Tiger Bear Wolf’s upcoming self-titled album is more than a collection of forgotten recordings; it’s a journey through time, friendship, and the evolution of a band. Originally recorded in 2009 and recovered years later, the project began as an unfinished chapter before becoming a chance to reconnect with the music and each other. Revisiting the recordings brought a mix of nostalgia and reflection, with the band reshaping parts of the album while gaining a deeper appreciation for the energy and creativity captured during that era.
The record is deeply connected to the Greensboro, NC creative community, especially Corndale House, a space that helped shape Tiger Bear Wolf’s identity through shared experiences, friendships, and inspiration from the artists who passed through its doors. The album’s single “Silver Heart” serves as a tribute to their late friend Tim LaFollette, whose generosity, humor, and open-hearted spirit left a lasting impact on the band.
While the album carries the history of the band’s past, it also represents something new and a renewed connection between members who reunited after years apart. Blending southern rock, hardcore, and psychedelic post-punk, Tiger Bear Wolf captures the spontaneity of their early songwriting while embracing the growth and expanded creativity that came with time. What started as a project meant for closure has transformed into a celebration of friendship, creativity, and the possibility of what comes next.
Interviewer: When you first realized the 2009 recordings could actually be recovered in 2015, what was your immediate emotional reaction?
Matt: “I was surprised for sure! I knew that the record was unfinished. I had just broken my thumb in Alaska, and it was turning purple and black as we were recording. I kind of hoped that I could get a second chance at tracking bass parts. I also just had a baby boy, so I knew that would never happen. I just wanted to make sure that people heard the album’s track “wolf”, as that one is a banger. If we only got that one out, I was going to be satisfied.”
Interviewer: Did you ever mentally “let go” of this record before it resurfaced, or did it always feel unfinished?
Matt: “I absolutely let the idea of the record go when we hit the decade mark since the album was initially recorded. I also knew that Noah was going to pull it off somehow. I really like the vocals Noah laid down since revisiting the recording, so it was worth the wait.”
Interviewer: How did it feel revisiting versions of yourselves from 16–17 years ago in these recordings?
Noah: “Revisiting my own contributions… horrifying. Revisiting what was documented of the rest of the band… affirming. At first listen to the recovered tracks, I couldn’t stand most of the sounds or performances that I produced. The circumstances under which we recorded the original material were far from ideal. We had a lock-in at our practice space, which had boarded up windows and no climate control, at the peak of summer. Matt had just broken his thumb on a grad school trip to Alaska, and also had some sort of malfunction with his bass, so we had to borrow another from a friend, which was a rad bass, but not the one Matt was used to. He still pulled it off somehow.
I can’t imagine how Larry coped playing drums with that heat since we couldn’t have any fans running during the recording. Jonathan also seemed to champion the circumstances. I, however did not. My performances were not my best and the sounds captured were not what I wanted to hear. Given the opportunity, I revisited much of my guitar work to better represent the songs we had written. Through that process, I also gained a deeper appreciation for what each of the other fellas had contributed and coincidentally felt an increased connectivity with them during a time that we weren’t seeing each other much. The end result I feel is a much more cohesive and connected capture of our work.“
Interviewer: At what point did this stop feeling like an archive and start feeling like a living record again?
Jonathan: “We all live kind of far apart now, and I don’t think the four of us had played together at all after the summer of 2009. We started talking about trying to make some shows happen in the summer of 2025. Noah’s uncle has a big garage out in the sticks in NC, so we could be as loud as we wanted as late as we needed. For me, this started to feel like a living record again when we all got together in the same space and started playing. There’s nothing quite like making a huge racket. “
Interviewer: “Silver Heart” is deeply tied to Corndale House. What role did that space play in shaping your identity as a band?
Larry: “Before we lived or practiced there, our great friends Disband were living there and having shows. Disband were mentors for us and represented a standard that we hoped to achieve, in terms of what we hoped to accomplish as a band as far as making records and touring, but also in terms of crafting a sound that had power and subtlety, simplicity and complexity.
