Canadian alt metal band formed in 1994 in Burlington, Ontario, by school friends Scott Anderson (vocals), James Black (guitar), Rick Jackett (guitar), Sean Anderson (bass), and Rob Gommerman (drums). Initially going by the unprepossessing moniker of the Rainbow Butt Monkeys, the quintet recorded the independently released Letters From Chutney in 1996. They toyed with a number of new band names before settling on Finger Eleven and signing a major label contract with Mercury Records in Canada. Their 1997 debut as Finger Eleven, Tip broke the quintet on a national level in their native Canada and was issued the following year in the USA by Wind-up Records. Rich Beddoe replaced drummer Gommerman in the line-up shortly afterwards.
The band’s debut proper for Wind-up, The Greyest Of Blue Skies, followed in 2000. The album was well-received by their loyal fanbase. They continued to earn good notices with their busy touring schedule but found the time to return to the recording studio to complete work on a new album. Released in July 2003, Finger Eleven marked a notable step up for the band by avoiding the shallow nu metal posturing of their earlier work in favour of well-constructed and melodic alt rock. The album included two acoustic songs alongside stand-out tracks ‘One Thing’, ‘Complicated Questions’ and ‘Stay In Shadow’.
On the back of strong sales for Finger Eleven (the album reached platinum status in Canada and gold in the USA), the band toured extensively throughout the world. Over three years in the making, Them Vs. You Vs. Me (2007) did not stray too far from the alt rock stylings of its predecessor, with a brief foray into funk rock on the opening ‘Paralyzer’.
