Gravelled and Green - The Best Album Never to Have Happened

'Gravelled and Green' the ambitious debut album of Seattle's own Actual Tigers should have been a smash hit when it was released back in 2001; however it was strangely unnoticed by the general public, and never received the recognition it deserved.

The Actual Tigers were originally named 'Willis' and were all natives to Seattle, and most went to Bishop Blanchett Highschool, where the singer of my band attended. They built a devoted following in the local seattle scene throughout the 90's, and were eventually signed to Capitol Records.

Actual Tigers/Willis comprised of Tim Seely (singer/songwriter), John Low (keys), Max Perry (bass), Diarmuid Cullens (drums), Joe Seely, and Eric Gardner. I am unfamiliar with the line ups for each of the bands and how they ultimately changed when they adopted the name Actual Tigers when they signed to a major label.

The album itself is a veritable pop masterpiece. The songs that stand out strongest for me are 'Yardwork in November' the first track on the album, and 'On a Roll,' which are both upbeat, thoughtful and driving. Great vocal harmonies and chord changes are prevalent in a varied melting pot of slide guitars, horns, accordions, electric pianos, and exotic percussion rhythms. (Reminiscent of world influences like Paul Simon, and Sting's earlier solo works)

My friend Jake is old friends with Diarmuid Cullens (the old drummer), and told me the other day that apparently the debut album cost over $400,000.00 to create, over a year in production, and mulitple Producers were credited for assisting with the engineering and development of the record. Capitol records switched CEOs shortly before it was to be released and the new one didn't "hear enough singles" on it. They shelved it to be released a while later on a subsidiary label (Nettwerk, the indie Canadian label) to no promotion or any kind of support whatsoever. Diarmuid had left the band before the album hit the market, and he now currently plays with the local Seattle band Mooncalf.

Even though the Actual Tigers have been accused of being great imitators (Simon & Garfunkel rip offs; Beatles-esque) the fact remains that the musical potential to be entirely unique and formidable was there. You could argue that many debut albums of bands aren't necessarily ground breaking or different; sometimes having some sort of recognizable quality or stlyings allow a band to reach a pre-existing fan base and give them something to build on- with the Actual Tigers, if they had only been able to stick around for a couple of more years, they would have been able to create some seriously stellar albums together.

Even after the demise of the Actual Tigers, there is still a shining spark of hope, in the artistic stylings of Tim Seely (the former frontman of Actual Tigers). I've yet to see him live in Seattle, but I'm definitely looking forward to the opportunity.