The Finklestinks

The Finklestinks is a Motern Media No-Jokes band consisting of Matt Farley and Chris “Pete” Peterson. As of 2026, they have released two albums and an EP.

Early days

The duo formed the band early in their musical endeavors, and it existed for a brief time simultaneously with Moes Haven (a duo of Farley and Tom Scalzo) and Projection from the Side (a trio of Farley, Peterson, and Doug “Froggy” Brennan).

Many Finklestinks songs appear on records credited to these other bands, but in this early iteration, the duo of Farley and Peterson did not put out any releases of their own to the public. For instance:

• In 2001, The Finklestinks recorded two albums called Romp and Circumstance and Romp and Circumstance: Volume 2; however, neither of these are publicly available.
• Their song “Indifference” appears in the 2002 Motern Media/ShockMarathons film Adventures in Cruben Country, as well as on the 2005 Moes Haven album Sir Paul Made Ram. We Made This.
• Other Moes Haven releases include songs from The Finklestinks such as “Not Dead” (Out With the Old), “I Want to Feed You” (Dislocated Songs), “Gas Mask” (This Is My Millennium!), and “Love and Detroit” (Sir Paul Made Ram. We Made This.)

In the Motern Media No-Jokes Album Guide, Farley states that most of the best songs from the Finklestinks ended up on Moes Haven albums.

The Finklestinks took an extended hiatus in the early 2000s when Peterson moved to California. This was also the reason for the disbanding of Projection from the Side.

Revival

After returning to New England, Peterson began making music with Farley again, first in Projection from the Side, which had reformed in 2014 to put out their album Basement Reunion. In 2017, Projection from the Side released Let’s Go Camping!, and all three members of that band plus Scalzo performed at the successful Motern Extravaganza as The Motern Manly Band. For live performances, Peterson switched his main instrument from guitar to bass in order to provide a fuller sound on stage.

Around the time of the Extravaganza, Farley heard a “hip-hoppy” song at a Boston Red Sox game. It reminded him of Peterson’s affinity for rapping, and after discussions with Peterson, the two of them revived The Finklestinks to write and record their first public debut album, Double Take Action. The duo wanted the album to be an ode to ’90s hip-hop. While only four of the album’s fifteen tracks include any rapping, the album features Peterson’s new appreciation for the bass and a raw, underground sound.

The reunion of The Finklestinks energized Farley (who was in a creative rut following the recording of albums such as Animal Noises and Delicate Genius/Thirsty Killer) and Peterson (who had been excited to contribute more since performing as part of The Motern Manly Band).

Despite the energy, the duo would not record under the name The Finklestinks again for a few years, with other musical projects taking priority. In 2021, the band released Sweetheart Deal, their second album which was originally two parts, Sweetheart and Deal. Farley and Peterson brought it Brennan to record drums, making the lineups of The Finklestinks and Projection from the Side identical for this release. Scalzo was also originally going to feature on guitar, which would have given The Finklestinks, The Big Heist, The Motern Manly Band, and (in a way) Projection from the Side the same band members. However, Scalzo does not appear on Sweetheart Deal.

Once again, The Finklestinks took an extended break from recording under that name in order to focus on other musical projects. In June 2025, they returned (in the trio configuration) with Barn Burner, a three-track EP which was part of Farley’s plan to put out one release every month throughout that year. The three tracks on Barn Burner were part of many others The Finklestinks recorded that month; others would appear on releases later in 2025.

Future

Farley has mentioned on Twitter that there will be no more No-Jokes albums, so the likelihood of any new music from The Finklestinks is highly unlikely. However, the members of The Finklestinks still perform live, and their song “Quiet Like the Fourth of July” from Barn Burner remains a fan favorite.

Discography

Year	#	Album	Tracks/Run Time	Release Date
2017	1	Double Take Action	15 (41:18)	August 22, 2017
2021	2	Sweetheart Deal	14 (38:25)	March 3, 2021
2025	3	Barn Burner (EP)	3 (10:10)	June 28, 2025