Artist Information Biography DIY; Do-It Yourself: (doo-eht-yoor-self) function: n. : the activity of doing or making something (as in woodworking or home repair) without professional training or assistance ; broadly : an activity in which one does something oneself or on one's own initiative. –Merriam-Webster Dictionary It's rare for a band to tour for 245 days in the span of a year. It's even less common for said band to a) hail from Hailey, Idaho (population 7,844) and b) decide to relocate to a small, shared cabin in the Pioneer Mountain Range for those 120 days per year that they are home. Fortunately for us, Idaho three-piece Finn Riggins embraces and exemplifies the glory inherent in approaching one's creative life from an anomalous perspective. Judging from their experimental songwriting alone ("Drawing inspiration and influence from several musical realms-- a bit of prog here, some indie rock there, an occasional steel drum thrown in for good measure, Finn Riggins' sound is slippery to say the least."—Oregon Public Broadcasting), it's apparent that the band follows its own very liberal musical rulebook. In concert with that, Vs. Wilderness, the trio's fourth record and third for Tender Loving Empire, is a compositionally complex, dirty, extra-hooky gem of an album. Its undeniably bright pop sensibility is filtered through off-kilter time signatures and surprising chord progressions that delight and amuse—Finn Riggins will get to the payoff, but they take the road less traveled to get there, no pun intended. The band, comprised of University of Idaho music department grads Cameron Bouiss (drums, steel drum, drum pad, washboard, vocals, misc.), Lisa Simpson (guitars, keys, drums, vocals, misc.) and Eric Gilbert (keys, synths, organ, accordion, sampler, guitar, vocals, misc.), have emerged from the most intense year of their career to date with their most dynamic, satisfying work yet. This time around, like traditional touring entertainers of the '40s and '50s, Finn Riggins wrote new material geared towards their live shows while on the road, fleshed melodies out in front of crowds, road-tested songs and tweaked the details back at the studio. The album was recorded, engineered and co-produced in May of 2009 by the band at AudioLab studio, an arm of Garden City, Idaho's Visual Arts Collective (or VAC, a non-profit gallery, venue, theatre and creative space with which Finn Riggins has become heavily involved in since relocating to Boise, ID in January of 2009) during one of their rare stints at home. True to form, the album was brought to fruition in this independently run, community-minded environment with the help of co-producer and Tender Loving Empire founder Jared Mees (who, by the way, has also toured on his own albums alongside the band.) Examining their incessant touring schedule--peppered with dates in both legendary clubs and high school auditoriums--and assessing their decision and exceptional ability to not only live in peace with each other in a van and a cabin but to grow as a creative unit, it becomes apparent that Finn Riggins' uniqueness is based in something much deeper than any affected "weirdness" or contrived "story". They book their own tours (a constant job), watch their crowds grow with each repeat visit, and make their own merch by hand. Finn Riggins is more than just a group that is unusually dedicated to taking matters into their own hands, however. They are a brilliant, inspired band that has crafted a joyful, innovative album informed by a blindingly diverse set of isolated