Finch originally formed under the name Numb with Nate Barcalow on vocals, Alex Linares on guitar, Derek Doherty on bass and Alex Pappas on drums.[2] Guitarist Randy Strohmeyer was invited to join Finch after they witnessed him play with his band Evita Fresh.[3] Strohmeyer became friends with Drive-Thru Records owner Richard Reines following a fan letter he had sent in a few years prior.[2] Reines offered the group a chance to perform and subsequently signed the group.[3]
The group changed their name to Finch and released their first EP Falling into Place in 2001.
Pre-production for their debut album, What It Is to Burn, took place at DML Studios in Escondido, California in February and April 2001.[4][5] They began recording the album in June at Big Fish Studios in Encinitas, California with producer Mark Trombino.[5][4] After tracking guitars in July, recording subsequently continued through September.[6][7] Strohmeyer said it collectively took a year to write all of the material on the album.[8]
What It Is to Burn was released on March 12 as a joint release between MCA and Drive-Thru Records, followed by a release in the UK on June 2.[9][5][10] It was preceded by a promotional music video for "Letters to You" in January 2002, though the song was not released as a commercial single at the time. The album was predominantly described as emo and pop punk.[11][12][13][14]Daryl PalumboofGlassjaw performs guest vocals on two tracks on the album: "Grey Matter" and "Project Mayhem".[5]
Nearly a year following the initial release of the What It Is to Burn album, the group released the song of the same name as the first official single from the record in January 2003. The single became the band's biggest charting success, peaking at number 15 on the US BillboardAlternative Airplay chart in May 2003 and spending 16 weeks on the chart.[22] The song was followed up with an official single release of the track "Letters to You" in April 2003.
In May 2003, the band performed as a special guest at two shows of MTV's Campus Invasion tour.[23] In June, the band appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[24] In July, the group appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly.[25] In August, the group performed at Furnace Fest and at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.[26][27]
Say Hello to Sunshine and Finch EP (2005–2010)[edit]
Finch released Say Hello to Sunshine on June 7, 2005. The first single from the album was "Bitemarks and Bloodstains".[28] The release of the album marked the departure of drummer Alex Pappas who was replaced by Marc Allen. The band was moved between three different record labels prior to the release of the album: Drive-Thru Records and MCA Records, which was then purchased by Geffen Records before its release.
On February 19, 2006, the group announced that they would be going on an "indefinite hiatus".[29] Finch reformed in late 2007 and performed at a few American West Coast shows.[30][31] On July 22, 2008, the band released a four-song EP titled Finch.[32][33] The EP is the band's first record that was released independently of a record label. Finch spent most of 2008 touring in support of the release, including a summer headlining tour with Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Foxy Shazam and Tickle Me Pink.[34][35]
Finch announced in October 2008 that they had begun work on their third studio album.[36] In May 2009, Finch released a demo for the song "Hail to the Fire" on their Myspace page.[37]
On December 17, 2010, after an extended period of inactivity and infrequent updates, Finch announced that they had broken up. They explained that each member had broadened his "musical pallet [sic]," which made it difficult for the band to collaborate on new music.[38] On the same day, Finch released a digital single titled Epilogue that featured "Hail to the Fire" and "World of Violence", which were to appear on their third album.[39]
In 2012, Nate Barcalow formed a new band called Earthbound Ghost.[40]
Back to Oblivion and Steel, Wood and Whiskey (2012–2016)[edit]
In October 2012, Finch announced they would reunite and perform the What It Is to Burn album in its entirety for one night on February 1, 2013, in California, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the release of the album.[41] Initially planned to be a single show, it was followed by announcement of a second California date after the first one sold out along with a UK date.[42] The lineup for the reunion shows included Alex Pappas, who left Finch in 2004 before the release of Say Hello to Sunshine, and Daniel Wonacott, who joined the band during their previous reunion.[43]
Finch continued to add individual What It Is to Burn anniversary dates until it became several North American tours, beginning with a March tour featuring The Almost and The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die and ending with an October tour with Dance Gavin Dance.[44][45][46][47] Footage from the band's initial reunion show in California was recorded and released as a live CD/DVD titled What It Is to Burn X Live on January 7, 2014, through Tragic Hero Records.[48] While touring, the band debuted the track "Back to Oblivion".[46][49]
On November 13, 2015, Finch released the album Steel, Wood and Whiskey for free on their website. This acoustic album features newly recorded renditions of songs from their back catalog.
Finch began working on a fourth studio album in mid-2015. However, due to difficulties within the band, it was not completed. According to a statement by the rest of the band, Barcalow drew distant, missed recording sessions, and stopped communicating altogether by January 2016.[55] In October 2016, Barcalow privately announced on Instagram that Finch had broken up and posted nine new demo songs to his personal YouTube account.[55] The following day, the other members of Finch posted a statement claiming that Barcalow "quit again, for the third time in the bands [sic] history". This was followed by the release of two new demos to Finch's official YouTube account: "Monuments" and "These Buildings are Burning".[55]
In early 2016, Linares, Pappas, Wonacott formed a new band with Buddy Nielsen of Senses Fail called Speak the Truth... Even If Your Voice Shakes.[56] Barcalow went on to form the electronic duo outfit Private Lives.[57]
What It Is to Burn 20th anniversary tour (2022–present)[edit]
On October 11, 2022, the band announced that they would be reforming to play at the When We Were Young Festival in October 2023.[58] In January 2023, they announced the What It Is to Burn 20th anniversary tour, which began in Chicago on May 5, 2023.[59]
^Heisel, Scott (June 2, 2003). "Bands on TV - week of 6/2/03". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
