The Findells- New Years and Beyond

2004-12-27T10:53:00.000-08:00

The 2005 performance calendar is in negotiation. Finishing up the CD is highest priority.
A new website with links and soundbites (we'll let you know the site) is up and coming.

Two shows booked at this writing, both at the Baja Bean:
New Year's Eve (Dec. 31st)
Mardi Gras (Feb. 8th, 2005)

Happy New Year.
This is the year of the INDEFATIGABLE.
More music. More shows.

2004-12-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

25th Anniversary Show (pics by Roach)

The Findells 25th Anniversary Show 11/24/04

2004-12-07T13:19:00.000-08:00

From Allan:

These are a few images of the 25 year reunion sent to us by Roach. It was a fun time. It was great to share the room with so many wonderful musicians and fans. Bittersweet that Terry Paris couldn't make it. And Becky. And Joe. And Crystal.

A few words about 25 years. I'm not prone to wax nostalgic- I'd rather move on to the next thing, but when I'm asked to recall Fin history (through a cloud of dead memory cells), I tend to divide the experience into the following phases

Early Fins- The Trip to SF (She never knew that she was a Pumpkin)
Radiators are Bleeding (Joe Dockery and the new Staunton)
Fin Reformation (Laughing at Clouds)
Naked and Blue (nice ass)
Welcome to Finland (the northern lights)

Andy tells me the first practice was held in the Flipper's Mothership (where Terry Paris and I lived in blessed squalor) on 11/11/1979. Big warehouse above an arcade with few provisions but a lot of space to make big noises- just right for the birth of the Fins. Long nights on lumpy, stained mattresses and more than a few guests- fugitives of the evening, welcome and not- in and out at any given time. Glen offered no mercy on the chess board. Cheap wine and lots of Camels. David (Beer Money) Shields was our benefactor. He let us work in the arcade and on the repair routes (we serviced pinball machines and pool tables) for our keep. We'd probably have to admit that without Dave, the Fins might not have stayed afloat. And thanks to Lee Harlow (R.I.P) for the fin.

The first band (Andy and I, Terry Paris, and Randy Hypes) played a lot in Charlottesville. We were practically the house band at Poe's during the Mike Trudgeon (R.I.P.) days. A few people came over the mountain to see us, including Peggy, Andrew Hersey and Francis, Maryanne, and a few die hard dancers looking for an alternative to Smoke on the Water and Stairway to Heaven (both songs I like, really). We played fast. And hard. We didn't know anything about slow.
We did our original stuff with covers by the Ramones, Velvet Underground, Iggy, Psychedelic Furs, etc. I sometimes wore a hat.
We recorded FAST FURNITURE in Salem, VA.
Randy left the band as we embarked on our tour out West. We thought we were relocating to San Francisco- already had a place and a few gigs lined up. Randy didn't get in the International TravelAll, so Andy, Terry and I left Virginia without a drummer. Lot's of stories about that trip, but let's just say we wouldn't have made it home without a Penny's credit card in Andy's wallet. And the Fins met Bambi (R.I.P) in Spearfish, SD. And, oh yeah, Peg got a little miffed at me and threw away my space helmet- the one with the gold visor.

We auditioned for new drummers when we got back and passed on Paul (he keeps reminding us of this- he couldn't have been more than 7 years old) and chose Joe Dockery. This was a really cool time in Staunton, mainly because of the energy being created in some really good bars- the Panama Cafe, the Back Room at the Tack Room, and later, upstairs at McCormick's- and there is infamous lore attached to the period. Like they say about the sixties, if you can remember them, you weren't there. I was there. I've seen pictures. THE RADIATORS ARE BLEEDING., recorded on the run in a Timberville basement, is also proof.

Came a time when we disbanded for a while, playing only reunion gigs. Terry left and became infamous in Missouri. I guess Andy and I are not very good at not playing music. (Actually, Andy played with the Miller Bros. and others, but I'm not good enough to play other people's songs.) So we launched what became the funkiest stage of Fin history, in which we thought we were inventing a new band (I dimly recall a name, NEW FURNITURE. Is that right?) I'd like to apologize here to those who lent time to that project. I think I must've been listening to too much Simple Minds.

We found the stream again when Paul and Fred joined up. A kick in the gills. I realized I wasn't very good at pretending to be a rock star. Things started sounding new again. This led to a night in McCormicks drinking with Doug Porter who declared he'd hire us to do an entire night of Lou Reed at 23 Beverley. Naturally, I didn't want to do Lou without some colored girls. Enter Cathy and Becky, who powered our vocals and decorated our stage with sex appeal. The Fins were strong and healthy again- a new medicine ran through our arteries. An artsy period full of great visuals (Fred's projectors and such) and multi-layered sound. It inspired new songs. NAKED AND BLUE was realized. Ten years of it. Great band.
Couldn't keep a bass player though. Kudos for those who hung in there. Bryan Demory (now of Big Boots), Terry Lafon (Rumors), Crystal Armentrout (now in Nashville recording and being discovered), Tony Roberts (Off White Album), all played gigs with us before Paul and Fred brought Matt Lang over to stick for a while. A wall of wonderful sounds and a hell of a lot of fun.

Fred moved away. Cathy and Becky were already too far away. We couldn't play or practice enough to keep it fresh. It was time to try something else. Maybe it's because I hate to swim in circles. Maybe an acoustic act, I thought. By God, weren't we getting too old to play that rock shit? I was really into David Byrne's most recent transformation. Would it work for us? Could the Fins enter the singer-songwriter revolution? The answer was NO. But the attempt produced an echo we liked, in the form of Carl Brooks (bass) and Sera Petras (not bass). And some new songs that sounded better louder and faster than they did soft and lifeless. And new people started listening. And the songs are getting better. And we like it. And Andy got a new recorder at the finhut. And this is now. Put another log on the fire. C0me to Finland.

2004-11-29T17:00:00.000-08:00

L to R: Andy Easley, Carl Brooks, Sera Petras, Allan Moye, and Paul Cline

NEW FINS CD RELEASE (Finland)

2004-11-29T15:51:00.000-08:00

The Findells are in the studio this month polishing up their third major recording, Finland. The new CD should be in stores by mid-January. Finland is being recorded, mixed, and mastered entirely in the Finhut Studio by Tonemaster Andy Easley.
The performers on the CD are the current line-up of Fins

Allan Moye
Andy Easley
Paul Cline
Carl Brooks
Sera Petras

with some help from Fin Fred McGann on sax, and the infamous Wall of Harmonicas (Rick Cook, Kevin Chisnell, Steve Talley, and Bolt Swiftpace).

All songs are original except for a rocking out version Lew Dewitt's Flowers on the Wall. This album will join the other Findell recordings, Fast Furniture, The Radiators are Bleeding, and Naked and Blue, in showcasing their unique style of original rock n' roll.

We'll keep you posted as to the exact release date and subsequent release party gig.

SPEAKING OF GIGS.

The Fins, fresh out of the studio, are booked in downtown Staunton, Virginia at the Baja Bean on New Year's Eve. It's always wall to wall people and the dance floor never clears. Come early, eat at the Bean, party with the Fins and bring in 2005 with a blast. If you can't get in, stand on Beverly Street and watch through the window.