Member Since: 24/10/2006
Band Website: http://www.tomfinchgroup.com
Band Members:
TOM FINCH - Guitar & Vocals
A California native. A multi-instrumentalist for over twenty years, Tom emphasizes electric and acoustic guitar. Influenced by rock, funk, blues and jazz, his playing, performing and composing continue to grow with a creative and energetic force. A Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame inductee, Tom has toured throughout the U.S., Europe, Japan and Canada. He is featured on many albums with groups such as Big Brother & the Holding Co., Eyes Open and Jazz Iguanas. Tom has played with such greats as Randy Vincent, Mel Graves, Steve Smith, Kai Eckhardt and Yiri Svaboda. His formal training includes ten years of study in music theory, performance, and education at Mills College, Sonoma State University and College of Marin, and he has taught music privately as well as in school programs for over a decade.
MARC CARMI SMITH - Drums
Marc has been anchored in the Marin music scene for eighteen years following stints in Ann Arbor and the Boston area.
Bringing more than thirty years of performance experience to the group,
Marc centers the stage with impressive and grounded playing. He takes grooves to unexpected heights and brings them back again to the very mellow and simple. Marc has had extensive study of the drum set in private session with greats like Jack DeJohnette, Trilok Gurtu, David Garibaldi and Tony Williams. That background along with studies at North Texas State and a degree from Berklee College of Music, Boston, make Marc a great musician to watch as he truly enjoys the fruits of so many years of dedication to his instrument.
ROB FORDYCE - Bass & Vocals
Rob is a bass player who grew up in the multi dimensional musical community of the Bay Area. He has played with Lenny Williams from Tower of Power, John Hartman of the Doobie Brothers and Mark Robertson of Cairo. Rob loves to play for live audiences with the Tom Finch Band. He brings a fun, positive and creative energy to the group through his playing and singing. "I love to build a groove and watch the room move," he says. He plays 6-string electric, fretless and electric stand up bass.
J.J. (Jason Jones) - Guitar, Vocals and Piano
J.J. has been performing, touring and playing professionally for nearly two decades. He has produced albums, engineered for Lucas Film Ltd. and works with many bands on performance. In order to interact and cultivate conscious vibes and energy, he shares his music with the audience. "I don't like to perform for people, I like to play with them," he says. He brings both a spontaneous fire and soulful approach to what he expresses. JJ adds guitar, percussion, piano/keys, improv raps and poetry to the Tom Finch Group. JJ is a music teacher at an independent school in northern California. He is a graduate of Mills College, California Recording Institute and he also studied at CSUC.
Peter Penhallow - Piano, Keyboards and Guitar
Peter has been a musical director for children's and community theater in Marin for over twenty years and has well over 100 productions to his credit. While playing keyboards and guitar with the progressive rock band Timmy, Peter had the pleasure of co-writing and co-producing with such luminaries as Eddy Offord of Yes; Emerson, Lake, and Palmer; Vince Welnick of the Tubes, and Andy West of the Dixie Dregs. Peter is also the bandleader for the Liddypudlians who perform Beatle songs "just like the bloody record, mate!", complete with full horn, string, and chorus sections. They are celebrated for their contribution to their flagship gig, San Anselmo's ever-popular annual "Salute to the Beatles." These days, Peter is excited and honored to keep up his keyboard and guitar jammin' chops with TFG. "What a sweet and super-talented bunch of guys. And they hug before and after every gig!"