2008 Woodie Awards
Finch rocks Portland crowd
Emotive rockers headline State Theater show
Nathan Webster
Issue date: 5/1/03 Section: Style
While they certainly tried their best to put on a good show, the members of Snapcase just couldn't pull it off.
The night was looking bleak, until Finch took the stage. The California-based band's latest album, "What It is to Burn," showed hints of poppy punk. However, Finch shed anything poppy or punky about its music and ripped through a loud and heavy set. It suited them well.
From the moment the band took the stage, singer Nate Barcalow was screaming at the top of his lungs and the rest of the band members were pounding away on their instruments. However, unlike Snapcase's Taberski, Barcalow was capable of vocal diversity and could sing as well as he could scream.
Even more punky, upbeat songs like "Letters to You" and "Post Script" were turned into headbanging metal songs by guitarists Randy Strohmeyer and Alex Linares and drummer Alex Pappas.
The distortion was laid on hard and thick by Linares's chunky guitar riffs while Strohmeyer deftly picked some amazing fretwork. All the while, band members never stayed still and rocked the stage.
Perhaps the most talented member of Finch was Pappas. Even while slamming out Fear Factory-esque, double-bass drumming for most of the set, Pappas never missed a single beat and held the band together like glue.
For some reason, the teenage crowd wasn't responding to many of the band's songs. "Are you guys bored?" Barcalow asked the crowd. "You look bored."
After leaving the stage at the end of the set, only Barcalow and Strohmeyer returned to the stage for an encore and played a gorgeous rendition of "Ender." Even after an hour of screaming, Barcalow sang every note beautifully while Strohmeyer picked away soulfully.
Halfway through the song, all the band members joined the two and blazed through the rest of the tune.
Finch ended their set with the title and closing track of their latest album, "What It is to Burn." The band ended the night appropriately with loud instruments and melodic singing. With the exception of Snapcase, the night was filled with hard rock perfectly balanced with catchy melodies.
The night was looking bleak, until Finch took the stage. The California-based band's latest album, "What It is to Burn," showed hints of poppy punk. However, Finch shed anything poppy or punky about its music and ripped through a loud and heavy set. It suited them well.
From the moment the band took the stage, singer Nate Barcalow was screaming at the top of his lungs and the rest of the band members were pounding away on their instruments. However, unlike Snapcase's Taberski, Barcalow was capable of vocal diversity and could sing as well as he could scream.
Even more punky, upbeat songs like "Letters to You" and "Post Script" were turned into headbanging metal songs by guitarists Randy Strohmeyer and Alex Linares and drummer Alex Pappas.
The distortion was laid on hard and thick by Linares's chunky guitar riffs while Strohmeyer deftly picked some amazing fretwork. All the while, band members never stayed still and rocked the stage.
Perhaps the most talented member of Finch was Pappas. Even while slamming out Fear Factory-esque, double-bass drumming for most of the set, Pappas never missed a single beat and held the band together like glue.
For some reason, the teenage crowd wasn't responding to many of the band's songs. "Are you guys bored?" Barcalow asked the crowd. "You look bored."
After leaving the stage at the end of the set, only Barcalow and Strohmeyer returned to the stage for an encore and played a gorgeous rendition of "Ender." Even after an hour of screaming, Barcalow sang every note beautifully while Strohmeyer picked away soulfully.
Halfway through the song, all the band members joined the two and blazed through the rest of the tune.
Finch ended their set with the title and closing track of their latest album, "What It is to Burn." The band ended the night appropriately with loud instruments and melodic singing. With the exception of Snapcase, the night was filled with hard rock perfectly balanced with catchy melodies.