Finch (American band)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Finch is an American rock band from Temecula,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. The band released an EP ''Falling into Place'' and two full-length albums, ''
What It Is to Burn ''What It Is to Burn'' is the debut album by American rock band Finch. It was released on March 12, 2002, through MCA and Drive-Thru Records. After finalizing their line-up, Finch signed to Drive-Thru. Recording for the album took place betwe ...
'' and '' Say Hello to Sunshine'' before declaring a hiatus in 2006. Finch reformed in 2007, playing a reunion show on November 23 at the Glasshouse in Pomona, California. They released a self-titled EP a year later, and were in the process of writing their third studio album when they disbanded in late 2010. After playing a group of shows commemorating the ten-year anniversary of ''What It Is to Burn'' in 2012, Finch signed with
Razor & Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles a ...
in 2014 and revealed that they were working on a new studio album. The album was titled '' Back to Oblivion'' and released on September 30, 2014. In October 2016, Finch announced its third official break up. The band were announced as reforming for the 2023 edition of When We Were Young festival.


History


Early history (1999–2001)

Finch originally formed under the name Numb with Nate Barcalow on vocals, Alex Linares on guitar, Derek Doherty on bass and Alex Pappas on drums. It was thought that Numb was a
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. ...
, though Finch has since denied this claim, referring to the rumor as a "misquote that's haunted us for years." Guitarist Randy Strohmeyer was invited to join Finch after they witnessed him play with his band Evita Fresh. Strohmeyer became friends with Drive-Thru Records owner Richard Reines following a fan letter he had sent in a few years prior. When he mentioned this to the other members of Finch, they were enthusiastic about potentially signing with the label. Reines offered the group a chance to perform and subsequently invited his sister, and co-label owner, Stefanie to the performance. The pair were impressed and signed the group. The group then officially changed their name to Finch and released their first EP '' Falling into Place'' in 2001. The EP sold over 6,000 copies within a few months of its release.


''What It Is to Burn'' (2002–2004)