stimuli. Finn Riggins is aware of the macro scene, sure, but their insistence on crafting a micro-reality away from the implied pressures and easy-to-adopt approaches rampant in less intimate environments profoundly affects their creative methodology for the better. Just listen. You'll see. Finn Riggins will, of course, be touring in support of Vs. Wilderness throughout 2009. For review materials, photos, additional info or an interview with the band, contact Joan Hiller Depper at Riot Act Media (joan at riotactmedia.com). "Best pop single that’s not even out yet: Finn Riggins, “Wake (Keep This Town Alive)” -- Michael Mannheimer (Willamette Week in Portland, OR -- MFNW 2009 preview) "Most memorable performance (MFNW 2008 Portland, OR): Finn Riggins. The peak. They shocked and stunned: Truly amazing, like a locomotive storming into a barn. The Idaho band has one limited CD pressed, I recommend you snap it up quick, in years to come this could be the band you wish you were on the front wave of." -- Zaph Mann / OPB blogger http://opbmusic.org/blog/entries and others / regarding Music Fest Northwest set in Portland, OR on 9-5-08 "But the best band of the day was Hailey, Idaho-based Finn Riggins, a guitar, synth and drum combo that plays pulsating, anxious post-punk that has an arrestingly ramshackle quality to it. Their sound is simultaneously full and stripped-down: there's very little looping and no reverb; only labyrinthine songwriting and epic, often ecstatically-shouted choruses." -- Armin Rosen / Impose Magazine / CMJ Music Marathon 2008 (NYC) "What Finn Riggins are is the finest of modern American music—informed by those who broke the ground for genre cross pollination, but that smacks of nothing that has come before it. They achieve that rare musical accomplishment that allows their own, “barbaric YAWLP,” to be appreciated by anyone who loves music, and probably some that don’t." --  LaGrandeLife.com "Truth be told, 'A President, A Pacifist, An Auto Restorer' is a fitting end for Finn Riggins’s A SOLDIER, A SAINT, AN OCEAN EXPLORER, as the album is itself a strange amalgam of oddball rhythms, uncommon chord progressions, head-banging pop-rock grit, and intelligent yet accessible songwriting. It’s a rare combination that combines the best of both worlds: hearty riffs for the rock set and enough compositional clout to keep the structuralists from grumbling o’ermuch... pop rock with chops..." -- Tom Korp / Beatbots Audio Reviews / Baltimore, MD "The record evokes a sense of open space, despite Simpson's snarl and the ever present shambling of Bouiss’s wonderfully thick drums churning beneath sawtooth guitars and layered harmonies. The tracks on A Soldier A Saint An Ocean Explorer also bounce between lyrical density, like the galloping, country-fried “Pannin For Gold” and the sinister, groaning  “Glove Compartment."" - Jessica Saurez / Paperthinwalls.com "'A Soldier, A Saint, An Ocean Explorer' is both a bright and lively record stocked with odd time changes and dynamic song structures as it stutters along with a swagger, a devil-may-care grin and an affection for the unconventional... (It) is an exhaustive debut that spans multiple genres with ease and rare proficiency." -- Matt Kiser / CMJ / New York, NY "Finn Riggins are a bold and joyous pastiche, returned from their wanderings across New Weird America with the dust on their boots from a thousand sonic territories."  -- Noah Mickens, booking agent, Rotture, Portland, OR "It was a transcendent post-punk/post-epic 70’s rock experience."  -- Jon Ragel / pampelmoose.com / regarding 5-11-08 show @ Berbati's Pan in Portland, OR "I think this is a fine example of a couple kids playing really freaking fun music. It's not too cute, it's not too trendy, it's not too anything. It's really solid and entertaining and uniquely it's own." -- Sam Karzin / Music Director, KUCI 88.9 FM / Irvine, CA "If nothing else, Finn Riggins proves there’s a lot more diversity in Idaho than most people recognize. Blending catchy rock riffs with some electronic magic, a few fresh time changes, a little bit of intellect, and a number of genre-defying song structures, there’s a reason all the hip kids are going ga-ga for Finn Riggins." -- Matt Driscoll / Weekly Volcano / Olympia, WA "Idaho band Finn Riggins smears together a host of turbulent and cheery melodies, boy-girl vocals, and quirked-to-death lyrics.  On paper, that may look like a pretty worn-out recipe for indie rock, but the instrument-switching trio puts it back through the shredder and rebuilds it with fractured vision on last year's album A Soldier, A Saint, An Ocean Explorer.  Keyboard hooks spill off-course, the drumkit shakes and rustles like a room full of light sleepers, and steel drums and bright guitar leads pop in and out of the proceedings.  The band even pulls off some respectable instrumental tracks on Soldier-- further proof that, while embracing plenty of familiar elements, it's not entirely naked behind them." -- The Onion / Madison, WI "MIXED-BAG ROCK] Idaho's Finn Riggins has a whole lotta tricks up its sleeve—so many, in fact, that it's awfully hard to pin ’em down. One minute, the trio's blasting distortion-loaded, surf-tinged noise à la the Pixies; the next, it's engaging in funk or even ska-based jams that—despite hints of said genres—smack mostly of jangly, joyous rock. As if that weren't enough, there are psychedelic keyboard breakdowns and alternately spastic and smooth guy/girl vocals mixed all through the band's debut full-length, A SOLDIER, A SAINT, AN OCEAN EXPLORER. And, unlike lots of bands crafting a hodgepodge sound, Finn Riggins doesn't lose (or fail to create) an identity amid all its sound-tinkering and fun-having. True trickery, indeed." -- Amy McCullough / Willamette Week / Portland, OR "Part Sleater-Kinney/Yeah Yeah Yeahs, part second-wave 70s prog-rockers such as Camel or Eloy, Finn Riggins delivered a set that was as much blissful, porntastic keys and polyrhythmic drumming as it was the punkrockers that had so much disdain for such music." -- Jake Tenpas / Corvallis Gazette-Times (Night Rider blog) / Corvallis, OR "Finn Riggins has all the elements that define the future of music.  The music is organic (man made) mixed with inorganic (computer generated).  It's socially responsible, energetic and dance friendly" --Angela Jossy / Weekly Volcano / Olympia, WA "Idaho-based Finn Riggins lack a precise genre, though they blast surf-tinged, ska-inflected noise and are sure to be the most uncommon, energetic, and impressive artist of the night." -- Jessica Hilo / Santa Barbara Independent / Santa Barbara, CA "Pairing manmade rock with churning electronics, this Idaho-based trio pushes frothy guitars, distorted fuzz-pop, bright piano melodies and crunchy, pulsating rock into a bold sound. Finn Riggins is a cathartic gathering of ramshackle rock—part Pixies chug and part Yeah Yeah Yeah's slinky, sex-churned rock grit." -- Kathy Justice / Independent Weekly / Chapel Hill, NC "Soaring ornate constructions with urgency sputtered and splattered around the room in a dizzy display of pop chops. What they are doing is some sort of rousing punk/prog art-folk. The simple ingredients raise quite an impressive ruckus." -- George Parsons / Dream Magazine / Nevada City, CA "Just imagine starting with a base something akin to the off-kilter indie-slacker-pop tendencies of Pavement and/or Bound Stems but with male/female vocal trade offs and a whole lot of layering to differentiate the band... This is honest and adventurous music that still manages to be fun." -- Can You See The Sunset From The Southside / Chicago, IL "With every U-turn and digression they emanate a distinct attitude of felicity and fun.  They seem to be saying, 'Come and play.  Our parents are gone for the weekend and we have the whole house to ourselves." -- The Oregonian / Portland, OR Finn Riggins is an experimental indie rock trio with elusive influences, but commonly drawing comparisons to mish-mashes of artists like Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, The Clash, God Speed You Black Emperor!, Rush, Broken Social Scene, The Breeders, Pink Floyd, Jean-Paul Sartre Experience, The Pixies, early Roxy Music, Goblin, Mute Math, Spoon, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Mates of State, The Velvet Underground, Brian Eno, Blondie, Muse, Magnetic Fields, Can, Throwing Muses, Chic, The New Trust, Stereolab, Rainer Maria, The Pretenders, Pavement, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Os Mutantes, Herbie Hancock, James Chance & The Contortions, Trans Am,  etc. Recent notable shows/venues: Knitting Factory -- New York, NY  Mercury Lounge -- New York, NY Arlene's Grocery -- New York, NY The Charleston -- Brooklyn, NY Goodbye Blue Monday -- Brooklyn, NY Lost Dog Lounge -- Ithaca, NY Oneonta Teen Center -- Oneonta, NY Middle East -- Boston, MA The Elevens -- Northampton, MA Sierra Grille -- Northampton, MA The Q -- Worcester, MA Never Say Never Ink -- Beverly, MA Higher Ground -- Burlington, VT Radio Bean -- Burlington, VT Club Metronome -- Burlington, VT Langdon St. Cafe -- Montpelier, VT The Buoy -- Kittery, ME Cal's Liquors -- Chicago, IL Elbo Room -- Chicago, IL Cafe Du Nord -- San Francisco, CA Thee Parkside -- San Francisco, CA Hotel Utah -- San Francisco, CA El Rio -- San Francisco, CA The Crepe Place -- Santa Cruz, CA Monterey Live -- Monterey, CA Silverlake Lounge -- Los Angeles, CA The Derby -- Hollywood, CA The Scene -- Los Angeles, CA The Airliner -- Los Angeles, CA Muddy Waters Cafe -- Santa Barbara, CA Que Sera -- Long Beach, CA The Stage Door -- Mt. Shasta, CA The Press Club -- Sacramento, CA Doug Fir -- Portland, OR Berbati's Pan -- Portland, OR The Artistery -- Portland, OR Rotture -- Portland, OR Slabtown -- Portland, OR Alex's Plaza Restaurant -- Ashland, OR Great Pacific -- Pendleton, OR The Gadlfy -- La Grande, OR The Crawlspace -- La Grande, OR Johnny B's -- Medford, OR The IKE Box -- Salem, OR Sam Bond's Garage -- Eugene, OR Diablo's Downtown Lounge -- Eugene, OR Fort George Brewery -- Astoria, OR High Dive -- Seattle, WA Mars Bar -- Seattle, WA Nectar -- Seattle, WA The Empyrean -- Spokane, WA The Finger Complex - Olympia, WA Le Voyeur -- Olympia, WA The Rogue Hero -- Bellingham, WA Yakima Sports Center -- Yakima, WA Hogan's -- Clarkston, WA Pat's In The Flats -- Cleveland, OH The Davenport -- Cleveland, OH Tree's Farm -- Middletown, OH Rhino's All Ages -- Bloomington, IN The Cinemat -- Bloomington, IN Radio Radio -- Indianapolis, IN Old Post Office -- Fayetteville, AR Station House Bistro -- Russellville, AR The Godbey -- Atkins, AR Whitewater Tavern -- Little Rock, AR Preservation