The Waking Eyes stay true to themselves on latest release
By Lindsey Rivait
Arts Editor
October 15, 2008
 The members of Finger Eleven have learned a lot from touring and recording. While the band is currently on tour in Canada, with a visit to the UWindsor CAW Student Centre on Monday, Oct. 20 with The Waking Eyes, drummer Rich Beddoe spoke to The Lance about the future of music and their upcoming album.
Originally from Burlington, Ont., the five members, including Beddoe on drums, Scott Anderson on vocals, James Black and Rick Jackett on guitar, and Sean Anderson on bass, have enjoyed much success with their 2007 album, Them Vs. You Vs. Me. The album has achieved platinum-plus certification, much in thanks to their breakthrough hit, “Paralyzer,” whose ringtone is also certified platinum-plus.
In a world where a ringtone can achieve such high status, Finger Eleven keeps the ever-changing technology in mind when promoting their music.
Finger Eleven has had quite a few of their songs featured in video games, something they find integral to their music careers now. “The world of video games has become, to kids, more of a place to hear music than buying a record. Kids are playing video games more than ever. We’d love to be on every video game made, but it’s just about when someone actually offers it to you. I think every band in the world wants to,” explained Beddoe.
After the tour, the band plans to head home and work on their next album. “We’re excited to get back and start writing new songs,” said Beddoe.
The band wrote and recorded over 100 songs in preparation for Them Vs. You Vs. Me. “I think there’s something to be said for things that don’t make the record. There’s a reason for it. Not every song you write is necessarily a good song. You’ve got to write some duds to get something good, unfortunately,” said Beddoe.
Some portions and riffs from the previously recorded songs have been salvaged to form new material for their upcoming projects. “Generally speaking, when we leave things behind, usually there’s a reason for it. It’s nice to start fresh. With that being said, we’ve already written a few things with some riffs from the past,” Beddoe explained.
Beddoe, originally from Wales, moved to Canada when he was four years old. Going back to Cardiff, Wales to perform with Finger Eleven was an incredible experience for him. “Having my family over there come and see us do our thing. Just to be on the other side of the world. First of all, just being there. I’ve only been there a few times in my life, and to go there with the band and actually play, that was pretty memorable. It brought a tear to the eye,” said Beddoe.
As for what Windsorites should expect at their show, Beddoe promises a high-energy performance that follows through. “People know we’re going to come through and deliver a big energetic performance. We’ve been so grateful in Canada to have support for so many years and establish ourselves as a live act. I think people know what’s coming when we’re coming to town and I think our job is to deliver that each and every time. It’s a big rock show with lots of energy and hopefully a lot of fun. Hopefully people getting drunk, having a good time and listening to a band and songs that they know. And five people acting insane on stage and making them laugh. At least I’ll make them laugh, I don’t know if anyone else will,” Beddoe said.
Finger Eleven definitely stays humble, even with a single ringtone pulling in more money than most of us will see in a lifetime. “I get to play with my best friends every day and we’ve always looked at it like that. We’ve never tried to expect any success that you may think of in your head, stereotypical success. Success for us has always been playing in front of five people or 5,000 people or 50,000 people. To us we’ve been happy with all of those levels. Because of that we’ve always been able to hang in there and enjoy each level,” Beddoe said.
Catch Finger Eleven at the CAW Student Centre in the commons area on Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 for students, $25 for non-students, and are available from the UWSA office, the Basement Pub, Dr. Disc, and accesstickets.ca. For more information, visit http://www.fingereleven.com.
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