Pre-production and demos were done for their debut album, ''
What It Is to Burn ''What It Is to Burn'' is the debut album by American rock band Finch. It was released on March 12, 2002, through MCA and Drive-Thru Records. After finalizing their line-up, Finch signed to Drive-Thru. Recording for the album took place betwe ...
'', at DML Studios in Escondido, California in February and April 2001. They began recording ''What It Is to Burn'' in June at Big Fish Studios in Encinitas, California with producer
Mark Trombino Mark Trombino (born May 23, 1966) is an American multi-platinum record producer, musician, and audio engineer. He has produced, engineered, and mixed tracks for many artists including Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, The Starting Line, Finch, Motion ...
. After tracking guitars in July, recording subsequently continued into August and September.
Daryl Palumbo Daryl Palumbo (born February 10, 1979) is an American musician, originally from Bellmore, New York. He is the frontman of the bands Glassjaw, Head Automatica and Color Film. As a youth he was a member of the Long Island straight edge band ''Xbust ...
of
Glassjaw Glassjaw is an American post-hardcore band from Hempstead, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and was a major part of the Long Island music scene in the early 2000s. The band has been influential ...
performs guest vocals on "Grey Matter" and "Project Mayhem"; the group had met Palumbo at a
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
show and had kept in contact with him, later asking him if he wanted to participate. The resulting product was predominantly described as
emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
and
pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
, although it occasionally was labeled
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...
or
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has be ...
. The writing process for ''What It Is to Burn'' revolved around the group jamming. Linares said they could write some songs in two hours, and other times take a whole day. Collectively, Strohmeyer said it took a year to write all of the material on the album. Preceded by a music video for "
Letters to You "Letters to You" is the second single released by Californian post-hardcore band Finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts a ...
" in January 2002, ''What It Is to Burn'' was released on March 12 as a joint release between MCA and Drive-Thru Records, followed by a release in the UK on June 2. In an effort to promote the record, the group toured extensively. They began shortly after the album's release by touring with
Moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
. In April and May, the group went on tour with Brand New and The Starting Line. Following this, the group went on a UK tour with
New Found Glory New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing vocals ...
. Between late June and mid-August, the group performed on
Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
as part of the Drive-Thru Records Stage. In late August, the group performed at the
Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fes ...
in the UK. In September, the group performed a few shows in Japan. In October and November, the band went tour across the US alongside New Found Glory, Something Corporate and
Further Seems Forever Further Seems Forever is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Pompano Beach, Florida. Over its initial eight-year run the band experienced several lineup changes, resulting in a different lead vocalist performing on each of their first three ...
. In November and December, the group went on a UK tour with
From Autumn to Ashes From Autumn to Ashes is a post-hardcore band based in Long Island, New York. The group formed in 2000 under the name Who's to Blame. While the band had gone through many line-up changes, the members include Francis Mark (lead vocals, drums), S ...
and
Coheed and Cambria Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), ...
. The band continued touring with From Autumn to Ashes across the US in January and February.
Allister Allister is an American pop punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The four-piece formed in 1994 when the original band members were still in high school, and was originally named Phineas Gage. In 1998 Allister became one of the first bands to sign ...
were initially planned to support, but they were later replaced by Steel Train. In February, the band went on a co-heading US tour with
The Used The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, that formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden Stei ...
. Following this, the group continued touring with
The Movielife The Movielife is a Long Island punk rock band composed of vocalist Vinnie Caruana, guitarist Brandon Reilly, and drummer Brett Romnes. The band originally formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2003, but announced their official reunion in December 201 ...
,
Senses Fail Senses Fail is an American rock band formed in Ridgewood, New Jersey, in 2001. Founded by vocalist James "Buddy" Nielsen, drummer Dan Trapp, guitarists Garrett Zablocki and Dave Miller, and bassist James Gill (replaced by Mike Glita shortly af ...
and
A Static Lullaby A Static Lullaby was an American post-hardcore band that formed in Chino Hills, California, in 2001. History Early years and formation (2001–2002) A Static Lullaby came together after a high school jam session led to the members to quit thei ...
until early March. In March, the group went on a tour of the UK with Brand New. In April, the group performed at Skate and Surf Fest. In early May, the band performed as a special guest at two shows of MTV's Campus Invasion tour. In June, the band appeared on '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' and performed at KROQ's Weenie Roast festival. In early July, the group appeared on ''
Last Call with Carson Daly ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with ''T ...
''. In August, the group performed at Furnace Fest, before playing on the main stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.


''Say Hello to Sunshine'' (2005)

During the time of this recording, the band largely fell from the public eye, and the band faced some changes for the recording of their second album, '' Say Hello to Sunshine''. The group also went through major changes first by going through three different record labels, Drive-Thru Records and
MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...
, which was then purchased by
Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
before its release. Founding band member drummer Alex Pappas left the band due to musical differences; he was replaced by Marc Allen. Pappas would later form Redgun Radar. The band took their time recording the album and often scrapped songs in order to record new ones. Finch finally released '' Say Hello to Sunshine'' on June 7, 2005. The first single of the album was " Bitemarks and Bloodstains" and was also the first song the band wrote for the album. In an interview Nate Barcalow stated that "Bitemarks makes the transition between the old and the new sound." After ''Say Hello to Sunshines release, many fans were left disappointed in the sharp musical change in the new album. However, the departure from the ''What It Is to Burn'' sound was also praised by some, as the band introduced a more authentic
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has be ...
style to their music.


