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Driven by undeniable passion, Finch will be the band to bridge the gap between hard rock and pop punk. They dive headlong into songs laden with raw intensity to create a perfect union of post-hardcore angst and melodic rock dynamics. With a tip of the hat to their musical peers and influences, Finch confidently push at the boundaries set before them.

The band has come a long way since their formation in the late '90s. In those days, the Temecula, California based band was called Numb. Though currently a nearly identical lineup of those early days, Finch has now found their own unique voice, and a permanent membership of frontman Nate Barcalow, guitarists Randy Strohmeyer and Alex Linares, bassist Derek Doherty and drummer Alex Pappas.

The band's jump from the world of practicing in the garage to being signed was a real grassroots process. Randy had kept in touch with Drive-Thru ever since writing a fan letter to the label years earlier. He'd even tried to pique the label's interest with his previous bands, but with no results. Regardless of previous outcomes, Randy kept lines of communication open.

When Finch were ready, Randy again called upon the label. "Richard (Reines, Drive-Thru Record's owner) was like, "All right, come and play for me," says Randy. "So we rented a studio. Richard was just doing it as a favor. But we went up there and played, and he was blown away." So blown away, in fact, that he called his sister and Drive-Thru co-owner Stefanie into the studio to check the band out. She was duly impressed, and Finch was offered a contract on the spot.

Drive-Thru sent the band into the studio to record shortly thereafter. Their debut, the Falling Into Place EP, Finch provides listeners with a tantalizing glimpse into the groups obvious talent and musical potential. Even though the EP only features four songs, each track is a superb conglomeration of emo and unbridled aggression. Produced by Chris Fudurich (The Hippos, Rx Bandits), Falling Into Place was released on October 9, 2001 and has sold over 6,000 copies by the end of '01.

In August/September 2001, the band holed up at Big Fish studio in Encinitas, CA to begin working on its first full length. At the helm was Mark Trombino, whose production and engineering work has brought out the best in Jimmy Eat World, Blink 182, Midtown and many others.

The result of their collective labors is What It Is To Burn, a soaring baker's-dozen collection of tracks -- the album simply shimmers with sincerity. Ranging between emo-oriented melodies, punk rhythm, pop hooks and aggressive hardcore breakdowns, it covers the entire emotional spectrum. Not unlike Glassjaw, Deftones and Jimmy Eat World, Finch embrace disparate influences within their music - the differences create a stronger whole.

Lyricist/vocalist Nate Barcalow reaches his full potential on What It Is To Burn. Though young, Barcalow exhibits a lyrical maturity beyond his years. Powerful and evocative, What It Is To Burn deals with the emotional roller coaster that is a relationship. It's an unlikely ode to the pit-of-the-stomach pain that only a loved one can cause and the strength it takes to carry on through all the not-knowing and aggravation.

What It Is To Burn was released on March 12, 2002 and immediately following, Finch hits the road with Moth. The band will spend the summer playing their hearts out for the fans on the Drive-Thru Records stage on the Warped Tour.

Interview

How long ago did you guys form the group and how did it all come about?

Alex: We started from high school. Freshman year, me and Pappas started playing together and then we just started adding one by one. Second year, we added Nate. Next year we added Derek and then the year after that we added Randy. We actually started getting serious about it when everyone was graduating.. about 2, almost 3 years ago.

Did you guys ever have any other group name besides Finch? I know one of them was Numb, but was there any other ones.. Any wacky ones?

Alex: We had other different bands, but Finch was just Finch. I was in a sin-pop band before. It was a keyboard player, a drummer, and then me on guitar. It was with my friend Ralph. He was, like, 30 at the time and I was, like, 17. It was bad, it was really bad.

How did you end up picking Finch?

Alex: It was just a name. We wanted a name that wasn't too suggestive. When you hear a name like Slair, you're like, "oh it's metal." When you hear Excodist, you're thinking metal. We just wanted something that would be a word that wouldn't suggest too much and would define music for ourselves.

Let’s talk about the recording contract. You guys go to Drive-Thru Records, rent a studio, play a few songs for Drive-Thru’s owner and end up getting offered a recording contract on the spot! What was going through your heads when that happened? Did you expect it?