Pub -- Knoxville, TN JJ's Bohemia -- Chattanooga, TN Secret Squirrel (Black Lips after party) -- Athens, GA Tasty World -- Athens, GA The Soulbar -- Augusta, GA Kavarna -- Atlanta, GA Shantytown -- Jacksonville, FL Dartmouth College -- Hanover, NH Belmont High School -- Belmont, NH Moultonborough Academy -- Moultonborough, NH The Barley House -- Concord, NH Milly's Tavern -- Manchester, NH 511 House -- Florence, SC Village Tavern -- Mt. Pleasant, SC R3V3RB -- Greenville, SC The Soapbox -- Wilmington, NC East Carolina University -- Greenville, NC Spazzatorium -- Greenville, NC The Nightlight -- Chapel Hill, NC The Reservoir Bar -- Chapel Hill, NC Snug Harbor -- Charlotte, NC Joli Rouge -- Asheville, NC New French Bar -- Asheville, NC The Garage -- Winston-Salem, NC Blind Tiger -- Greensboro, NC 21 Eleven Beer & Wine -- Greenville, NC Martin's Downtown Lounge -- Roanoke, VA The Lantern -- Blacksburg, VA The Mill -- Iowa City, IA Oriental Theater -- Denver, CO Brooks Center Arts -- Denver, CO Larimer Lounge -- Denver, CO Cricket on the Hill -- Denver, CO The Eldo -- Crested Butte, CO First Street Pub -- Nederland, CO Laughing Dog -- Boulder, CO Visual Arts Collective -- Boise, ID Big Easy Concert House -- Boise, ID Neurolux -- Boise, ID Terrapin Station -- Boise, ID Gusto's -- Boise, ID First National -- Pocatello, ID Whiskey Jacques -- Ketchum ID Fresshies -- Hailey, ID Silver Dollar Saloon -- Bellevue, ID The Mint -- Hailey, ID Prichard Art Gallery -- Moscow, ID John's Alley -- Moscow, ID 1912 Community Center -- Moscow, ID Mikey's Gyro's -- Moscow, ID One World Cafe -- Moscow, ID Farmer Brown's -- Meridian, ID Lewis-Clark State College -- Lewiston, ID Box Awesome -- Lincoln, NE Soundpony Lounge -- Tulsa, OK Kirby's Beer Store -- Wichita, KS Beauty Bar -- Las Vegas, NV XOXO -- Reno, NV Satellite Lounge -- Reno, NV The Badlander -- Missoula, MT The Filling Station -- Bozeman, MT Kilby Court -- Salt Lake City, UT Burt's Tiki Lounge -- Salt Lake City, UT Talking Head Club -- Baltimore, MD The Village Church -- Baltimore, MD Quarry House Tavern -- Silver Spring, MD Dahlak -- Washington D.C. The M Room -- Philadelphia, PA University of Rhode Island -- Kingston, RI The Elbow Room -- Ypsilanti, MI Nottingham Co-op -- Madison, WI Quadruple Double Deuce House -- Minneapolis, MN CMJ Music Marathon 2008 -- New York City KEXP Real Change Benefit -- Seattle, WA Summer Meltdown Festival 2008 - Darrington, WA Madison Street Music Fair 2008 - Spokane, WA Music Fest Northwest 2008 - Portland, OR Crawlspace Invitational I & II -- La Grande, OR Crossing The Blues: La Grande Summer Festival 2008 -- La Grande, OR Pajamma Jamma Beach Bash '07 + '08-- Pagosa Springs, CO Ogden Arts Festival 2007-- Ogden, UT Save Darfur Benefit @ Weber State University -- Ogden, UT The Really BIG Show 2008: KISU + Poky Free Bikes Benefit -- Pocatello, ID Boise Bicycle Project Benefit -- Boise, ID KRFP Radio Free Moscow Benefit -- Moscow, ID Friends of the Clearwater Benefit -- Moscow, ID Outta Town Git Down 2008 -- Meridian, ID Wicked Spud Outdoor Concert Series -- Hailey, ID Sawtooth Music Festival 2007-- Stanley, ID Eagle Island Experience Festival 2008 -- Eagle, ID Ketch'em Alive -- Ketchum ID Moscow Food Co-op Parking Lot Party -- Moscow, ID Moscow Renaissance Fair 2007 -- Moscow, ID Moscow Farmer's Market 2006 -- Moscow, ID Common Ground Outdoor Music Series -- McCall, ID Dead Hipster Friend Friend Friend Fest 2008-- Missoula, MT Music in the Mountains Festival 2008 - Garden Valley, ID A Great Deal Halloween Bash 2007 -- Boise, ID Northern Rockies