| Finger Eleven | |
|---|---|
Scott Anderson of Finger Eleven performing in Tempe, Arizona in 2007. |
|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Rainbow Butt Monkeys |
| Origin | Burlington, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Alternative rock, post-grunge, hard rock, funk metal |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels | WindUp |
| Website | www.fingereleven.com |
| Members | |
| Scott Anderson James Black Rick Jackett Sean Anderson Rich Beddoe |
|
| Past members | |
| Rob Gommerman Troy Jones |
|
Finger Eleven is a Canadian rock band from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 1989.[1] They have currently released five studio albums, with their album The Greyest of Blue Skies bringing them into the mainstream. The 2003 self-titled album achieved Gold status in the United States and Platinum in Canada, largely from the success of the single "One Thing", which marked the band's first placing on the US Hot 100 Chart at number 16. Their 2007 album Them vs. You vs. Me launched the single "Paralyzer", which went on to top numerous charts including the Canadian Hot 100 and both US rock charts, as well as reaching #6 on the US Hot 100 and #12 on the Australian Singles Chart. They won the Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year in 2008.[2]
Contents |
Finger Eleven first formed in their high school, Lester B. Pearson High School [3] in Burlington, Ontario, but then achieved a devoted Canadian following throughout their time as a band. One of their first shows was at a school Christmas concert in 1990. They were originally called Rainbow Butt Monkeys. They released their first full album Letters from Chutney (1995) with money won from a rock band search contest on 97.7 CHTZ (Hits) HTZ FM's "Southern Ontario's Best Rock".
The group found a new management team in Coalition Entertainment (Rob Lanni & Eric Lawrence with Sarah Parham) in 1996. Once they had realized their music changed and wanted to be taken more seriously, "Rainbow Butt Monkeys" became "Finger Eleven". The name Finger Eleven comes from an earlier version of the song "Thin Spirits" from the album Tip. Scott Anderson explains: "when everything is pushing you in one direction and your instinct drives you in another that's finger eleven, I couldn't get it out of my head."
Their breakthrough album, Tip, was released on Mercury Records in Canada in 1997 and re-released by Windup Records in the United States in 1998. This marked a change in the band's sound. Tip was produced by Arnold Lanni (Our Lady Peace). By then, they managed to tour alongside bands such as Creed and Fuel.
Following the release of Tip, drummer Rob Gommerman left the band and was replaced by Rich Beddoe whom James Black had met coincidentally at an Alice in Chains concert several years earlier in Toronto.
In 2000, Finger Eleven released The Greyest of Blue Skies, again produced by Arnold Lanni. They had success in their home country with this album going gold (50,000 units sold).
Their 2003 release, self-titled album Finger Eleven was produced by Johnny K. This album includes the sleeper hit single "One Thing" which pushed the band into the mainstream. The song was a hit on rock, pop, and adult radio charts; the success of the single earned the band its first US Gold Album (500,000 copies) and Canadian Platinum (100,000 copies). "One Thing" reached #16 in the U.S., and had exposure on TV series such as Scrubs, Smallville and Third Watch. It was used on World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE's) June 25, 2007 edition of Raw during a tribute video featuring Chris Benoit who had killed himself on June 25. In 2007, a duet version with Amy Lee of Evanescence was also recorded.
The band toured throughout Europe, Australia and North America from 2003 to 2005. They have won a MuchMusic Video Award.
Finger Eleven's fifth studio album titled Them vs. You vs. Me was released on March 6, 2007, again produced by Johnny K. The first single was "Paralyzer" which gradually became the band's most successful single to date, becoming their first career Top Ten hit on the U.S. Hot 100 in November 2007, as well as reaching #1 in Canada, and both U.S. rock charts. The album also features the singles "Falling On", "I'll Keep Your Memory Vague" and "Talking to the Walls".
The band played "Paralyzer" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 14, 2007 and again almost exactly ten months later on January 9, 2008, in a testament to the longevity of the single's success. They played at the 2007 NHL awards show on June 14, 2007.
On August 24, 2007, they performed a concert on the retired battleship USS New Jersey in Camden, NJ for the "Band on a Battleship" promotional concert sponsored by Philadelphia radio station WMMR.
On December 4, 2007 the DVD Us-vs-Then-vs-Now was released, with footage spanning their whole career.
Them vs. You vs. Me was certified Gold in the U.S. in March 2008. The band has toured extensively since the release of Them vs. You vs. Me, playing mostly new material. Additionally, they have added a medley to the end of their shows that consists of Paralyzer, Franz Ferdinand's Take Me Out, Led Zeppelin's Trampled Under Foot and Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall.
They performed "Paralyzer" at the Miss USA 2008 pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2008.[4]
Them vs. You vs. Me won the 2008 Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year. The band performed live with the Calgary Youth Orchestra at the Juno Awards on April 6, 2008 in Calgary, Alberta. The performance was broadcast on national television.
They have performed Talking to the Walls, One Thing & Paralyzer on the end of the Steve Wilkos Show Tour in NY.
The band was planning a European tour in the summer, including Download Festival 2008 in England, Rock Am Ring, and Rock Im Park in Germany. However, these were canceled after Scott sprained his neck.
In December 2008, the band toured Europe supporting Kid Rock including one date at London Hammersmith Apollo.
In early 2010, the band entered the studio to begin work on their sixth studio album.[5] On July 30, the band announced that the title of their sixth album would officially be Life Turns Electric which was released on Oct 5, 2010. The first single from the album, "Living in a Dream," was released on iTunes on July 20, 2010.[6] The band announced on November 30, 2010 that the second single for Life Turns Electric will be "Whatever Doesn't Kill Me." On January 13, 2011 was the release date for the "Whatever Doesn't Kill Me" music video, with producing credits going to reactiv pictures.[7] The video was directed by Alon Isocianu and art directed by Rachelle Scarfo.
The third single "Stone Soul" was released in the spring of 2011, no video was filmed, during the summer the 4th single "Pieces Fit" hit radio.. Currently a video is the works involving fans recording themselves rocking out to the video.
The band via Facebook and Twitter has stated they are currently writing new songs for their next album.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||