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The Tales People Tell

Finnigan Kelly

The Tales People Tell

Label: Colemine

Genre: Freestyle / Nu Jazz / Funk / Afro

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Kelly Finnigan’s debut solo album for Colemine Records represents the culmination of his 15 years of experience - in the studio as a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, engineer, producer - and touring the US and Europe as a singer, musician, and band-leader. The content within reflects his dedication to expression through the rich American music traditions of soul, gospel, doo-wop, and R&B. The subject is love. Its ecstasies and heartaches. Love sought, found, betrayed, lost, and rediscovered. The result is a marvelous collection of songs and performances that run the gamut from whispering tenderness to roaring appeals; from lean and mean to lush and lovely. And always…always, manifestly honest, and undeniably soulful. With Finnigan guiding these songs from their conception all the way to the record pressing plant, the new release provides the singular voice missing from soul music: a visionary that writes, records, performs and produces his own material.

Kelly Finnigan, the lead singer of Bay Area-based indie-soul auteurs Monophonics, has announced his debut solo album ‘The Tales People Tell,’ out April 26 on Colemine Records. Over the course of the album’s 10 new, original songs, Kelly channels a multitude of influences that reflect a lifetime immersed in the music and culture of soul, R&B, and hip­hop - it’s the story of an outsider that followed an unorthodox route, always guided by his own creative north star.

To accompany the announcement, Kelly has released the album’s opening track and lead single “I Don’t Wanna Wait.” Old Rookie called the song, “QUOTE.” “I Don’t Wanna Wait” will also be released on 7-inch vinyl with a secret B-side, to be released on February 1.

“I Don’t Wanna Wait” is the first song Kelly wrote for the record, and the track features contributions from Max and Joe Ramey (The Ironsides) on guitar and bass. “It’s about that throbbing in your heart when you’re first falling in love with someone and all you do is think of them and the next time you’ll be with them,” says Kelly.

Kelly guided the songs on ‘The Tales People Tell’ from their conception all the way to the record pressing plant over the course of two years. He wrote and produced each track on the record and plays 10 instruments throughout, while enlisting the help of friends and contemporaries like drummer James Gadson (Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Beck), members of Monophonics, and Kelly’s own father, prominent sideman/keyboardist Mike Finnigan (Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Etta James). The result is a timeless collection underscored by a sense of community, a family affair of a record that’s at once raw and gritty, tender and emotive, lush and symphonic.

Kelly grew up in Los Angeles in a musical household, but resisted any formal musical education until his teens, when he dove into the world of hip hop, beats and sampling, and began DJing events all over LA. He founded the hip-hop production crew Destruments, cut his teeth at legendary LA studios Village Recording and Cello Studios (where he eventually was fired for staying late and practicing on their Hammond B3), founded his own studio/label Transistor Sound, and became a core member of Monophonics after relocating to the Bay Area.

Monophonics have earned praise from OkayPlayer and Aquarium Drunkard, who called them “completely original….the Monophonics, like master carpenters, have created new furniture from seasoned wood.” While in Monophonics, Kelly toured with artists like Charles Bradley and George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, and appeared at major festivals including Outside Lands and Montreux Jazz Festival. He will tour in support of ‘The Tales People Tell,’ with dates to be announced soon.

Limited edition red vinyl.