Finlin steps ‘into the wilderness’ for Casper shows

by Elysia Conner
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 3:01 PM MST

Jeff Finlin’s songs tell of traveling through life, what one gets from it and what one must let go. As the grandson of Irish railroad workers, storytelling comes naturally to him.

His musical career began as a drummer before he traded his drumsticks for a pen and picked up the guitar. He had things to say, he said.

But this songwriting musician didn’t always find it so easy to say the things he wanted. In his youth, he felt insecure about what people might think.

“I met my wife in my 20s and had to break a lot of walls down to make that work and the songs just started pouring out,” Finlin said.

He’s released nine albums and is working on his 10th as he prepares to arrive in Casper for two concerts. One has been on his schedule for months through ARTCORE and he’ll be performing at “A Night for Haiti Relief” at Gigz on Jan. 29.

Finlin worked on his new album in Fort Collins, Colo., as he prepared to arrive in Casper.

His traveling life began with autos, trains, planes and hitchhiking through the country before settling down to play in bands in Boston, Ohio and Los Angeles.

In Nashville, with long-time mate Gwil Owen ("A Softer Place to Fall") he formed The Thieves, which put out the Marshall Crenshaw-produced "Seduced by Money" on Capitol Records, and two others.

In New York, where Finlin incorporated the likes of Mark Ribot (Tom Waits and Elvis Costello) and Tony Garnier (Bob Dylan), he produced “Original Fin,” which was released on BMG/Gravity in the UK and Ireland and NBFNY in the U.S.

"Somewhere South of Wonder” in 2002 garnered Finlin “Album of the Year” accolades, including Virgin Radio’s Captain America show, and a tour opening for Steve Earle in the U.K. and Ireland.

The third and final leg of a Trilogy, Finlin’s recent release, "Ballad of a Plain Man," leads us through the final journey of an everyman hero, Willie Ray Babel, and his quest for Spiritual Liberation at the hands of the Modern World.

Finlin’s work has been highlighted in numerous TV and film projects, including the song “Sugar Blue,” which was included in the Paramount Pictures film “Elizabethtown,” written and directed by Cameron Crow.

“Finlin is a True Find!” according to Uncut Magazine.

Based in Fort Collins, he enjoys stepping “into the wild wilderness,” he said. He appreciates the good people and support for arts in Wyoming.

Finlin looks forward to seeing old friends like his bass player, Amy Gieske, and meeting new people this weekend through what he most lives n music.

“We’ll have a great night,” he said.

If you go…ARTCORE presents

Jeff Finlin

Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m., in Durham Hall, Aley Fine Arts Center, Casper College

Ticket outlets are Ayres Jewelry, Hill Music, The Shade Tree, The Cadillac Cowgirl and Sonic Rainbow. Tickets are $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, $6 for students and school teachers, and $4 for children under 12.

For more information, contact ARTCORE at 265-1564 or artcorewy@aol.com.

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