The Republic Tigers

All Music Guide:

Hailing from Kansas City, MO, the Republic Tigers spike their lushly orchestrated indie rock with organic and synthetic elements. Co-founder Kenn Jankowski originally moved to Kansas City in 1999 and began playing guitar for the People, a band that later changed its name to the Golden Republic. He also made fast friends with local musician Adam McGill, and when Golden Republic disbanded seven years later, the two multi-instrumentalists opted to launch their own pop-based project. Taking their name from Jankowski's high school mascot, the Republic Tigers expanded their lineup with guitarist/pianist Ryan Pinkston, bassist Marc Pepperman, and drummer Justin Tricomi. Electronic structures began playing an important role in their music, and the band issued a self-released EP in late 2007 before putting the finishing touches on Keep Color, which arrived in 2008 on Chop House Records.

Wikipedia:

The Republic Tigers is an American rock band formed in Kansas City, Missouri by Kenn Jankowski (formerly of The Golden Republic) and Adam McGill. They were the first act to sign with Chop Shop Records (an imprint of Atlantic Records), owned by Alexandra Patsavas of Chop Shop Music Supervision.

History

The Republic Tigers is the result of a long, off-and-on collaboration and friendship between Kenn Jankowski and Adam McGill. Years prior to the formation of the band, Jankowski and McGill recorded tracks for a project tentatively dubbed Fi. Although little became of these songs, the two forged a friendship. "Fi" was placed on hold when interest in The Golden Republic picked up, and Jankowski shifted his focus to that group. In 2005, Jankowski returned to Kansas City to embark on a new project. He reconnected with McGill, and together they began writing and recording new material, initially with Jankowski's former bandmate Ryan Shank. Within a few weeks, they recruited several additional band members: Justin Tricomi (formerly of The Storied Northwest), Justin Norcross, Marc Pepperman, and Ryan Pinkston. In 2007, Justin Norcross left the group, which solidified the current lineup.

The group released their first full album, Keep Color, on May 6, 2008. It includes the singles Buildings & Mountains and Fight Song. On the week of September 14, 2008, Buildings And Mountains was featured as the free single of the week on iTunes. In late 2008, they embarked on their first overseas tour with the band Travis. Most recently, they played at the annual "Buzz Beach Ball" event with Weezer, Blink 182, Matt & Kim, Taking Back Sunday, and others.

Since signing with Chop Shop Records, their music has been featured on several prime time network television shows including Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, Chuck, Supernatural and Sunao ni Narenakute. The Republic Tigers made their first nationally televised appearance on May 22, 2008 on The Late Show With David Letterman.

No Land’s Man (EP) was released on April 16, 2011, exclusively at indie record stores nationwide in celebration of Record Store Day. The digital release followed on April 19, as well as a 7” color vinyl release featuring Merrymake It With Me and an exclusive b-side, Whale Fight. The album was self-produced and recorded in Kansas City, MO and features a remix of The Nerve off of their 2008 Keep Color release.

The band has announced their second full length album for release in 2012, entitled Mind Over Matter.

Members

Current:

Also, audio engineer and musician David Gaume (The Stella Link) has become a fixture in the band as their traveling soundman and technician.

Former members: