Alex Mandel (1995-present); Brian Clahan (1995-present); Semyon Kobialka (1996-present)
Past band members:
Ethan Gold,
Chris Daddio,
Tim Frick,
Scot Stafford,
Vasco Agnoli,
Kevin White
Influences
The Band, Weezer, Pavement, Jeff Buckley, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Camper Van Beethoven, Donovan, Tropicalism (Brazil Classics 1), The Beatles, Third Eye Blind, Steely Dan, Coldplay, Elvis Costello, The Police, David Bowie's Hunky Dory, Elliott Smith, The Bends by Radiohead, Chopin, The Byrds.
Over the years, critics likened The Fingers' mixture of "punky power-pop meets the cello" (SF Chronicle) to a veritable plethora of other bands. Still, The Fingers developed their own sound - Mandel's eclectic and harmonically sophisticated songs, Kobialka's ferocious cello playing, and Clahan's virtuosic drumming all came together live, where they would mix straight ahead renditions of their songs with improvisation. The SF Examiner captured this during a Fingers show at the Fillmore Auditorium: "the interplay between Ray Davies-like singer/guitarist Alex Mandel and cellist Semyon Kobialka was mesmerizing, and never less than rocking. Drummer Brian Clahan was also excellent."
The Fingers started in 1995 when songwriter/guitarist Alex Mandel returned from Oberlin college in Ohio and invited drummer Brian Clahan to record some songs in Ethan Gold's basement. The result was a first CD, "On the Inside," with Ethan producing and playing bass. The band received their first review in the East Bay Express, who noted The Fingers "have got a contemplative sound, reminescent of REM and The Pixies."
A year later, they were joined by cellist Semyon Kobialka, and bassist Chris Daddio, when Gold left the group. All had played music together in high school, and the new lineup gelled quickly. They immediately garnered lavish praise from the local San Francisco music press ("There's no better launching pad than Alex Mandel's works of popsmithery" - SF Bay Guardian), followed by a sold out show at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium, opening for Stroke 9 and Black Lab. The SF Examiner wrote a feature article on the show, noting "the Fingers are starting a buzz of their own." Their second CD "Prophets & Casanovas" was released in early 1999 to rave reviews in the Examiner, SF Bay Guardian, BAM, and Zero Magazine. Amazon.com wrote "a band this good deserves to be huge" - but, whether they deserved it or not, commercial success continued to be elusive, as they continued playing clubs along the West Coast.
The band floated between the local rock and indie scenes, performing with Train, Sugar Ray, Stroke 9, Matt Nathanson, Ben Folds, Aimee Mann, Phantom Planet and Big Star and playing shows in San Francisco (Slims, Bottom of the Hill) and LA (the Viper Room) and throughout California.
The band spent the better part of 2001 working on their third album. Released in early 2002, "Dig Spaces" was a focused high-energy rock album, featuring twelve catchy pop songs. Most of the basic tracks were recorded at Skywalker Sound in Marin County, and the rest was recorded in Daddio's studio at the old naval shipyard in San Francisco. The band reemerged with a new bassist, Tim Frick, while the former bassist, Chris Daddio, produced and recorded the new record. The new album was welcomed with a CD release show at Slims (SF) and the Viper Room.
As The Fingers reached 2003, Kobialka relocated to LA. The band was running out of steam. Over 8 years, they had released 3 albums independently, played some great venues, received a heap of praise from press throughout California, but, alas, they were worn out and ready for something new. The band went on hiatus.
A couple of years later, their song "Know When You Know" appeared on the show "Everwood." More songs by The Fingers started appearing in films ("Tracy") and TV shows ("Notes from the Underbelly").
Mandel has gone on to do some soundtrack work, and form a folk-rock trio called The Echo Falls. Kobialka released his first solo album in 2007 with Brian Clahan lending his considerable drumming talents.
