With all the punk and rock bands out there today, Finch stands out in the crowd. Their blend of punk and rock has created a music that is truly their own. Finch has sold thousands of albums and tickets on their tours around the country and the world. Their intensity and emotion is evident in every song, as is their musical talent.
Finch was started in California in the late 1990s. At first, the band was known as Numb and consisted of Derek Doherty, Nate Barcalow, Alex Linares, and Alex Pappas. Finch admits that at first they were highly influenced by other bands such as the Deftones. They had yet to invent a sound of their own.
However, Finch's style dramatically shifted with the addition of a new member. Randy Strohmeyer brought along his love of punk music and helped to strengthen the band's sound. Finch soon created their own individual flavor that is now easily recognizable for any fan. With a blend of punk, rock, and emo, Finch had finally created their own trademark music.
Now the band was ready to make the transition from practicing in a garage to having their own contract. Strohmeyer had written fan mail to Drive-Thru Records and sent them demo tapes when he played with previous bands. He kept up this communication and was friendly with owner Richard Reines. Reines agreed to hear the band play, although Finch suspected it was simply a courtesy. Reines was blown away by their performance and called in his co-owner and sister to hear them. She was just as enthusiastic and promptly offered them a recording contract.
Finch's debut was released on October 9, 2001 and the EP contained only four tracks. However, FALLING INTO PLACE EP was met with enthusiasm by the public and sold over 6,000 copies before the end of the year. Finch had begun recording their next album in August of 2001. This album was their first full-length recording, and producer Mark Trombino was brought in to help with the project. Trombino's experience moved the project right along, and his expertise had brought out the best in Blink 182, Midtown, and other bands. The result was the 13-track WHAT IT IS TO BURN, a highly emotional record in the flavor of Jimmy Eat World, Thursday, and their original inspiration, the Deftones. WHAT IT IS TO BURN was released on March 12, 2002 and immediately began going up the charts.
With their album quickly rising to success, Finch began touring. First, they had a quick tour of the United States with the RX Bandits, before playing at the Warped Tour that summer on the Drive-Thru stage. As always, tickets were completely sold-out at this venue. With the completion of the Warped Tour, Finch began their first international tour, hitting Europe and Japan. They returned to the United States to tour with Something Corporate and New Found Glory. In 2004, Finch signed on to tour with Recover and Counterfeit and planned to release a new album.
Finch has had tremendous ticket sales on all of their tours, and their albums are still selling quickly. However, Finch is not just another punk/rock band. Their music is original and has pushed the boundaries to blend different styles of music into a new and unique sound.