Hiatus (2006–2007)

On February 19, 2006, it was revealed that the group was "officially on an 'indefinite hiatus'. Members of the band are currently jamming with other projects." The hiatus was confirmed shortly after with a post by the band on their official website. The posting reads as follows:
Through much thought and deliberation, the five of us have decided to take an indefinite break from Finch. Amongst the many reasons for our decision, our individual priorities just lie in different places. We can't express how grateful we are to all of you for the past five years. We’ve had the opportunity to play the music we love for a living. The five of us will always feel lucky for that. Again, thank you all so much for the love and support you’ve given us. A special thanks as well, to all who have worked closely with us over the years to make things happen. A list of names would just be too long. You know who you are.
During the break, the members of Finch still remained active. Marc Allen joined a band with his brother, Adam, called Helen Earth Band. Randy Strohmeyer started a side project called ''Gazillionaire'', and also managed various indie rock bands. Former drummer, Alex Pappas, played drums in ''Redgun Radar'' until they disbanded in 2007, then played drums for ''The Guana Batz''. Nate Barcalow started a side project called ''
Cosmonaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
''. Alex Linares continued his education. Bass player Derek Doherty got involved in the real estate industry, and then eventually went on to be convicted of fraud. Doherty was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay $98,835 restitution involving a scheme to defraud clients by taking advance fees for loan audits that he never performed.


Reunion, ''Finch'' EP, attempted third album and second break up (2007–2011)

Finch reformed in late 2007, performed at a few American West Coast shows and began booking more dates for 2008. During Finch's early 2008 reunion shows, the band began debuting new songs live. These new songs would later become part of the four-song EP titled ''
Finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...
''. The digital version of the EP was released on July 22, 2008, and a CD version exclusive to
Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming ...
was released shortly thereafter due to a manufacturing delay. The EP is notable for being the band's first album that was released independently of a record label. Finch spent most of 2008 touring in support of the release, including a July/August headlining tour with
Scary Kids Scaring Kids Scary Kids Scaring Kids (abbreviated SKSK) is an American post-hardcore band formed in Gilbert, Arizona, United States, in 2002. The band's name was taken from the Cap'n Jazz song of the same name. They released two studio albums ''The City Sle ...
,
Foxy Shazam Foxy Shazam is an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio formed in 2004. , the band's lineup consists of lead vocalist Eric Nally, pianist Sky White, trumpeter and backing vocalist Alex Nauth, bassist Trigger Warning, guitarist Devin Williams ...
and
Tickle Me Pink Tickle Me Pink was an American rock band from Fort Collins, Colorado, signed to Wind-Up Records. The band was made up of Sean Kennedy (lead vocals, bass guitar), Stefan Runstrom (drums), Joey Barba (guitar) and Steven Beck (guitar, vocals). Afte ...
. Finch announced in October 2008 that they had begun work on their third full-length album. In May 2009, Finch released a demo for the song "Hail to the Fire" on their Myspace page, which was presumably to be a part of their new album. Coinciding with the song release, the band posted a blog entry updating their fans with the progress on the new album. In the update, Finch stated that they had "a bunch" of demos written, new songs would be performed in upcoming tour dates, the new album would be recorded during mid 2009, and that they would possibly search for a label in the near future to release it. Shortly after the release of "Hail to the Fire," Finch redesigned their website and gave away free digital copies of their self-titled EP. On December 17, 2010, after an extended period of inactivity and infrequent updates, Finch officially announced that they had broken up. Their third studio album failed to materialize as each member had broadened his "musical ," which made it difficult for the band to collaborate on new music. On the day of their announced break, Finch also released several new items through their webstore. A digital single titled ''Epilogue'' was released that featured two mastered recordings of "Hail to the Fire" and "World of Violence", which were to appear on their third album. Also released was a free download of "Bury White" originally by Far, a new version of ''Finch'' with three bonus tracks, and the American release of '' A Far Cry From Home'' (previously only available in Japan). In 2012, Nate Barcalow formed a new band called Earthbound Ghost.


