Finch (American band)

Finch
Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1999 in Temecula, California, USA
Headquarters	Temecula, United States
Products	Music albums and singles

Finch is a rock group originating from Temecula, California, USA. They gained recognition primarily for their track "What It Is to Burn" from their 2002 album sharing the same title. Their sophomore record, Say Hello to Sunshine (2005), achieved a position within the top 30 on the Billboard 200 chart. Following internal challenges, they released Back to Oblivion in 2014.

Formation and Early Years (1999–2001)

Initially named Numb, Finch was established by Nate Barcalow (vocals), Alex Linares (guitar), Derek Doherty (bass), and Alex Pappas (drums). The lineup expanded when guitarist Randy Strohmeyer joined after being noticed performing with his band Evitca Fresh, which prompted the group to adopt the name Finch. Strohmeyer’s relationship with Richard Reines, owner of Drive-Thru Records, led to their appearance at the "Drive Thru Records Night" event in November 2000 before an audience of 700.

Capitalizing on this exposure, Finch released a demo collection via their website. Recording sessions for their debut album commenced in February 2001, and their first EP, Falling into Place, was launched on October 9, 2001.

What It Is to Burn Era (2002–2003)

Pre-production for Finch’s first full-length album, What It Is to Burn, took place at DML Studios in Escondido, California during early 2001. Recording began in June at Big Fish Studios located in Encinitas, California, with producer Mark Trombino. After completing guitar tracking in July, sessions extended through September. Strohmeyer mentioned that crafting the album’s material required approximately one year.

The album was released on March 12, 2002, through a collaboration between MCA and Drive-Thru Records, with a UK release following on June 2. A promotional video for "Letters to You" premiered in January 2002; however, it was not initially issued as a commercial single. The album is generally classified within the emo and pop punk genres. Guest vocals by Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw appear on two tracks: "Grey Matter" and "Project Mayhem".

To support the album, Finch embarked on extensive tours throughout 2002 and 2003 across the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan. They opened for bands including Brand New, The Starting Line, New Found Glory, Something Corporate, From Autumn to Ashes, Coheed and Cambria, and Further Seems Forever. Additionally, they participated in the Warped Tour in 2002.

Almost a year after the album’s initial release, the title track was issued as Finch’s debut official single in January 2003. This became their most successful song commercially, reaching number 15 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart and remaining there for sixteen weeks. The follow-up single was "Letters to You," released in April 2003.

In May 2003, Finch served as special guests during two dates of MTV’s Campus Invasion tour. Appearances on television followed with performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in June and Last Call with Carson Daly in July. That summer included performances at Furnace Fest as well as the Reading and Leeds Festivals.

Say Hello to Sunshine and Subsequent EP (2003–2010)

During touring activities, Finch began composing material for their second studio album, previewing several new songs live throughout 2003 and 2004. Demo sessions with Mark Trombino commenced in November. During this timeframe, drummer Pappas departed to tour with Jamison Parker. Most of the recorded tracks were written alongside Marc Allen—then drummer for Counterfit—while some were co-written with Chris Tsagakis from RX Bandits; none of these collaborations appeared on the final album. The band experienced label transitions between Drive-Thru Records, MCA Records, and Geffen Records during production. Marc Allen made his live debut with Finch in January 2004. They toured alongside Counterfit and Recover from July through September; following Counterfit’s breakup, Allen became Finch’s permanent drummer.

The band finalized their second album by January 2005. Its lead single, "Bitemarks and Bloodstains," had been part of their live set since the touring cycle for What It Is to Burn. Say Hello to Sunshine was released on June 7, 2005, coinciding with an acoustic performance at Tower Records in Los Angeles. To promote this release, Finch toured Europe and North America from April to September before supporting H.I.M. from October to November. By late November, Finch announced a hiatus due to differing priorities among members.

