“Sarasota seems like an unlikely place for a burgeoning music scene but this Florida gulf coast town is bursting at the seams with both talent and drive. Though, it makes sense since Sarasota sports a couple of art colleges sprouting out creative types of all kinds. As a collective, Finch House Records has nurtured a cohesive scene..”
-Jeffrey Howard, KickBrightZine
Goodbye, Gillespie!
Finch House is being foreclosed, thanks to the landlord, and all of us have to move out this weekend.
Built most sketchily in 1926, the historic William Finch house has most recently served as a revolving door of artists, musicians, and an outlet for creative scheming. Filled with the artwork of previous tenants, and the memory of bands come and past, everyone who visited has a story to tell. Some people fornicated. It saw the circle of life from beginning to end of Haveyouheard.net house in Atlanta. The porch jams I first attended solidified my lust for an artist commune. Its been a DIY reservoir that has directly shaped the current youth culture in Sarasota, because so many people came and went from these grounds. In the past year, “Finch House” materialized as an independent entity.
FinchHouse.com sees traffic of 12,000+ hits a month. Finch House Records dropped 2,500 cds. We threw one hell of a music festival, graced the cover of the Ticket, and even blogged for Creative Loafing, scoring three “Best of the Suncoast” awards within the house in 2009.
“…2009 was a notable year for the Suncoast music scene. Most prominent was the resurgence of cooperative spirit among original acts, with Finch House leading. The hippy-esque living quarters house band members/college-goers who study, create art and music, generate spontaneous ideas and freely share what they’ve learned. That includes generating sampler CDs of upcoming groups, holding regular concerts amongst their ranks, being available for impromptu fill-ins when venues get cancellations, and occasional ‘zine publication, all courtesy of The Equines’ frontgal Erin Murphy and sidekick Greg Ferris.”
-Dawn Scire, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
But we had a lot of help, and foolishly(?) went out of our length not to screw anyone, so here we are. We’re throwing a “Finch House Foreclosure For Benefit” to support our rushed migration into stable quarters; there’s still a lot left to chew! Fancy Rat’s EP will be out as soon as the dust settles. The Equines are preparing a collaborative release with some big names. Devin Robinson Band has hit the road on tour. The Noise Ordinance music festival will continue next year.
If everything works out, we will have a new residence (Finch House 2: part one) to keep the good times going, bringing more regional & national acts to town, and contribute for years to come. Help us say goodbye this Friday, April 16th, at Felice’s Cafe.
