Finger Eleven
• finger eleven was formed in 1994, when five long-time friends in toronto came together and decided to start up a band- every kids dream. they started off like all bands do, playing gigs in clubs here and there, under the name 'stone soul picnic'. the name didn't stick well, plus it was already in use by another band, so they took on the name, 'rainbow butt monkeys', writing their own music. they released three singles and a cd, 'letters from chutney'. they also started playing around with new music ideas and sounds which would soon become part of 'tip'. a little more mature, the band members took a look at their name and decided they needed a new one. you can't really get that far ahead with a name like 'rainbow butt monkeys', can you? they took 'finger eleven' from an early form of the song that would become 'thin spirits' on 'tip'. they rewrote the song and kept the name for themselves.
• once 'tip' was recorded with the help of producer arnold lanni (who also produced our lady peace), they began attracting labels. they ended up passing on numerous signings, due to the fact that some companies wanted them to write more songs so they could come up with a one-hit single. basically, those companies wanted finger eleven to become one of those bands with two or three awesome songs, a couple decent ones and the rest straight-out bad. finger eleven refused, wanting to release a step-up album, taking its listeners on a "musical ride". and that's exactly what 'tip' does. their big break came in mid 1998 when they signed with wind-up records.
• from the opening track 'quicksand' to the closing track 'swallowtail', 'tip' is filled with multi-emotional songs. 'finger eleven' shows how they like to make many different parts of a song, changing the tunes of the song many times throughout. perhaps one of the most moving songs, 'awake and dreaming', embodies many different emotions all in one song. its hard to explain. my advice, go out and buy 'tip' as soon as you can. you won't be sorry.
• finger eleven is-
scott anderson - vocals
sean anderson - bass
rick jackett - guitar
rich beddoe - drums
james black - guitar
• one more thing, you might be wondering what exactly the term finger eleven means. lead singer scott anderson explains best- "when everything is pushing you in one direction, and your instinct is pushing you in another- that's finger eleven"