Homegrown Performer Eli Finberg Returns

PINE HILL — The Pine Hill Community Center (PHCC) recently hosted the epic blues and hip-hop sensation of Eli Finberg aka Mr E Saturday night with a packed house. Finberg, raised in Margaretville, now living in Paris, performs mostly throughout Europe.  This was the first time Finberg performed live for family, friends and fans. 

In an interview after the show, Finberg discussed his musical path. His father Michael Finberg was a drummer in college and continues to be a percussionist. Finberg said both of his parents were into music throughout his childhood. Finberg explains how he found hip-hop music, “I have two older brothers. They introduced me to rap, the music my parents didn’t listen to. My brother Max gave me a cassette of Public Enemy’s ‘Fear of a Black Planet’ in 1990, when I was 7 or 8 years old. I got hooked.” His other brother had a radio gig at a college. They would exchange music preferences on cassettes with each other. 

It wasn’t until Mr E went off to Juniata College in Pennsylvania that he began to write hip-hop songs,  “I had roommates that played acoustic guitar, a little percussion, and I beat-boxed.” He goes on to say, “It was during the Bush administration, and I had a lot of things to say, as I was studying politics. I wrote slam poetry more than proper rap and put it to a beat. So I guess that was rap.” 

Finberg moved to France when he graduated from college. Off to Europe with a suitcase full of material, he began to meet people with whom he performed on the street. His talent for writing and performing rap songs led to a drummer asking him to join a band in 2007 in Strasbourg. Finberg explains how he paid the bills, “I taught English and started to make music. As time went on, I taught less and less and played more and more.” Finberg has been a full-time writer/musician for 8 years, now. Creating music with a number of bands, he says some of those projects no longer exist and some are ongoing. Finberg talks about his current band, “My bands are influenced by everything. We have a blues/rock/funk band called Mojo Sapiens a band which was responsible for a lot of the tracks performed tonight (at PHCC).” Finberg is also a part of a group called Golden Cut Band. 

The lyrics for Finberg’s song, as he describes, “They are influenced by my parents, teachers, and everyday experiences. I think I make music with a message be it political, spiritual, introspective, or critical. I perform for mostly a European audience. English isn’t their native language and often they don’t understand everything I’m saying. Here it was very important for me to be able to play these songs and speak to these people. They were a part of my life, a lot of former teachers and friends.” Toni Smith was Finberg’s Kindergarten teacher at Margaretville Central School. She was in the audience appearing to be so proud of him as she danced with the crowd at the front of the stage. Finberg’s parents were in attendance with his father Michael on stage for much of the performance, backing him up with percussion instruments. 

To learn more about Mr E and his various projects, you can find him on Instagram @thesongofeli