Second reformation and ''Back to Oblivion'' (2012–2014)

In late 2012, Finch's old manager asked the band members if they would be interested in doing one show in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the release of their debut album, ''What It Is to Burn''. Guitarist Alex Linares recalled his initial reaction to the proposal: "I was like, 'I don't know, it's a lot of trouble for one show. But all right, I'll do it for two shows! Let's do a California show, and let's do a London show. I want to go on vacation to England one more time!'" In October 2012, Finch announced it would reunite and perform ''What It Is to Burn'' in its entirety for one night on February 1, 2013, in California, followed shortly by announcement of a second California date after the first one sold out along with a UK date. The lineup for the reunion shows included long-time members Nate Barcalow, Randy Strohmeyer and Alex Linares, in addition to Alex Pappas, who left Finch in 2004 before the release of ''Say Hello to Sunshine'', and Daniel Wonacott, who joined the band during its previous reunion. Finch continued to add individual ''What It Is to Burn'' anniversary dates until it became several North American tours, beginning with a March tour featuring
The Almost The Almost is an American rock band from Clearwater, Florida, fronted by Underoath drummer and vocalist Aaron Gillespie. Formed in 2005 as a solo project by Gillespie, the band currently includes guitarist Jay Vilardi, bassist Jon Thompson, and ...
and
The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die is an American indie rock band formed in Willimantic, Connecticut, in 2009. Following the release of several EPs and Split album, splits featuring original lead singer Thomas Diaz, t ...
and ending with an October tour with
Dance Gavin Dance Dance Gavin Dance is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. The band currently consists of vocalists Jon Mess and Tilian Pearson, lead guitarist Will Swan, rhythm guitarist Andrew Wells, and drummer Matthew Mingus. ...
. Strohmeyer did not perform at some of the reunion tours because his father died in late 2013. Footage from the band's initial reunion show in California was recorded and released as a live CD/DVD titled ''What It Is to Burn X Live'' on January 7, 2014, through
Tragic Hero Records Tragic Hero Records is an independent record label founded in Raleigh, North Carolina, in March 2005 to represent the growing metalcore and post-hardcore scene of North Carolina. The label was founded by Tommy LaCombe, David Varnedoe, and Jason G ...
. Following the anniversary tours, the future of Finch was uncertain. During its final 2013 tour dates, the band started playing a new song titled "Back to Oblivion" live. Linares commented on the band's 2013 writing sessions, stating: "There's no certainty as to what's going to come of it. Maybe it'll be a full album and two years of worldwide touring, or it'll be 30 demo songs and that's it. I think positively and hope for the best, but I can't promise anything." In a different interview, Strohmeyer also commented on the band's uncertainty and the members' other projects, stating: "We don't really talk about it too much. Then Nate's got another band that he fronts and he is very into that and Alex went to culinary school and works in a lot of kitchens and I think he's actually opening up a food cart. And Daniel Wonacott makes a lot of apps and Pappas is like a full-on recording engineer and he's great." But in March 2014, Finch announced it would join
Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
and release a new album through
Razor & Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles a ...
later in the year. Barcalow said Finch felt out of place on Warped Tour, which primarily featured bands of a younger generation, but offered a counterpoint: "on the other hand, a lot of kids would approach us at signings and say 'I'd never heard your band before today, and I really like you guys.' That makes it all worth it, in a way. If we're still getting new fans, we must be doing something right." Produced by
Brian Virtue Brian Virtue is an American Grammy-nominated music producer, engineer and mixer based in Los Angeles, California. Virtue has worked with artists including Jane's Addiction, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Audioslave, Deftones, Puddle of Mudd, Chevelle, ...
(
Thirty Seconds to Mars Thirty Seconds to Mars (commonly stylized as 30 Seconds to Mars) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of brothers Jared Leto (lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Shannon Leto (drums, ...
,
Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...
, Chevelle), Finch released its third studio album titled '' Back to Oblivion'' in the US on September 30 through Razor & Tie. Finch promoted the album with an online stream of "Two Guns to the Temple" prior to the release of the album, and toured North America in September–November 2014 with
Maps & Atlases Maps & Atlases is an American indie rock group from Chicago, Illinois, United States, equally influenced by alternative rock, folk and experimental music. In addition, they have been labeled as a math rock band. The band has released three o ...
, which was originally going to feature
Weatherbox Weatherbox is an American indie rock band from San Diego, California, United States, led by singer/songwriter Brian Warren and currently composed of Warren and varied touring members. Discography Weatherbox was originally signed to Doghouse Reco ...
, but was replaced with Helen Earth Band, which features former Finch drummer Marc Allen.


