New York – San Fransisco indie rock band Finish Ticket will join Fitz and The Tantrums on the first leg of a summer tour, kicking off at The National in Richmond, VA on June 14th and wrapping up in Bloomington, IN at Bluebird Nightclub on June 28th. Finish Ticket just wrapped up a two month co-headlining tour with Vinyl Theatre as part of Live Nation’s Ones To Watch Tour. Best New Bands caught Finish Ticket’s awe-inspiring Chicago show, where the quintet took the stage with Vinyl Theatre to cover Third Eye Blind’s “Jumper.” Prior to embarking on the Ones To Watch Tour, Finish Ticket toured with Twenty One Pilots on the sold-out Blurryface Tour.
The California five-piece – comprised of vocalist Brendan Hoye and his brother bassist Michael Hoye, guitarist Alex DiDonato, drummer Gabe Stein and his brother keyboardist Nick Stein – released the EP When Night Becomes Day (Elektra) last year, which features the single “Color.” Finish Ticket has built an immense following in their hometown, selling out headline shows at the Great American Music Hall, the Fillmore and Slim’s. Though, Finish Ticket has been selling out shows beyond the Bay Area, as the band’s fanbase continues to grow each and every tour. In addition to opening for Twenty One Pilots on their recent North American tour, Finish Ticket has opened for Ed Sheeran, The Black Keys, Phoenix, and The Strokes. The band has also toured with Misterwives, Awolnation, and Walk The Moon.
Finish Ticket’s independent debut album, Tears You Apart, released in 2014, was produced by Pierre de Reeder of Rilo Kiley (Vampire Weekend, Julian Casablancas). The band’s EP When Night Becomes was mixed by Mark Needham. In a recent Featured Artist interview, frontman Brendan Hoye spoke with Best New Bands about working with Needham, who regularly works with Hoye’s favorite band, The Killers: “It was perfect because since [Needham] worked with The Killers, during the mixing process, if he’d asked us, if he was struggling with a part, he ask us if anything was missing, and we’d reference Killers’ songs. [laughs] He’d know exactly what we were thinking!”
Finish Ticket has come a long way since its humble beginnings, starting out in high school. “In the early days, no one would take us seriously because of our age,” says guitarist Alex DiDonato. “We were playing shows in bars every weekend with bands of people in their mid-to-late 20s, and we were only 16-17. We realized that our live show had to be awesome to change everyone’s perception, and that became our driving force. Our goal was to prove to everyone that we were serious about our music, that we were more than just a high school band.”
After high school the guys set off for college, and quickly found their hearts were not with school, but with music. Upon setting their focus on music, the five promptly honed their skills, rising through the ranks of the San Fran music scene. After the independent release of their self-produced 2013 album, Tears You Apart, the band caught the attention of Elektra Records. Finish Ticket signed with Elektra, who re-released Tears You Apart in 2014. Finish Ticket has been in the process of recording its debut studio full-length album, to be released via Elektra Records.
FINISH TICKET
SUMMER TOUR DATES
(With Fitz and The Tantrums)
June 14 – Richmond, VA @ The National
June 15 – Greensboro, NC @ Cone Denim Arts Center
June 17 – Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival
June 18 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
June 19 – Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
June 21 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
June 23 – Clifton Park, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall
June 24 – Rochester, NY @ Rochester International Jazz Festival
June 25 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
June 28 – Bloomington, IN @ Bluebird Nightclub