Alex: It was actually the second time we played for him [Richard Rienes, Drive-Thru Record's owner]. Richard was like, "Oh my God, I gotta have Stephanie hear it!" We came back like two weeks later and played for Richard and Stephanie (Drive-Thru's co-owner). We were still on stage and I still had my guitar.. we finished the last song, and she was like "I'm giving you a contract right now!," which is shocking because to think back of the band that we used to be.. it was just all like.. I don't know, you guys didn't hear any of our old stuff. Thinking that they just signed us based upon that is just crazy. They always say that they can listen to stuff and hear what 'could be'.. and I'm like "Well, they must be really good at it because we (used to) suck so bad" *laughs* I was sitll on stage with my guitar and I started laughing and blushing and was like, "ah, wow."

How long did it take to record the new album What It Is To Burn?

Alex: I think it took a little more than 6 weeks. Six days a week, like 12-14 hour days. It was fun, though. I was sad when we were finished, I was bummed. I was sad, because it was six days a week of hanging out with Mark Trombino. We all became really good friends with him and were like, "I'm not gonna see you tomorrow, buddy."

What was it like working with Mark Trombino.. He’s worked with Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World, Midtown and others.. What was that like?

Alex: It was amazing, he's a great person. He's the only person I think I'd ever want to work with. I wanna be Mark Trombino, basically. *laughs*

You guys did the whole album with him, didn't you?

Alex: Yeah. He produced, recorded, mixed and egineered. He did the entire thing. Nobody else touched the record besides who mastered it which was Steve Martenson. Other than that, nobody touched the record.

How would you describe your style of music?

Alex: Finch's music style is very eclectic, I would say. There's 13 songs on the record and every one of the songs.. not leads away from each other, as far as like the sound.. but I think they're different. Some songs have a little more pop/funk influence, some songs are a little heavier, some are drumb & bass.

Would you say your style has changed since the group very first got together?

Alex: Yeah, definitely. When we first all came together, we were no older than 17. We've all grown older, we've learned our instruments better, we've learned to play together better, so of course we're gonna change. We changed a lot.

What’s it like seeing yourself with What It Is To Burn on the charts.. The Billboard Top 200, #13 on the Billboard New Artist Chart, #8 on the Alternative New Artist Chart, #4 on the Top Internet Chart.. Do you feel like everything has paid off?

Alex: It was crazy! I remember Randy told me, "Hey we're 192 on the Top 200!" The first week, the album sales were like 7,000 records or something. Two days later, I was like "F*ck, we sold 7,000 records." It matched the sales of our EP. Records sales don't really matter to me too much, but it was just a cool thing. It make me feel good, because it shows our band is getting out there.

Where’s been your favorite place to perform so far?

Alex: House of Blues in Anahiem (CA) is a really cool place to play. It would be a lot cooler if security didn't hate us and have some vendeta to kill us all *laughs*

Do you guys have any pre-show rituals? Anything crazy?

Alex: Nothing crazy. I have what I call my "preshow poop." Five minutes before we have to play, it's like clockwork, I have to go to the bathroom. I don't get nervous, though. I never get worried about playing. Everytime, five minutes before we play you'll find me in the bathroom.

How do you get hyped up before going on stage?

Alex: Umm.. I don't really *laughs* I don't hype myself up, I just do it, ya know? I don't even think about it. Usually, when the set's done, I'm like "ok we're done, that was quick." I don't really think about it all throughout the day. Like, I don't even know what time it is.. in couple hours we have to play. I never think, "oh darn, in two hours we have to play!"

Has anyone had any most embarrassing moments on stage yet?

Alex: Oh yeah, there's embarrassing moments all the time. Last time we played The Chain Reaction which is this place in Anahiem, that's one of our favorite places to play, Randy does this stupid trick where he takes his guitar and tosses it over his shoulder and it swings back around. Well, that day, he threw it over his shoulder and it hit Nate right on the bridge of his nose. He had black eyes and his nose was all swollen. There's really funny moments. I don't really do anything that stupid.

Musically, who’s inspiring to you guys?

Alex: Any really good music is always inspiring. Everytime I listen to Glassjaw I always get excited about music. It makes you feel like people think we're ripping off Glassjaw, but that's not the case. When you hear really good music it inspires you to write and to pick up the guitar and do something cool or try something different. That's what Glassjaw does for us, because they did something different with their music. Everytime I hear it, it inspires me to pick up and try to do something different.

What are the group’s plans for the summer?

Alex: ..doing two months of the Warped Tour. The entire US Warped Tour we'll be doing. It'll go through Canada too, but mostly just the US.

How would describe Finch and What It Is To Burn to new potential fans?

Alex: I would just ask them to check it out, because the five of us worked really hard on it. Just to give us some respect and just listen to it and judge it for yourself. It's good music. If you like punk music, or if you like rock music, or if you like heavy music, you'll probably like it. It's got a little something for everybody.

Finch Website

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