FINGER ELEVEN: 'We're Friends Who Have A Band; We're Not A Band Who Are Trying To Be Friends'

In a new interview with Scott Rizzuto, the host of "The Rizzuto Show" on the 105.7 The Point radio station in St. Louis, FINGER ELEVEN vocalist Scott Anderson and guitarist James Black were asked how the Canadian rockers have managed to keep most of their original lineup intact for more than 35 years. Scott said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We still enjoy what we do, and I think we communicate a little bit better. The arguments are a little more streamlined maybe. But it does come down to, like, we still love playing together. You can tell that when you watch us live. We're still in it for that reason."

James chimed in: "We were friends before we were a band. So that, I think, plays into the dynamic. We're friends who have a band; we're not a band who are trying to be friends. It's almost the same thing, but it's different, yeah."

Anderson and Black also talked about FINGER ELEVEN's latest album, "Last Night On Earth", which came out in November 2025. It marked the first new full-length effort from the Canadian rockers in 10 years, following 2015's "Five Crooked Lines". Asked if they are happy with how "Last Night On Earth" came out and whether there are already ideas brewing for a follow-up effort, James said: "Yes to being happy about the record, and I think all the time that it took was well spent making it what we want. But as far as new songs, I don't know. I don't think we're learning our lesson in that regard. Well, I think what we were talking about staying together as a band, making the record something that everyone, all five of us feel 100% about, it takes a long time to get there. You don't wanna make something that, like, 'Oh, one of the guys doesn't really like it, but too bad. We need to get it done.' 'Cause that reason of, like, staying together and it's being a solid thing, so I think it taking a long time isn't smart business, but it's good for the band in a weird way. 'Cause sometimes you're working on something, and you might like it for some little guitar line, and then someone else will say, 'You know, it'd be better if it didn't have that guitar line.' And you're, like, 'Well, hold on a sec. That's the only reason I like this.' 'Well, I think it should be like this.' And so you talk it out and try to figure out, like, 'Okay, well, how do we keep that but add what you want to it?' And sometimes that means scrapping the whole thing and doing it again with something else in mind."

He added: "But as far as new songs, like, there will always be little ideas kicking around, but nothing's really officially started, I don't think."

Anderson previously spoke about the long gap between FINGER ELEVEN's last two albums in a December 2025 interview with Matt Bingham of the Z93 radio station. Regarding why it took a decade for FINGER ELEVEN to release a new LP, Scott said: "Look, we're all dads and we're all husbands. And we didn't do well with remote recording. We tried, but everybody's schedules, it's pretty full up. So the only thing that really worked is — and still — the only effective thing is getting together. So what we would do — always traditionally — we'll rent a cottage and spend a week or two up there and grind the ideas out. Now, that's great because the ideas get developed and they get better and better and better. But the old-school system is you rent a big studio for a month or two, and then when the time runs out, your album is done. Well, we had the exact opposite problem — there was kind of no time limit. We didn't rent the big studio. We would go to cottages and then we would go to Steve's [Molella] house, who is the drummer in the band and the producer on this album. And we would just improve the material. We would break it down and keep what's cool about this song and write it and rewrite it again over and over and over. So that kept the song quality up, but it just took forever. And then last summer rolled around and we had that big tour with CREED and there was some interest in the band. And so we were, like, 'Look, man, we gotta strike while the iron is kind of sort of hot. We need to figure out how to finish this record.' And so we eventually did. But, yeah, I can't believe it took that long, but in a way I can sort of account for the time. But I don't wanna take that long again, that's for sure."

Scott went on to say that being able to take 10 years to fine-tune the material is "great for musical quality" but "it's murder for your career. It's terrible. Don't do it. Finish the record. My advice to any musician out there: finish your dang record earlier than 10 years, please. Don't do this."

After Bingham noted that a lot of FINGER ELEVEN fans were probably getting impatient while waiting for a new full-length album from the band, Scott said: "Well, I think that's true, but I also think it's difficult to get excited about an older band's new record, let's say. Sometimes those don't turn out so good. And I think this one will be a surprising one because of the circumstances, because the quality control is there. The sacrifice was all this time, but the result is that it's a really solid record for a band that's been around for a minute."

Anderson also talked about the FINGER ELEVEN songwriting process, explaining: "Not only is it a collective effort, it's more open than it ever has been, which is pretty magical. And anybody gets to chime in on anything. 'What about this riff?' Or, 'Scott, what's that lyric?' 'Oh, okay.' It's much more open than it ever used to be. That's creatively satisfying, but it takes a very, very long time for everybody to be happy, because if you've got one person saying, 'No, no, no. You play this, you play this, you play this,' your album's gonna be done in, like, a week. But that's not really a satisfying vision, that's not what keep bands together, in my opinion. It's not what keeps them happy, at least. So, it's great. You're not afraid to say anything in the room."

Released in September 2025, the "Last Night On Earth" title track was the follow-up to the album's second single and video which was released in August 2025, the thunderous "Blue Sky Mystery" featuring Richard Patrick from FILTER.

In 2024, fans got the first taste of "Last Night On Earth" via the high-octane "Adrenaline", which reached the Top 20 on the Mediabase Active Rock chart and No. 2 on the Active Rock chart in Canada, where the song held strong in the Top 5 for over four months.

Originally from Burlington, Ontario and now based mostly out of Toronto, FINGER ELEVEN has released a series of consecutive hit albums and become among the greatest live bands to ever emerge from the great White North. Their self-titled debut album broke the band into the international mainstream, achieving gold status in the United States and platinum in Canada, and smashing the first single "One Thing" across the radio and Billboard charts. Their 2007 album "Them Vs. You Vs. Me" launched the single "Paralyzer", setting radio records in the U.S., peaking at No. 1 internationally and going five times platinum, the band's second million-plus seller. They won the Juno Award for "Rock Album" the following year and set an incredible run at rock radio, with an unbeaten 14 weeks at the top spot. "Life Turns Electric" was nominated for a Juno Award for "Best Rock Album Of The Year". 2015's "Five Crooked Lines" continued to electrify audiences the world over and their 2023 "Greatest Hits" included their biggest smash hit in a decade, "Together Right", which topped the radio charts for an amazing five-week run at No. 1.

Photo credit: Jesse Milns