ATHABASCA — It has been quiet at Scott Anderson’s house for the last few months and it’s not entirely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lead singer of the popular and internationally chart-topping band Finger Eleven is a first-time father so he has been keeping the house quiet for the baby but was happy to do an interview May 30 from his vehicle in a parking lot as the band prepares to headline July 1 at the Magnificent River Rats Festival, the first of the two-day event, days after a hometown performance in Burlington, Ont.
“The house is so quiet, I can’t talk above a whisper,” he joked. “This is as loud as I’ve talked in a couple of years.”
Now that he has the chance to perform again with bandmates Rick Jackett, James Black, and his brother Sean Anderson, he’s found a new love for his old hits.
“There's ideas that we're working on and then there's older ideas that we haven't released that are still exciting, which is great,” Anderson said. “You know, if there's anything to crush your enthusiasm for a new song, it's time.”
It’s way different singing over guitars and drums than crooning in the shower, he added.
“It's been so great to kind of get my mind back into music and know that ‘Alright, we can still do this.’” he said.
The band, which formed when Anderson was still in high school in 1990, has released seven studio albums, the first, Letters from Chutney, in 1995 as Rainbow Butt Monkeys before changing the name to Finger Eleven for their second album, Tip, released in 1997.
“We broke out that whole album (Letters from Chutney) three years ago,” Anderson said. “We hadn’t touched that material in over 15 years, something like that, and it was fun, it was a trip. It’s fun to listen to that stuff but we changed our name and we’ve been apologizing ever since.”
Other than some editing, Anderson appreciates being reminded of the band’s punk rock roots.
“In one way it’s so pure. The Buttmonkeys stuck with the first 12 ideas we ever wrote,” Anderson said. “I remember finishing the lyrics the day before I had to go into the studio and I will say one of the things we did not achieve back then was, we didn’t have a great editor. I think "Circles" is close to five minutes and boy, does that feel long nowadays.”
But now the band, which has achieved gold and platinum album status, will be taking the Riverfront stage at 9 p.m. July 1 and letting songs like "Paralyzer", "One Thing", and "Above" roll down the river valley.
“I can't believe it's already here, that we're gonna actually get out there,” he said. “I think we're more excited to see the fans than they might be to see us, but I hope it's mutual. It'll be so nice to see everybody.”
Day, weekend, family, and July 1-only VIP passes to meet Finger Eleven are available on the Magnificent River Rats Festival website: riverratsfestival.com. Volunteers can get in for free: [email protected].
