Crossing the state line

It’s difficult to believe that Finn Riggins was founded only three years ago. With such a well-developed sound behind the name, one may also be surprised that the band met in the tiny town of Moscow, Idaho. 

“The three of us met while attending music school in Moscow,” said drummer and vocalist Cameron Bouiss. “Eric Gilbert (guitar, keyboard, misc.) and I had been playing in different bands for about six years and Lisa (vocals, drums, keyboard, misc.) was playing her solo music at that time. Eventually, we began to play together more and more often, and formed the band in summer of 2006.”

Later in the year, the band made the brave decision to relocate to the smaller town of Hailey, Idaho, allowing them to focus on making their music.

“It was the chance at a fresh start and there were very little distractions,” Bouiss said. “However, since that move we have relocated to Boise, Idaho.”

About a year later they released their first album.

“Each of our records is put out by our wonderful record label, Tender Loving Empire,” Bouiss said. “Our first record, A Soldier, A Saint, an Ocean Explorer was released in Fall 2007, and then, in late March 2009, we decided to put out another. We recorded Vs. Wilderness in Torrance, Los Angeles. The whole recording and tracking process was basically finished within a three week period.”

Another band that will be sharing the stage with Finn Riggins on their big night are Jared Mees and the Grown Children, headed up by frontman and Tender Loving Empire owner Jared Mees. The mellow rock band has an oddly endearing sound they describe as “Sesame Street core.” They first heard Finn Riggins on New Years Eve in 2007 and found them amusing and easy to dance to.

With time, Finn Riggins has become more established as a group, and they have been compared to some classic names.

“One of the more recent descriptions of our music that we enjoy is Talking Heads meets The Pixies meets Sesame Street music for adults,” Bouiss said. 

When listening to their music, one can’t help but agree. Their upbeat, garage-band sound is somehow very familiar, tastefully mixed with strong vocals. Rolling the whole thing into a neat musical package, Finn Riggins successfully combines the messiness of indie rock with clear vocals and tidy instrumentation, making something poppy and carefree.