From the start Finch proved to be a very substantial band.  Their first album “What It Is To Burn” went gold and was acknowledged for defining a new genre of music.  After two albums, two EPs, a break-up, and a reunion, Finch is back and better than ever. We got a chance to talk to this striking band during their tour with From First to Last, Scary Kids Scaring Kids and Tickle Me Pink to learn more about their past, present, and future.

Taylor:Can you introduce yourself and tell us what you do in the band?
Randy:My names Randy Strohmeyer and I play guitar in Finch.

Spencer:Where did you come up with the band name Finch?
Randy: Well, it's kind of like how you name a kid I guess. It just sounds nice, and you like to say it a lot. Something you don't mind hearing. It's like naming yourself, it's not like naming your kid. Though I've heard of people that live through their kids...

Spencer/Taylor:Yeah.
Randy:I don't have a kid, I don't know. I have a dog.

Spencer: *laughs* What's your dogs name?
Randy:Ginger.

Spencer:Aw.
Randy:I don't think thats a good band name though.

Spencer:No.
Randy:But, my other dogs name is Eisley, which is a band name, but I didn't name it after the band.

Spencer:It just happened?
Randy:She has a paisley eye, so, yeah.

Taylor:How would you describe your music to someone who's never heard you before?
Randy:Uhm, I'm not really sure. Our music changes a lot, especially with every record that we put out. So, I'm not sure, I don't really know what else- I mean its definitely not, you know, country music. We're not rap. I think we cover like a pretty good spectrum of rock and experimental.

Taylor:How long have you been playing guitar?
Randy:Since I was 8 and I just turned 24...

Spencer:Wow! Um, how did you and the rest of the members meet?
Randy: Kind of through high school and through local bands. I was in a local band, and the rest of the guys were actually all in a band together and they wanted to add a fifth guitar player and they talked to me about; I went and jammed with them and it kinda clicked and we all got along. It was weird cause I came from a total different musical background then them and when we came together thats what kinda just fused with their sound naturally. Yeah we weren't imitating anyone, we just naturally played that kinda music because of our different musical backgrounds.

Spencer:What was your musical background?
Randy:Um, I don't know, I was in, I joined Finch when I was in high school and in high school I liked Jimmy Eat World and the Get Up Kids, and Blink 182 and the Deftones a lot. Our common ground is probably a few heavy bands like Hum and the Deftones and Failure and we all like those kinda bands and its just kinda like how it molded together.

Taylor:Why did you guys decide to reform Finch?
Randy: Umm, well. I think we just took a lot of time off and I thought we broke up , and kinda worked on different musical projects and got real jobs and stuff and Finch is super personal for all of us and I feel like the way it ended was just, it was like, it could have been avoided if we took different steps and I think uh, this way around like this, the right steps with like reforming it were taken and now like everything is fine, we get along great, like everything is perfect with us so.

Spencer:What is the songwriting process like for you?
Randy: Uhm, it just kind of, it can be like we all write a song together at the same time and we'll pump it out in like a practice which we've done like a lot. And we also, like somebody will have a riff and they'll bring it to practice when work on it together.

Taylor:How did you get signed?
Randy: We're actually not signed. Yeah we don't have a record label. We had a few record labels but uhm, we just uh, like our first label Drive-Thru, we got signed to that because I was friends with them and we went up and played for them and they like loved it so they gave us a record deal and from there on it kinda just got carried away and um, since we broke up, our former label had to be offered to renew our other projects that we were doing, like I had a project called Gazillionaire and Nate had one called Cosmonaut with Daniel and Drew who now in the band, um, and they, they just kinda were like, you know, whatever. Um, I don't know if the record will have enough money to really invest like a lot in to new bands, so they let us go. And um I think we're doing fine without them.

Taylor:What has your experience on this tour been like so far?
Randy:Uhh, its been good. It's been really fun.

Spencer:What is your favorite song to perform live, personally?
Randy:Uhm, I'm not sure if I have a favorite. I just, uh, I really like playing, uh, with the band more then anything like,I just like being on stage with the other four dudes in Finch and like playing our music that we wrote. It's fun.

Taylor:What is the funniest thing thats happened on stage?
Randy:Uhhhm, I don't know what was the funniest thing, well one time*chuckles*we played in Cincinnati on the last tour and like apparently we destroyed everything. When we really didn't we just threw a bunch of water bottles around at each other and there was like toilet paper flying around on stage. So we're throwing paper and toilet paper around and um, eventually like all the bands are out on stage like singing with us and ripping down our banners and like wearing them as capes and like running around. It seemed to be really funny at the time, uh, but the crew afterwards were like super pissed like that was the fuckin worst show I've ever seen blah blah blah, they just weren't happy cause they had to..

Spencer:Clean it up?
Randy:They didn't have to we would have done it you know, you know like, but the guys like Live it up guys cause it's not gonna be around for long blah blah blah. And we were like Pft, whatever.

Spencer:Well at least it was fun for you.
Randy:I think it was fun for all the kids who came out.

Spencer:Yeah and all the audience too. Uhm, what is your philosophy on music?
Randy:Uhm, I don't know if I have a philosophy on it. I just love music. I actually don't like a lot of music, but what I like, I love. I don't know, I just love music for the most part. I don't have a philosophy. And I love playing music, so. It makes me feel good and I think it makes other people feel, you know, it can make you feel like good or bad, or like- I just like that it gives you something that like wasn't there before you know, necessarily or like it can enhance or just take you somewhere else. I think that that's really powerful and cool. Not all music does that. Some of its like you know, just makes you wanna party, like techno. And I love,like electronic music. I don't know I just like what it does.

Taylor:Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans at MusiqTone.com?
Randy:Uhm, well thank you guys for reading this interview and check out our new stuff and be excited for the future of Finch cause its gonna be different and new every time and hopefully everyone likes it. So cool. Thank you.