the band’s 1999 self-titled debut on Hellcat/Epitaph. Kresge’s stage presence, backing vocals and high-energy performance helped propel the psychobilly trio across several international tours, alongside bands like Dropkick Murphys, Rancid, Reverend Horton Heat, The Damned, T.S.O.L. and on the Vans Warped Tour. 
Tiger Army’s II: Power of Moonlite (2002) and III: Ghost Tigers Rise (2004) both feature Kresge as upright bass player/backing vocalist. He appears in the music videos for “Never Die,” “Incorporeal,” “Cupid’s Victim” and “Rose of the Devil’s Garden.”

Kresge first split with Tiger Army for “personal reasons” in September 2004. He assembled a new band, Viva Hate, before joining Tiger Army’s Hellcat label mates, HorrorPops, on guitar. He co-wrote and performed on the band’s second album, Bring it On! (2005), produced by Epitaph’s Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion).

The following year saw Kresge touring North America, Europe, Australia and parts of Asia with Horrorpops. He’s featured prominently in the HorrorPops music video for “Where You Can’t Follow” and returned to the Vans Warped Tour stage with them.

Kresge returned to the upright bass in Viva Hate, promoting their vinyl EPs on a US tour with New York Hardcore legends Sick Of It All and Madball, following his departure from HorrorPops. Prior to that, Viva Hate had done a string of shows with AFI (who Kresge wrote, recorded and toured with from 1992 to 1997).

Kresge was AFI's bass player on Answer That and Stay Fashionable (1995) and Very Proud of Ya’ (1996), as well as several of the band’s early EPs, some of which were released on his own label, Key Lime Pie Records. He did background vocals on AFI’s platinum commercial breakthrough, Sing the Sorrow (2003).

In 2007, Kresge was back in the studio with Tiger Army, adding backing vocals to Music from Regions Beyond and a cover of “Oogie Boogie’s Song,” later released as part of Disney’s Nightmare Revisited compilation. In December 2007, Kresge rejoined Tiger Army (following the exit of his replacement, Jeff Roffredo) and spent all of 2008 on the road. 

Tiger Army toured all over the North America, Europe, Australia and Japan that year, stopping at several festivals along the way, including MusInk (Orange County), Hootenanny (Orange County), The Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend (Las Vegas), Big Rumble (Japan), Reading and Leeds (UK), West Coast Riot (Sweden), Ankka Rock (Finland), Vainstream Rockfest (Germany) and The Satanic Stomp (Germany). They also played a five “K” (Kerrang!) reviewed show at London’s Astoria, selling out two nights back to back at Helsinki, Finland venue Tavastia during the same run. 

A five night stand at The Grove of Anaheim wrapped up 2008 for Tiger Army. The following year, the band played just five shows (four of them in California). There were only two shows in 2010 (again in California). Since coming off the road in 2008, the band appeared just 26 times over the next five years, in California, Las Vegas and Arizona. 

There has been no new Tiger Army music recorded since December 2006, which was released in June 2007.

“The plan, as it was explained to me, was for our frontman to take 6 months off to pursue a solo career,” Kresge explains. “Given a combination of personal and professional considerations, plus my desire to get back out there and perform and talk with our fans all around the world, I must say goodbye to Tiger Army a final time.” 

“However, make no mistake: I will never say goodbye to being a musician, nor will I say goodbye to the fans,” he added. “My life has revolved around music. Right now, my passion is centered on the same thing as the fans: to create something that feels familiar but is also vibrant, fresh and new. I have heard your voices from the crowd, I have talked with you after the shows, I have read your messages on social media. Stay tuned. I can’t wait to see you all out there!”

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