A friend and I were discussing what we liked about the new bands we're listening to these days. It would seem this changes every couple of years for us. Certainly musicianship is important, as is stage presence, and maybe even a bit of an "attitude." This week's guests, Finer, has all of those things. However, the thing that really draws me to their music is what, for lack of a better word, we called "quirkiness" during the interview. It's not that the music is weird or inaccessible by any means (quite the contrary), but more that their songs not only meld multiple, familiar styles and elements, but also that they turn them, not quite on their head, but at least a little off-the straight-and-narrow to give them a unique, fresh feel. Beyond the music, Finer, represented in this interview by husband and wife team Stacy Basner and Ethan James, have some interesting stories about nursing a car through life in the fast lane, living in LA, and more than a few observations about the Midwest music scene, all of which are surprisingly optimistic and upbeat -- another quirky approach for local musicians. Finally, for those of you keeping score, it was not evasion, but purely coincidental that I neglected to ask my standard question: What is the song "Thorn in My Side" is about? This will no doubt prove to be the omission of the year. Sorry, I guess you guys will just have to whip out your subtext dictionaries and work on that one as your homework assignment. Links referenced in the show: Finer can be found here: MySpace | Web Site | Facebook | Sonic Bids. Ethan's blog, "Finerethan," can be found here. Stacy's blog, "Finerstacy," can be found here. Their tracks can be downloaded from their website. Half of the proceeds from everything you buy goes to one of the following charities (your choice). Boys & Girls Club of America Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis Fisher House Foundation Habitat for Humanity Kiva Project Morry Success Through the Arts Foundation The Nature Conservancy Stacy and Ethan both attended, and in fact met at, the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA. The new tracks were recorded at Ron Grove's studio in Anderson and mixed and mastered by John Bolt at the Aire Born Group. Saxophonist John Harden also plays with his own band, the John Harden Project (MySpace | Web Site). Finer gets promotional and photographic work from Be Branded and Iconyc Photography. They are also members of the Rainmakers business networking group. Ethan has worked as the house Bassist for the American Cabaret Theater in downtown Indianapolis. This week's promo is for Ed's Mixed Bag Podcast.
