Stagecoach is known for a diverse lineup which often includes talented unknowns—but Tigerman WHOA takes “unknown” to a whole new level.
I could not find a lineup listing for the band from Lynn, Mass. (beyond a list of first names on Facebook). I sent an interview request … which was returned as undeliverable. The phone number for the band? Disconnected.
However, this wild Americana-meets-punk band is worth a look: With an upright bass, an electric guitar, a mandolin and some punk-style drumming, Tigerman WHOA kicks ass.
As the band took the Mustang stage, the emcee said that what Tigerman WHOA does is unexplainable, so he’d let them come out and explain it for themselves. The first song was a fast number during which the mandolin really came through. The band then changed the gears a bit with a cover of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?”—but with a kick in the ass.
Tigerman WHOA was not afraid to include a quick tribute to Prince: In the middle of one of the songs, the group played a line of Prince’s “Purple Rain.” With the mandolin, upright bass and Tom Waits-style raspy vocals, this tribute was certainly more fascinating than most of the tributes I heard last week at Coachella.
That brings us back to the diversity of Stagecoach: Where else in the United States can you see huge stars such as Carrie Underwood and an amazing yet unheralded talent like Tigerman WHOA?