In October 2007, Finch reunited featuring new members Andrew Marcogliese (drums) and Daniel Wonacott (bass), both recruited from Barcalow’s side project Cosmonaut. Their reunion tour kicked off on January 13, 2008. On July 22 of that year, they independently issued a four-track EP titled Finch. Much of 2008 was dedicated to touring in support of this release, including a summer headlining tour alongside Scary Kids Scaring Kids and Foxy Shazam. By October 2008, writing for their third studio album had begun; a demo version of "Hail to the Fire" was shared via Myspace on May 30, 2009.

After an extended period of inactivity, Finch announced their disbandment on December 17, 2010, citing members’ expanding musical pursuits that limited collaboration opportunities. Concurrently, they released a digital single called Epilogue, featuring "Hail to the Fire" and "World of Violence," both intended for an unreleased third album.

In 2012, lead singer Nate Barcalow established Earthbound Ghost.

Back to Oblivion and Steel, Wood and Whiskey (2012–2016)

In October 2012, Finch revealed plans to reunite for a special performance of their album What It Is to Burn in its entirety on February 1, 2013, in California, celebrating the record's tenth anniversary. Due to overwhelming interest, extra shows were scheduled in both California and the United Kingdom. This reunion featured Alex Pappas, who had departed in 2004, alongside Daniel Wonacott, who had participated in an earlier reunion.

The band extended these anniversary events into several tours across North America during 2013, sharing stages with bands such as The Almost, The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, and Dance Gavin Dance. A live recording of the initial reunion concert, titled What It Is to Burn X Live, was released on January 7, 2014, through Tragic Hero Records. It was during these tours that Finch introduced the song "Back to Oblivion".

In March 2014, Finch inked a deal with Razor & Tie and announced intentions to produce new material. Their third studio album, Back to Oblivion, produced by Brian Virtue, was officially released on September 30, 2014. The band supported this release by touring North America alongside Maps & Atlases.

On November 13, 2015, Finch unveiled Steel, Wood and Whiskey, an acoustic collection featuring reimagined versions of songs from their previous works, which was made available for free via their official website.

Efforts to develop a fourth studio album commenced in mid-2015 but eventually stalled due to internal disagreements. By January 2016, lead singer Barcalow had withdrawn and ceased all communication. In October of that year, Barcalow declared Finch's dissolution through Instagram and shared nine demo tracks. The other members confirmed his exit—marking his third departure—and subsequently released two demos entitled "Monuments" and "These Buildings are Burning" on Finch’s official YouTube channel.

After the breakup, Linares, Pappas, and Wonacott joined forces with Buddy Nielsen from Senses Fail to create Speak the Truth... Even If Your Voice Shakes. Meanwhile, Barcalow ventured into an electronic duo project called Private Lives. In 2022, Wonacott became a member of Senses Fail.

What It Is to Burn 20th anniversary tour (2022–present)

On October 11, 2022, Finch announced their reunion to appear at the When We Were Young Festival scheduled for October 2023. Subsequently, in January 2023, the band launched the What It Is to Burn twentieth anniversary tour, kicking off in Chicago on May 5, 2023.

Band members

Current lineup

Nate Barcalow – lead vocals, keyboards (1999–2006, 2007–2010, 2012–2016, 2022–present)
Randy "R2K" Strohmeyer – lead guitar, backing vocals (1999–2006, 2007–2010, 2012–2015, 2022–present)
Alex "Grizz" Linares – rhythm guitar (1999–2006, 2007–2010, 2012–2016, 2022–present), lead guitar (2015-2016)
Alex Pappas – drums and percussion (1999–2004, 2012–2016, 2022–present)
Kenny Finn – bass (2023–present)

Former members

Derek Doherty – bass and backing vocals (1999–2006)
Daniel Wonacott – bass and backing vocals (2007–2010, 2012–2016)
Marc Allen – drums and percussion (2004–2006)
Andrew Marcogliese – drums and percussion (2007–2010)

Discography

References