Success in the US does not define Finger Eleven
It seems that for so many Canadian bands, their popularity here has depended on success attained in the US.
Bands like The Arcade Fire and to some extent, Nickelback come to mind. But for Finger Eleven, Canada has always been a stronghold of support, ever since their days as The Rainbow Butt Monkeys. And now that the band has had several hit songs on Billboard (including “One Thing” and “Paralyzer”), played several TV talk shows and sold upwards of half a million records with their latest album alone, is quite astounding. Truly, Finger Eleven are a Canadian success story.
This country's love for the band has surely not gone unrequited, though, and Finger Eleven have always acknowledged Canada's ongoing fanship.
“I like to think that Canadian music fans ‘get it' more than other countries do,” Rich Beddoe, F11's drummer wrote, via e-mail, “They grow with bands and allow bands to mature over time. It seems with every record we make there are more people that get it and are more curious [about] what we have to say.”
Certainly Finger Eleven have changed drastically over their career as professional musicians, especially when comparing Letters to Chutney, released in 1995, to 2007's Them vs. You vs. Me. Interestingly, though, despite the fact that the band has been making music for 13 years, they have only ever released five professional albums.
Although, the band is planning to change this.
“[We] are already preparing for the next record, as we are learning that we need to hurry the fuck up!,” explained Beddoe.
However, with the complications of trying to write on the road, combined with Finger Eleven's gruelling tour schedule (which often has them on the road for months at a time), fans shouldn't expect another release just yet.
To tide them over, the group have released a retrospective DVD, entitled Us vs. Then vs. Now, which features a compilation of footage from the past 13 years, paired with a soundtrack of previously unreleased songs and demos.
In fact, one of the most appealing aspects about Finger Eleven is just how much they actually care for their fans. When they aren't touring, they try to make themselves as accessible to the public as possible. During the recording of their last album, a phone line was set up so fans could speak directly to them while they were working.
“It's nice, as we begin a record, to have people actually calling us and expressing interest in the band. We get a rush knowing that someone is waiting for the new stuff,” Beddoe wrote. “We also had fun pranking people at five in the morning that left their number. We woke a dude up that forgot to set his alarm and actually saved his job!”
Ultimately, when it comes down to it, Finger Eleven aren't your average ‘rock star' figures — they're just average guys who play video games, drink beer and like to hang out. In fact, when I asked Beddoe what he thought of the fact that their song, “Paralyzer,” now gets played nightly in dance-rock clubs. “That is very strange,” Beddoe wrote about the club-rotation of F11's hit song. “We still are the drunk beer-belly guys in the corner acting nervous, but now the owner of the bar gives us a couple beer tickets and the annoying drunk dude hangs out going, ‘Hey you're that band, right, with that song?' Then we leave alone, smelling like cigarettes and loneliness.”
Perhaps it's more modesty than truth, but their down-to-earth attitudes and sense of humour about themselves is most definitely commendable, given their international success.
Finger Eleven will be playing at Cowboy's Ranch on Wednesday, March 12. Tickets are $37.75.
Bands like The Arcade Fire and to some extent, Nickelback come to mind. But for Finger Eleven, Canada has always been a stronghold of support, ever since their days as The Rainbow Butt Monkeys. And now that the band has had several hit songs on Billboard (including “One Thing” and “Paralyzer”), played several TV talk shows and sold upwards of half a million records with their latest album alone, is quite astounding. Truly, Finger Eleven are a Canadian success story.
This country's love for the band has surely not gone unrequited, though, and Finger Eleven have always acknowledged Canada's ongoing fanship.
“I like to think that Canadian music fans ‘get it' more than other countries do,” Rich Beddoe, F11's drummer wrote, via e-mail, “They grow with bands and allow bands to mature over time. It seems with every record we make there are more people that get it and are more curious [about] what we have to say.”
Certainly Finger Eleven have changed drastically over their career as professional musicians, especially when comparing Letters to Chutney, released in 1995, to 2007's Them vs. You vs. Me. Interestingly, though, despite the fact that the band has been making music for 13 years, they have only ever released five professional albums.
Although, the band is planning to change this.
“[We] are already preparing for the next record, as we are learning that we need to hurry the fuck up!,” explained Beddoe.
However, with the complications of trying to write on the road, combined with Finger Eleven's gruelling tour schedule (which often has them on the road for months at a time), fans shouldn't expect another release just yet.
To tide them over, the group have released a retrospective DVD, entitled Us vs. Then vs. Now, which features a compilation of footage from the past 13 years, paired with a soundtrack of previously unreleased songs and demos.
In fact, one of the most appealing aspects about Finger Eleven is just how much they actually care for their fans. When they aren't touring, they try to make themselves as accessible to the public as possible. During the recording of their last album, a phone line was set up so fans could speak directly to them while they were working.
“It's nice, as we begin a record, to have people actually calling us and expressing interest in the band. We get a rush knowing that someone is waiting for the new stuff,” Beddoe wrote. “We also had fun pranking people at five in the morning that left their number. We woke a dude up that forgot to set his alarm and actually saved his job!”
Ultimately, when it comes down to it, Finger Eleven aren't your average ‘rock star' figures — they're just average guys who play video games, drink beer and like to hang out. In fact, when I asked Beddoe what he thought of the fact that their song, “Paralyzer,” now gets played nightly in dance-rock clubs. “That is very strange,” Beddoe wrote about the club-rotation of F11's hit song. “We still are the drunk beer-belly guys in the corner acting nervous, but now the owner of the bar gives us a couple beer tickets and the annoying drunk dude hangs out going, ‘Hey you're that band, right, with that song?' Then we leave alone, smelling like cigarettes and loneliness.”
Perhaps it's more modesty than truth, but their down-to-earth attitudes and sense of humour about themselves is most definitely commendable, given their international success.
Finger Eleven will be playing at Cowboy's Ranch on Wednesday, March 12. Tickets are $37.75.
