Melding sounds and styles is what defines Finger Eleven

‘I feel like we’re a different breed,’ the band’s guitarist said.

BY JOHN BENSON

Vindicator Correspondent

Finger Eleven guitarist James Black is sure his Canadian band had a good show the last time it was in Youngstown.

This is despite the fact he can’t tell you when the show actually took place (February 2007 with Hinder). You see, Black has a certain internal database of sorts that, well, keeps him in tune on the good, the bad and the ugly.

“I hate to be that classic guy who can’t remember anything but I really am,” said Black, calling from his Ontario, Canada home. “I’m sure we had a great time [in Youngstown] because if we’ve had a really [expletive] show then I’ll remember. So if I don’t remember it, that means we had a good time.”

A veteran of the rock scene since the late ’90s, Finger Eleven has remained one of those acts on the periphery of stardom. While the group did enjoy hit single “One Thing” on its 2003 self-titled effort, it wasn’t until last year on its fifth album, “Them vs. You vs. Me,” that the quintet finally broke through.

The band’s first single “Paralyzer” has seemingly achieved Energizer Bunny status, in which it just keeps going and going with tons of radio airplay. As far as Black is concerned, it’s about time Finger Eleven enjoyed the fruits of its labor.

“It was interesting when ‘One Thing’ happened for us because of course at the time it was sort of a leap for ourselves,” Black said. “We hadn’t really dabbled into that type of [slower] song, and we sort of took a risk. So when it panned out, we ended up getting some great opportunities where we were playing live but the whole time we were feeling like we didn’t get to rock out the way that we love to do.

“So when a song like ‘Paralyzer’ came along and seemed to be bigger than that, it really encompasses everything we love about music and everything we do good as a band. But I have no idea. It’s one of those random ideas that people just happened to at the time really get into. It’s a crazy thing. You feel that way about every song that you do and one just kind of jumps out. So I have no idea why that is.”

Fans attending the upcoming Seether/Finger Eleven show Tuesday at the Chevrolet Center can expect to hear a super-charged version of “Paralyzer,” which includes a special medley featuring Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out,” Led Zeppelin’s “Trampled Under Foot” and Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.”

It’s this melding of sounds and styles that in Black’s mind defines Finger Eleven, which over the past decade has continually been stereotyped – for good or bad – alongside bands such as Nickelback, Chevelle and others. While rock radio fans may see the connection, Black doesn’t necessarily agree.

“I don’t see it myself. I only see that our songs get played on the radio alongside songs from these other bands, but I feel like we’re a different breed,” Black said. “When we’re touring and playing together, it seems like there’s never been a perfect match with us out there with other bands. So to me, that tells us we’re just doing our own thing in the middle while all of that stuff is going on.”

Considering the common denominator among all of today’s post-grunge acts is a derivative Seattle sound, does Black feel Finger Eleven follows suit?

“I think we have that influence from the early ’90s, which is when we started that band,” Black said. “That’s just a big time for music for us, but I think we have a little bit more of an earthy, psychedelic sound, something a little sort of classic that’s in the tones or sentiments. I think we’re just a little bit less shiny.”