Acoustic album, attempted fourth studio album and third breakup (2015–2016)

On November 13, 2015, Finch released the album ''Steel, Wood and Whiskey'' for free on their website. This acoustic album features newly recorded renditions of songs from their entire back catalog. Following the tours in support of ''Back to Oblivion'', Finch began working on a follow-up and fourth studio album in mid-2015. However, according to a statement by the rest of the band, Barcalow drew distant from Finch due to creative differences, did not show up to most of the recording sessions for their next album and stopped communicating altogether by January 2016. The band received offers to play festivals throughout 2016 and showed an interest in accepting, but was unable to get a hold of Barcalow. In October 2016, Barcalow privately announced on Instagram that Finch had broken up and posted nine demo songs from the scrapped new album's recording sessions to his personal YouTube account. The following day, the other members of Finch posted a statement from their perspective, claiming that " arcalowquit again, for the third time in the bands history" and posted two demos also from scrapped new album's recording sessions to Finch's official YouTube account: "Monuments" and "These Buildings are Burning". In early 2016, Linares, Pappas, Wonacott formed a new band with Buddy Nielsen of
Senses Fail Senses Fail is an American rock band formed in Ridgewood, New Jersey, in 2001. Founded by vocalist James "Buddy" Nielsen, drummer Dan Trapp, guitarists Garrett Zablocki and Dave Miller, and bassist James Gill (replaced by Mike Glita shortly af ...
called Speak the Truth... Even If Your Voice Shakes, but mainly referred to as just Speak the Truth. Following their third split, Barcalow went on to form the electronic duo outfit Private Lives. They announced a PledgeMusic campaign to crowdfund their debut album ''No Future'' in May 2017.


Band members

Final lineup * Nate Barcalow – lead vocals, keyboards (1999–2006, 2007–2010, 2012–2016) * Alex "Grizz" Linares – rhythm guitar (1999–2006, 2007–2010, 2012–2016), lead guitar (2015-2016) * Alex Pappas – drums, percussion (2000–2004, 2012–2016) * Daniel Wonacott – bass guitar, backing vocals (2007–2010, 2012–2016) Former members * Randy "R2K" Strohmeyer – lead guitar, backing vocals (1999–2006, 2007–2010, 2012–2015) * Derek Doherty – bass guitar, backing vocals (1999–2006) * Marc Allen – drums, percussion (2004–2006) * Andrew Marcogliese – drums, percussion (2007–2010) * Daryl Binder – drums, percussion (1999–2000) Timeline


Discography

* ''
What It Is to Burn ''What It Is to Burn'' is the debut album by American rock band Finch. It was released on March 12, 2002, through MCA and Drive-Thru Records. After finalizing their line-up, Finch signed to Drive-Thru. Recording for the album took place betwe ...
'' (2002) * '' Say Hello to Sunshine'' (2005) * '' Back to Oblivion'' (2014)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Finch Musical groups established in 1999 Alternative rock groups from California Emo musical groups from California American post-hardcore musical groups Musical groups disestablished in 2006 Musical groups reestablished in 2007 Musical groups disestablished in 2010 Musical groups reestablished in 2012 Musical groups disestablished in 2016 People from Temecula, California Geffen Records artists MCA Records artists Drive-Thru Records artists Tragic Hero Records artists 1999 establishments in California