Finch (American band)

Finch
Singer Nate Barcalow
Background information
Origin	Temecula, California, US
Genres	Post-hardcore, alternative rock, screamo
Years active	1999–2006 2007–2010 2012–present
Labels	Drive-Thru, Geffen, Tragic Hero
Associated acts	The Sound of Animals Fighting, Cosmonaut, Gazillionaire, Quadruple Duo, Helen Earth Band, Arctic Circles, Earthbound Ghost, XO & REVEREND CROW
Website	www.finch-music.com
Members	Nate Barcalow Randy Strohmeyer Alex Linares Daniel Wonacott Alex Pappas
Past members	Derek Doherty Marc Allen Drew "Dawggy" Marcogliese

Finch is an American post-hardcore band from Temecula, California. The band released an EP Falling Into Place and two full-length albums, What It Is to Burn 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. In October 2012 Finch announced they will be doing What It Is to Burn anniversary shows. The lineup for the shows will feature all original band members, except Daniel Wonacott will be playing bass.

History

Early history (1999–2001)

Finch began in the late 1990s, originally under the name Numb.^[1] It was thought that Numb was a Deftones cover band, though Finch has since denied this claim, referring to the rumor as a "misquote that's haunted us for years."^[2] The band soon added guitarist Randy Strohmeyer to their lineup as the band signed to Drive-Thru Records. 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.^{[citation needed]}

What It Is to Burn (2002–2004)

Following the release of Falling Into Place in 2001, Finch teamed up with producer Mark Trombino to release their debut album, What It Is to Burn. The album spawned three singles; title track "What It Is to Burn", "Letters to You" and "New Beginnings". The song "Post Script" was included in the first installment of the Atticus: ...Dragging the Lake sampler. The album received mixed reviews from critics, but was generally well received. After touring parts of the world, the band went back into the studio, writing and recording new material for their second album.

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, which was then purchased by Geffen Records 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."^[3]

After Say Hello to Sunshine's release, some 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 many, as the band introduced a more authentic post-hardcore 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."^[4] 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, Alex Linares continued his education and bass player Derek Doherty got involved in the real estate industry.

Reformation (2007)

In August 2007, Finch announced that they are interested in making a Finch DVD with live footage and music videos. They asked for fans to give them any footage that they might have. Later that year, on October 25, guitarist Randy Strohmeyer posted a blog entry on Finch's MySpace saying:

FINCH IS BACK! IT'S TRUE!! I couldn't be more excited to confirm the news. We're playing the day after Thanksgiving Nov. 23rd. Please stay tuned for more details. I love all of you. I'm so happy!! Thanks for reading, Please please come! - R2K

Guitarist Alex Linares also assured fans through personal interaction that "we will definitely be Finch for more than a night... promise!" It has been learned through comments made by the remaining original members of Finch that Marc Allen has moved on and they will "keep on truckin' without him."

The band now has a place on the website Modlife, where users can interact with bands through live video feeds, read blogs, watch videos, and more. Through Modlife, new material the band has been writing is starting to be played.

Finch EP, proposed third album and break up (2008–2010)

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 digital version of the EP was released on July 22, 2008, and a CD version exclusive to Hot Topic was released shortly thereafter due to a manufacturing delay.^[5][6] 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, Foxy Shazam and Tickle Me Pink.^[7][8]

Finch announced in October 2008 that they had begun work on their third full length album.^[9] 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.^[10] 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.^[11] Shortly after the release of "Hail to the Fire," Finch redesigned their website and gave away free digital copies of their self-titled EP.^[12]

On December 17, 2010, after an extended period 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 pallet [sic]," which made it difficult for the band to collaborate on new music.^[13] 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.^[14]

What It Is to Burn 10-year anniversary tour and new material (2012–present)

On October 19, 2012, Finch announced via Twitter and their newly created Facebook page that they would be reuniting to play a 10-year anniversary show celebrating What It Is to Burn. The album was played in its entirety on February 1, 2013 at The Glasshouse in Pomona, CA. It was the first time Alex Pappas has performed with the band since 2004.

Soon after, the band announced additional North American dates including Detroit, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, DC, and Toronto. A March 22 London date was also announced.

In regards to a possible continuation of the band, Randy Stroymeyer has stated the band are back at square one and that while there are no plans or promises to do anything after the shows, the option to continue the legacy of Finch is possible. "There really hasn't been much talk beyond this," he said. "I can see it as something that we get back together and do for fun. It just has to be so good we wouldn't be cheating ourselves, or our fans. The whole point of this is to give back, to give the real fans a chance to see the show they never saw. For now, we're just going to push ourselves to the absolute farthest point that we can. After that, who knows?"

During the final dates of the What It Is to Burn anniversary tour, Finch began performing a new song titled "Back to Oblivion" live and announced that its reunion would extend beyond just the tour. In a statement posted on Facebook, Finch said, "We will NOT be breaking up. We have never said that we'd break up. We only knew that the anniversary tour would be limited. We will definitely be playing some shows beyond the [What It Is to Burn] tour and are looking forward to the future."^[15]

In late 2013 Tragic Hero Records signed Finch. ^[16]

On January 25th, 2014 Finch will release a live DVD/CD through Tragic Hero. The release will be titled What it is to Burn X and will contain footage and audio of their tenth anniversary tour of said album. ^[17]

Members

Current members

• Nate Barcalow – lead vocals (1999–2006, 2007–2010, 2012–present)
• Randy "R2K" Strohmeyer – lead guitar, backing vocals (1999–2006, 2007–2010, 2012–present)
• Alex "Grizzly" Linares – rhythm guitar (1999–2006, 2007–2010, 2012–present)
• Alex Pappas – drums, percussion (1999-2004, 2012–present)
• Daniel Wonacott – bass guitar, backing vocals (2007–2010, 2012–present)

Former members

• Drew "Dawggy" Marcogliese – drums, percussion (2007-2010)
• Derek Doherty – bass guitar, backing vocals (1999–2006)
• Marc Allen – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2004–2006)

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

• 2001: Falling into Place
• 2008: Finch
• 2010: Epilogue

Live

• 2009: A Far Cry from Home
• 2014: What It Is To Burn X – Live At The Glasshouse

Singles

References

External links

• Modlife Site