Once we took occupancy Corndale became the HQ for all activities band related. We were able to host a lot of shows for the bands we loved, and grow our network out of town. The bands that played there were hugely influential on us from All Astronauts to Des Ark only to name a few. Our roommates there helped make us who we are, helping us grow as people and influenced us with their taste in art and music.“
Interviewer: What did Tim LaFollette represent to you beyond music, what made his presence so formative?
Jonathan: “Tim was just the most generous and wide open dude. He was kind of always reaching out in every direction, as if anything could be good if he gave it a chance. Maybe you could be good . . .
I think the first time I remember seeing Tim, he and Adam Thorn (also of Kudzu Wish) were doing Cowtown by They Might Be Giants at an open mic and Tim was wearing a full body cow costume. Every once in a while he would break out the cow costume at a party. He had it for years. I seem to remember it being repaired and then triumphantly returned to duty a few times.
At a time (early 2000s) when there was a regrettable amount of sardonic irony, Tim was doing reverent Janet Jackson covers under the name “Jack Janetson.” One of the greatest goofballs of all time.”
Interviewer: This record spans multiple versions of the band across time, who is Tiger Bear Wolf on this album: the past version, the present version, or something in between?
Larry: “Somewhere in between is safe to say. Some of the songs changed a great deal lyrically and in vocal performance since the first recording was done. I think the band of 2009 was getting more comfortable with the idea of recording elements that we wouldn’t be able to reproduce in a live setting such as supplemental percussion or keyboards. Since then those capabilities grew with the development of Noah’s recording studio, Calogera Audio, and the freedom to explore different palettes of sound expanded along with it.”
Interviewer: Do you see this album more as closure or continuation?
Noah: “My personal motivation throughout finishing this record was closure. The unfinished document felt like a pretty big loose end for me. I had no particular interest in playing shows or re-activating the band. However, as we were finalizing the record and deciding what to do with it, the idea of playing a few shows was put on the table. Now that we’ve been spending more time together and making noise again, I feel the best aspects of our relationships have been re-nurtured and that feels great. I’m confident in the continuation of our camaraderie. We’ll see what that means as far as our creative relationship.”
Interviewer: The band is described as blending southern rock, hardcore, and psychedelic post-punk, how intentional was that fusion at the time vs. now in hindsight?
Larry: “At the time these songs were written there was an attempt to incorporate the many styles of music that inspired us as a collective, and by writing as a collective and improvising we were able to capture some spontaneity in dynamic and structure.
We are all fairly omnivorous musically but we are also the product of a time and place in music where bands in our orbit, such as Disband, All Night, Caltrop, Black Taj, and Birds of Avalon were stirring in some of these same waters and we were very lucky to have that inspiration as well. We owe a lot to the first Captain Beyond record, which, having the benefit of hindsight, we decided to blame for the convoluted nature of some of the compositions. “
Interviewer: What tracks on this album had the largest impact on the band?
Jonathan: ““Silver Tongues” is the first song that we wrote in this batch, and I think it showed us how to go long. We were mostly writing together, so someone would have one small idea and then we would sort of turn it inside out and backwards and figure out how a few different versions of the same idea could live together in the same song. If you turn it inside out, backwards, upside down, sideways and crosswise, you might be doing this shit for 7 minutes. “
Interviewer: “Roughstock” is one of my favorite tracks, What emotion sits at the center of this track if everything else is stripped away?
Noah: “Perhaps Disgust. I know the list of recognized emotions has evolved over time, so I might also add Empathetic Pain and Relief. The song for me is about coping with an abusive culture and navigating toxic coping habits, in a context in which both the patterns of abuse and self-harming lifestyles are all tragically socially acceptable.”
Interviewer: What do you hope listeners take away from a record that took 16 years to finish?
Matt: “Always back up your files! I heard that Prince died with something like 20 secret, unfinished records. So at least we got it done before dying. Rest in power, Prince.”
Pre-order Tiger Bear Wolf HERE!
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