Radio J - Radio For The Scene
Band Of The Month
FINESPUN
By The J
As appears in the October issue of Aural Fix Magazine
Web Source: http://www.auralfix.com/2007/10_07/profile1.html

This months RadioJ band of the month is a band that in my eyes has not been getting the attention that they deserve. They have been working their asses off for many years, as well as going through several line up changes. I give you Finespun. Here is a band that in my opinion has a sound that stands out, and is a sound that has a style of it's own. Some may call them Indie, some just straight out rock. But honestly who cares about a label? To me they are musicians that have created something new. Whether you’ve seen them locally or out of state you certainly will remember them. The roster includes Oren Barak (vocals, guitars), Chris Smith (guitars), and Ed Grazi (drums) and the newest addition, Doug Tammany (bass).

The band has just recently returned to the stage after being on hiatus for several months. I recently saw them on September 21st at McCoy’s in Commack, not knowing what to expect. I have never seen Chris or Doug perform. I was pleasantly surprised at what took place. Oren looked very confident as if they never left. Ed was pounding away on the drum kit like the mad man that he is, not missing a beat. The riffs coming out Chris’s guitar were insane, I was following every note. He just kept shredding away. Doug fit in perfectly with the rest of them, made you feel as if this was not his first time on stage with Finespun. The band has become a well-tuned machine of sorts. Everything fit in the right places. Everyone was set in what they were doing. I also want to point out that this time around the fan support was great. I don’t know if t was the line up change or the sound that has evolved was, but something was different about the room that night, the response from the crowd was in my opinion incredible!

To see the band resurrection and come back to life was exciting for me. I have been watching both Ed and Oren go through changes with different members. The music has gone through a metamorphosis as well. When you listen to the earlier CDs such as the self-titled “Finespun” and “Digging Yourself Deeper,” you get what could be described as an Indie-rock feel. When you hear the “Against the Fallout” EP you hear a sound that has matured and that has taken a new path. When you listen to songs such as “Tuesday,” “Barrel of a Gun” and “Hour Glass,” you’ll realize that each song is telling a story from a different period in the bands life, with words that make your mind wonder and go on journeys.

Musically you you’ll notice how the melodies have changed as well as the song writing style. Not to mention the fact that the collaborations of the players have changed. Chris and Doug bring an edgier style to Oren’s song writing, which brings the music to an entirely new level. Oren’s song writing style takes you into different journeys of his life. Finespun has songs that talk of happier times and depressing times, as well as songs that will make you dance. You can definitely relate to them on many levels.
Lyrics such as “I couldn't help but to protest, except for this pounding in my chest how over rated this all is face it all in my bulletproof vest” from Bullet Proof or “twisted halo round my shoulders too hard to move, too hard to stand at all” from 4 Walls 1 Window, make you think wow this person has been through a lot. The words that come out of Oren’s mouth in my opinion are very powerful and make you sit there and wonder what is going on in his head, what makes a person express these feelings? That’s why I keep listening because I want to know where they’re coming from and what will they think of next?

The band played a brand new song at their return show called “Someone Else’s Year.” Oren basically started talking about how they’ve been through a lot whether it was it was issues with previous members or personal experiences, and how the people that gave a damn about them constantly badgered the band to get back out there and do what they do best, which led into the song. That made me think that anytime an obstacle is placed in front of you, it will be knocked down so you can get back up on that stage and do what you do best. To me that is exactly what Finespun did. Oren, Ed, Chris and Doug have started a brand new chapter in the chronicles of Finespun, Everyone who witnessed the return, heard just a piece of what they have in store for us. I can’t wait to hear all of the new material.

Hopefully the RadioJ band of the month will have a new song ready to go so that they fans can hear for themselves why a band like Finespun deserves the moniker of being called a “Band Of The Month”. They have worked way too long and hard to stop now, I hope the Finespun machine continues on kicking ass for another day!