Our Interview with Finn Riggins: Let the brain juices marinate that sh!t

I get all moist and gooey when I think about Finn Riggins. They make the kind of music that I often dreamt about when I still was able to dream. It is rich and lush, and sort of danceable in that way that you dance when you are carrying back 3 or 4 beers for friends, but slide up next to a tender roni (word to Bobby Brown) and swivel your hips a bit before spilling a drink on her and ruining the vibe.

The great thing about Finn Riggins is that they never ruin the vibe. They are the fucking vibe. Lisa Simpson pens some of the best lyrics this side of Ghostface and as a unit they can tackle any sound or style. It makes me jealous of their chops.

I recently sat down with Lisa Simpson, and Eric Gilbert to discuss the band, their music and which food best represents Dave Matthews.

Our interview with Finn Riggins starts NOW!:

SYFFAL: Our readers are best known for their oversized brows, unusual affection for shiny things and cousin-wives. For some reason this gaggle of bizarros decided that we are their go to place for new music and frank discussion about our junk. SO help us help them by answering the following, Who the Fuck are you?

Lisa Simpson (LS): Geez, my name is Lisa. I play in this band called Finn Riggins... we're from Idaho, and no, it's nowhere near Iowa, or Ohio. Nor is it anywhere with those other "I" states.

SYFFAL: Who does what in the band?

LS: I play guitar and sing. Eric plays keys and sings. Cam plays drums.

SYFFAL: If you could keep a beluga whale as a pet what would its name be and where would you keep it?

LS: I would build an amazing pool in my backyard and name it jezebel.

SYFFAL: Awwww! Do you think I can bring my children by to swim while I go off to the track to play the ponies? No? Ok back to the interview - I met Joel, my partner in all things SYFFAL back in 2006 at a Dairy Queen just off the I95 thru-way in South Carolina. He was working behind the counter and though he appeared to be slow and have a tail, I was immediately intrigued by the way he was nailing an a cappella version of Winger's Seventeen. I pulled him aside to try to talk to him about music, it was here that I realized he was some sort of creepy prodigy that could only communicate through pop songs. After listening to his rap version of Debbie Gibson's Foolish Beat, I realized we were one in the same; we shared a love for music and decided to start SYFFAL. How did you guys meet and when did you realize that you had something special?

LS: Eric and I met in 1998... The man was on crutches for the first several months that I knew him. First date November 3, 1998. I forced my way into his dorm room to fix an annoying hole in the ass of the pants he insisted on wearing every day. We met Cam in 2000. Eric and Cam played a lot of music together before we formed this band. I played solo for a long time. We had this great opportunity to form a band called Bunnycuss in the winter of 2005/2006 with another great guitarist and songwriter, he moved away from Idaho that spring, and we wanted to keep the momentum going. It was the catalyst for what became Finn Riggins.

SYFFAL: How did I not know you and Eric were an item? Right I don’t waste time on things like research. In my review of the Benchwarmers EP i said the following: I was left picking my already slacked jaw up off the ground. It is 5 songs of gourmet rock music that caused me to sprout hair in places that I didn't even know could grow hair. Is that what you were hoping to accomplish? If not what were you going for?

LS: We wanted a chance to highlight where we're at right now. We had some music and we wanted to share it. It's awesome when other people like it, or just plain get it. We're working towards another full length, but didn't want to make everyone wait too long. I never really know what to expect when we sit down and write... so we'll see where things go for the next full length.

SYFFAL: Your sound has a real post rock meets 90s alt type of vibe to it. How would you describe your sound if you could only use 3 movie titles?

LS:
Pretty in Pink
Joe Vs. the Volcano
Labyrinth

SYFFAL: Speaking of movies, let's say you and I went to the movies on some sort of weird codependent 4 way date/friend-about. What movie would we settle on (I Love ROM-COMS), would we put one seat between each of us like men in their 20s do to avoid weird homoerotic feelings they have for their friends, and who would fall for the popcorn trick (when i cut a hole in the bottom of my bucket of popcorn and put my wang in there hoping someone accidently touches it)...I'm looking at you Cam....Creeped out yet?

LS: If we went out to a movie... it would be either an action movie that you HAVE to see on the big screen, or a fantasy film like "Snow White and the Huntsman." I would sit on one end of our group... and I try not to eat popcorn.

SYFFAL: What if I told you the popcorn was organic? No? Ok. So Lisa, holy shit, you write the Fuck out of some lyrics, especially on Plural, that fucker is poetic as shit. Can you describe our 4way movie date in a wildly poetic cuplet?

LS: ….silence….

SYFFAL: Speaking of cuplets, I fucking love chicken cuplets, I often eat them while listening to Crash by Dave Matthews, they just go perfect together. In this spirit, I am going to give you a food item, and you tell me what song and artist goes perfectly with said food item. Cool? COOL! Ok lets start with hummus

LS: Britney Spears

SYFFAL: Caeser Salad

LS: Meatloaf

SYFFAL: Lasagna

LS: that annoying holiday album featuring cat meows

SYFFAL: Human Kabobs

LS: Cannibal Corpse

SYFFAL: Cheese Burgers

LS: Veggie tales

SYFFAL: Goldfish Crackers - XTREME PIZZA FLAVOR

LS: Ke$ha

SYFFAL: Our site started off as a bunch of friends sharing the music they love and drinking cheap beer in Joel's man cave....yes code. Please tell us three bands, other than yourself that we should be checking for and what beer goes great with them.

LS: I don't drink beer... but I'll do my best.

Tartufi (from San Francisco) - goes great with something dark, maybe Heart of Darkness by the Magic Hat Brewery in VT.

Atomic Mama (Boise) - goes great with Milwaukee's Best (or the beast as we used to say in high school)

I'll leave room for the other bandmates on this one.

SYFFAL: Lisa are you blowing me off for Eric? I hope so he is the dreamiest ain’t he?

Eric Gilbert:
Au (portland, or) -- Buzz Buzz Porter by Salmon River Brewery
Delicate Steve (new jersey) -- Outlaw IPA by Payette Brewing Co
Blasted Canyons (san francisco) -- whiskey boilermakers
And And And (portland, or) -- PBR tallboys
Woodgrain (austin, tx) -- Lone Star

SYFFAL: Seriously Lisa, that is how you fucking do it! UP TOP ERIC! So Lisa, Benchwarmers, the EP is it a case of this being a preview to an upcoming album? or you guys being lazy musicians and only writing 5 songs? If the former what can we expect from the full length and if the latter, what the Fuck is wrong with you?

LS: New album is stewing in my brain... like all good things, it takes a little time. Let the brain juices marinate that shit. Patience.

SYFFAL: Fine Lisa. FIIIINEEEE!