ION INDIE MAGAZINE August 2014, Volume 3 | Page 46

FRM: Tell me, what was your FIRST indication that you had musical talent?
Finneas: When I was about twelve, my Mom, who is a fantastic songwriter—look her up at
www.facebook.com/maggiebairdmusic--taught a songwriting class that I took because I was her son and could take
it for free. The whole thing really just made sense to me, and I would bring in a new song every week. One of my
friends in the class told me, and I quote, “You know, you really don’t suck”. That’s pretty high praise coming from a
preteen.
FRM: Once determining that you didn’t suck, what was the pivotal point that it became apparent that you wanted to
make this a career?
Finneas: When I was eleven, I became obsessed with GREEN DAY and actually got to go to one
of their concerts, and I got to go side stage and watch their set from, like, fifteen feet away from
them. That remains one of the most exciting nights of my life! I remember standing there, next
to a jet of flame (Green Day Goes H.A.M.) and thinking, “I don’t see how anything could be
better than this.” It was just so clear to me that whatever the feeling they were getting was
the best feeling in the world. That night I remember thinking, “Alright, I know what I wanna
do!”--and I never really looked back! I started my first band later that year. And every time
I play LIVE, I get a little bit of that feeling I got that n