Finn Brothers

It's a Family Thing

Tim and Neil Finn’s second album, Everyone Is Here, is a far cry from its predecessor, 1995’s Finn, a loose, playful, DIY affair on which the two former bandleaders (Tim fronted Split Enz and Neil, Crowded House) played and sang every note, apart from a single bass part. This record, by contrast, was two years and tens of thousands of air miles in the making, beginning with relaxed but disciplined co-writing sessions in the Finns’ native New Zealand.

“We put higher expectations on this record in terms of how fully realized it should be,” Neil explains by phone from Auckland. “We just felt like we’d come a long way in our lives as musicians, and I’m eternally grateful for the fact that the whole thing has lasted so long. And we’ve got strong family connections, individually and together, and we’ve both relocated to New Zealand in the last 10 years, so we wanted to be true to all that. We didn’t want to be overt about it, like we were making a grand statement. It was more to do with touching the deep things within ourselves as honestly as we could. I’m initially always a little cautious of being too direct, but Tim encouraged me to think about this album in those terms, and I’m really glad he did.”

With a batch of freshly written songs in tow, the brothers headed to London to work with producer Tony Visconti (Bowie, T.Rex). While all that came of the aborted sessions was the partially completed “Disembodied Voices” and string arrangements for three other tracks, the experience helped the Finns realize what the material begged for — performances as collaboratively vibrant as the songs themselves.

A few months later, they were in Hollywood’s Cello Studios with drummer Matt Chamberlain, bass player Sebastian Steinberg, guitarist/keyboardist Jon Brion and engineer Adam Kasper, working without a net — or click tracks — and bringing the songs to life. “We came at things in surprising ways because of the collection of players and the maverick spirit of people like Jon Brion,” Neil says. “Some things were kind of wacky and misshapen in a really good way. And there was a genuine feeling of good spirit in the room — it felt like a real band.”

Delighted with the spirit of their work in progress, the Finns moved to the home studio of producer Mitchell Froom to put the finishing touches on the record. “It was really great to be back with Mitchell again, and quite emotional,” says Tim, who was in Crowded House for the recording of 1991’s Woodface, Froom’s final project with the band. “It was an act of friendship as much as a piece of work.”

Froom’s 17-year-old daughter Charlotte is in The Like, an all-female trio that’s receiving strong early notices. One afternoon, while bass player Charlotte and drummer Tennessee Thomas rehearsed in the front room with singer/guitarist Elizabeth Berg (daughter of producer/A&R guy Tony Berg), Tennessee’s father Pete , who plays with Elvis Costello, was just down the hall laying down drums on the Finns’ “Nothing Wrong With You” while Charlotte’s dad manned the console. Seems everyone was there for Everyone Is Here; the family vibe encloses this album like a down comforter.

Fittingly, the Finn Brothers are taking their families on the group’s summer tour of the States. “We’re bringing the whole kit and caboodle,” Neil confirms. They’re leasing two buses for the occasion, “one bus for the families and one bus for the crew — and various band members who can’t handle it,” says Tim.

“It might end up being one bus for the kids,” Neil speculates, sounding like a dad on the eve of a timeshare vacation. He then turns reflective. “The great thing about the situation we’re in — without the benefit of any discernable hit singles for years — is that the audiences remain loyal and in fact seem to be growing. So there’s something that’s resonating. It’s a word-of-mouth thing, and it’s a kind of a connection with people in their lounge rooms and their bedrooms and in theaters. And I really trust it, but it doesn’t necessarily reflect with SoundScan … but it might well do still. Who knows?”

No matter. Both Finn brothers have managed to make a living for more than a quarter century by doing exactly what they wanted, without an iota of compromise. The album’s opening track and first single says it all — “Won’t Give In.” Neil and his big brother already have everything they need; they’ve made an art of it.