Folk Festival 2008 - Hailey, ID Bellevue Labor Day Festival 2008 - Bellevue, ID and many many others... Currently receiving airplay nationwide, including: WNYU 89.1 FM  New York, NY KCRW  89.1 FM  Santa Monica, CA KXLU  88.9 FM  Los Angeles, CA KVRX  91.7 FM  Austin, TX WWBR 88.1 FM  Cambridge, MA WUNH 91.3 FM  Durham, NH KDVS 90.3 FM  Davis, CA KUCI 88.9 FM Irvine, CA WPRB 103.3 FM  Princeton, NJ KUOI  89.3 FM  Moscow, ID KAOS  89.3 FM  Olympia, WA KRFP  92.5 FM  Moscow, ID KZUU 90.7 FM Pullman, WA  KISU  91.1 FM  Pocatello, ID KYRS  92.3 FM - 89.9 FM  Spokane, WA KWRS 90.3 FM  Spokane, WA KSPC 88.7 FM  Claremont, CA KRUI 89.7 FM  Iowa City, IA WCSB 89.3 FM  Cleveland, OH KALX 90.7 FM  Berkeley, CA  KBOO  90.7 FM  Portland, OR KOPB 91.5 FM - Portland, OR  (Oregon Public Radio) and many many many others some of the awesome bands we've shared the stage with: Built To Spill, Mike Watt & The Missingmen, Viva Voce, Tartufi, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, Hockey, We Vs The Shark, Child Bite, Sister Suvi, Tune-Yards, The Ettes, Horse Feathers, Jared Mees & The Grown Children, Worlds Greatest Ghosts, Ah Holly Fam'ly, Low Red Land, The Dont's, Woven, Nat Baldwin (of The Dirty Projectors), Man/Miracle, The Future of the Ghost, Doug Martsch, The Netson Family, A Gun That Shoots Knives, The Globes, Kaylee Cole, Le Fleur, Tiger Saw, Casey Dienel, Or The Whale, Free Peoples, The Motet, Fareed Haque Group, Flowmotion, The Staxx Brothers, Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles, The Very Most, Sundance Kids, The Russians, Cataldo, Church, Boy Eats Drum Machine, Super XX Man, The Hugs, Southern Belle, White Fang, Caleb Stine, The Nuclear Waste Management Club (featuring members of Pedro the Lion and Spouse), Paper Bird, His Mischief, The Voodoo Organist, Brighton MA, Raise High The Roof Beam, Riddle of Steel, Horse in the Sea, By Sunlight, Speedsquare, Love You Long Time, Asher in the Rye, Purr Bats, Themes, Dean Armband, Great Lakes Myth Society, Hillfolk Noir, Hello Shark, The Woodrow Wilsons, Blue Skies for Black Hearts, Mill Race, Team Genius, Spondee, In The Shadow of The Mountain, ATTN, Faux Bois, Juntura, Test Audiences and many many others additional awesomeness: -Boston Phoenix named Finn Riggins as one of the Top 50 Emerging Bands in the US -CMJ Music Marathon in NYC showcases OCT 2008 -Music Fest NW in Portland, OR showcase SEPT  2008 -CMJ.com Song of the Week -- November 2007 -CMJ/Sonicbids Spotlight Artist -- January 2008 -#1 at KUOI 89.3 FM  Moscow, ID -- (for 3 weeks!!)Nov./Dec. 2007 -#13 at KUCI  88.9 FM  Irvine, CA -- Nov./Dec. 2007 -#11 at KWRS 90.3 FM  Spokane, WA -- Nov. 2007 -#13 at KDVS 90.3 FM  Davis, CA -- Jan. 2008 **BEEN CHARTING ON SEVERAL OTHER STATIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY** -song placement on PBS Roadtrip Nation -- Mar. 2008 -song placement on PLUM TV roadtrip spot -- Aug. 2008 -song placement in Mountain Adventure Tours film -- Aug. 2008 -song placement in Idaho State Patrol road race commercial.  July 2009 Instrumentation Cameron Bouiss - drums, steel drum, vocals and other toys Eric Gilbert - keys, synths, organ, sampler, guitar, drums, vocals and other toys Lisa Simpson - guitars, keys, drums, vocals and other toys Discography Vs Wilderness -- Tender Loving Empire 2009 A Soldier, A Saint, An Ocean Explorer -- Tender Loving Empire 2007 A Whale, A Fish [ep] -- Tender Loving Empire 2007 ((alive bugs))  [live]  -- Moon is Not Smooth 2006 air travelers [ep] -- Moon is Not Smooth 2006 Links http://www.myspace.com/finnriggins