Finch is an American post-hardcore band from Temecula, California. The band is best known for their single "What It Is to Burn" from the album of the same name (2002). Their second album, Say Hello to Sunshine (2005), peaked within the top 30 on the Billboard 200. Following setbacks within the group, they released the album Back to Oblivion (2014).
History
Early history (1999–2001) 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. Guitarist Randy Strohmeyer was invited to join Finch after they witnessed him play with his band Evita Fresh. Strohmeyer became friends with Drive-Thru Records owner Richard Reines following a fan letter he had sent in a few years prior. Reines offered the group a chance to perform and subsequently signed the group.
The group changed their name to Finch and released their first EP Falling into Place in 2001.
What It Is to Burn (2002–2004) Pre-production for their debut album, What It Is to Burn, took place at DML Studios in Escondido, California in February and April 2001. They began recording the album in June at Big Fish Studios in Encinitas, California with producer Mark Trombino. After tracking guitars in July, recording subsequently continued through September. Strohmeyer said it collectively took a year to write all of the material on the album.
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. 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. Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw performs guest vocals on two tracks on the album: "Grey Matter" and "Project Mayhem".
To promote the record, the group toured throughout 2002 and 2003. They began shortly after the album's release by touring with Moth. They followed this up with an extensive tour schedule across the United States, the UK, and Japan. They toured with bands including Brand New, The Starting Line, New Found Glory, Something Corporate, From Autumn to Ashes, Coheed and Cambria, and Further Seems Forever, among others.
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 Billboard Alternative Airplay chart in May 2003 and spending 16 weeks on the chart. 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. In June, the band appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. In July, the group appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly. In August, the group performed at Furnace Fest and at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.
Say Hello to Sunshine and Finch EP (2005–2010) Finch released Say Hello to Sunshine on June 7, 2005. The first single from the album was "Bitemarks and Bloodstains". 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". Finch reformed in late 2007 and performed at a few American West Coast shows. On July 22, 2008, the band released a four-song EP titled Finch. 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.
Finch announced in October 2008 that they had begun work on their third studio album. In May 2009, Finch released a demo for the song "Hail to the Fire" on their Myspace page.
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 ," which made it difficult for the band to collaborate on new music. 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.
In 2012, Nate Barcalow formed a new band called Earthbound Ghost.