Finger Eleven: “Life Turns Celebrity”

How many bands do you know out that have made it big out of Burlington, Ontario? How many bands do you even know from Burlington, Ontario? Who even knows where Burlington, Ontario is? Well you might not even know it, but you know at least one rock group from the region… Burlington’s own rock gods Finger Eleven. Believe it or not F11 have been together as a band for over twenty years now and in that time have consistently released some pretty awesome music, including “One Thing” and “Paralyzer,” two huge crossover radio hits.

Despite the group’s longevity, F11 has really only been a mainstream, big selling rock band for the last five to six years. A large part of this success has been due to the band finally receiving the recognition it deserved in the United States which was definitely aided by mainstream media appearances such as on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and a performance at the Miss USA 2008 pageant. Their most successful endeavour to date was 2007’s Them vs. You vs. Me and the massive top 40 hit “Paralyzer.” It’s never easy to follow up a big hit album along with a long and exhausting tour, but the band finally hit the studio in early 2010 to record the follow up Life Turns Electric.

Life Turns Electric marks F11’s sixth studio album, a lofty accomplishment for any rock n’ roll band. The band has referred to the record as “their big rock n’ roll record” with its stripped down, loud, powerful and fast approach. The album was written in, of all places, a cabin up north in the wilderness. The approach was one of quality, not quantity and they emerged from their seclusion with some of their most powerful songs to date. To record Life Turns Electric, the guys went down to New York City and tried to concentrate particularly on the songs’ chords and melodies. In the evenings after recording sessions, the band would often talk the songs over for hours, trying to come up with the most solid arrangement they could. And what’s really special about this album is the fact that the band didn’t use an a big name producer, opting for guitarists Rick Jackett and James Black to take care of production duties. It was truly just five guys and their instruments.

Life Turns Electric’s first single “Living in a Dream” has picked up where Them Vs. You Vs. Me’s radio smash “Paralyzer” left off. Both songs have a similar style and feel to them and both have hit the top of the radio charts. The guys are currently off for the rest of 2010 with plans to resume their busy touring schedule right at the beginning of the New Year. The band will be visiting several small Canadian markets in January, braving the cold and snow to make it to even places like Sudbury and North Bay, Ontario. More dates will be to come after the shows in the New Year and 2011 will be sure to be another very busy year for the guys in Finger Eleven. Few Canadian bands have achieved the kind of worldwide popularity that Finger Eleven has. With Life Turns Electric the band should only add to its success and ever growing fan base.

Check out the song: “Stone Soul”