Interview with Kyle Rutchland & Chris Kennedy of Finisher

1 day ago

15 min read

FINISHER may be a new name, but Chris and Kyle are no strangers to making music. After years spent playing in different bands, performing on stages across the scene, and developing their own creative identities, the two have come together to build something that pulls from heavy music, electronic sounds, and a shared love of cinematic atmosphere.

Their debut single, “Toxic Heart,” offers the first glimpse into that vision—a heavy, melodic, and deeply personal introduction to what FINISHER can become.

I caught up with Chris and Kyle to talk about how FINISHER came together, the story behind “Toxic Heart,” their creative process and influences, and where they hope to take the band from here.

Let's Begin!!!

Amit Ahuja: Every musician has a story that begins long before the first release. Looking back, what first inspired each of you to pursue music, and what experiences shaped you into the artists you are today?

Kyle Rutchland: I’ve been in love with music for as long as I can remember. Before I learned to walk, my parents had a video of me dancing to MTV music videos in 1991! It was when I was 16 when I started teaching myself how to play guitar by learning Blink 182, Senses Fail, and Trust Company songs. After that, I got into playing bass and played in a few bands. Being a musician was always a dream that I never thought could actually become a reality. Moving to LA made that a reality when I started my first real band with my brother and 2 friends, Green Light Theory. That was the true beginning of my career as a working musician.

Chris Kennedy: I had a lot of fun using whatever I could to pretend I was playing guitar along to music videos, like using a hockey stick to Nirvana on MTV. Once a family member showed me how much more fun a REAL guitar was, I hadn’t put one down since.

Amit Ahuja: Before FINISHER, what did your individual musical journeys look like? Were there previous bands, memorable performances, or defining moments that helped prepare you for this new chapter?

Kyle Rutchland: Forming Green Light theory in 2013 was the defining moment for me. It was a pop punk band that lasted for 3.5 years. We played with Hawthorne Heights, Against The Current, and many other bands. It was what brought me into the SoCal music scene. After that ended in 2016, I started my next project, Havoc Faction; A vigilante themed post-hardcore concept band. I put down the bass and taught myself how to scream and belt and become the frontman I am today. That was my baby for a long time. It’s not dead yet but finisher has been an exciting new direction for me and refreshing to be in a project where everything doesn’t rest on my shoulders.

Chris Kennedy: As far as fully committed bands go, I’ve played in about 5-6 total across the years, and learned so much along the way. The most memorable being 2 Warped Tour dates with Light Up The Eyes, then again various festivals and tours with Fate DeStroyed. The first time I played Blue Ridge Rock Festival really confirmed that this was what I wanted to do.

Amit Ahuja: Beyond bands and musicians, what has had the biggest influence on your creativity? Whether it's films, books, family, visual art, places, or personal experiences, what continues to inspire the way you write, perform, and express yourselves through FINISHER?

Kyle Rutchland: I’m a big movie buff. I love sci-fi. I watch and read a lot of comic book stuff as well. Currently I’ve really been enjoying Lanterns on HBO Max.

Chris Kennedy: Music has ALWAYS paired perfectly with movies & TV shows; You need that soundtrack of emotion to really feel something. But it’s also things like color pallets, lenses, the way something is filmed, that helps create the same vibes we try to accomplish with just sound alone. I’m constantly inspired by the curiosity of what would a score sound like if one of my favorite bands had written it; The very concept behind FINISHER came from the idea of ‘ What if Periphery did the Stranger Things soundtrack ‘.

Amit Ahuja: How did your paths first cross, and when did you realize there was enough creative chemistry to build something together? Was there a specific moment when you both realized this project had the potential to become FINISHER?

Kyle Rutchland: Chris actually unofficially played in Havoc Faction with me for about 6 months. This was in 2021 before the band officially relaunched in 2022; I was picking up the pieces after losing my first lineup in 2019 and trying to bounce back after the COVID pandemic. We met on Facebook I believe when I was posting about looking to recruit a guitarist. He blew me away with how fast he learned the songs and when he showed me some of his own demos I definitely knew we’d write well together. We never got that far in HF so when he came back around and showed me a new song he was working on I was definitely interested in working with him again.

Chris Kennedy: Kyle and I had met through the circle of Los Angeles musicians just before, or right at the start, of the pandemic. We bonded immediately over bands that I hadn’t always found others had even heard of, let alone were inspired by. We worked together for a little while in his band Havoc Faction, but other opportunities meant we both had to focus elsewhere for the time being. It wasn’t until around 2024 we started revisited old and new ideas that would confirm that working together was going to create something exciting.

Amit Ahuja: Starting a new band always comes with uncertainty. Why did now feel like the right time to introduce FINISHER, and what shared vision brought this project to life?

Chris Kennedy: I always had ideas I wanted Kyle to be apart of, and I think our schedules lined up perfectly to start working on them again. Once we finished our first single, Toxic Heart, we knew we had something really worth pursuing.

Kyle Rutchland: We actually wrote and recorded Toxic Heart in 2025, but we both got really busy with life and other projects so we shelved the song for a bit, but once Chris was ready he hit me up about next steps with what to do with the song, we wanted to release and form this project. I was excited ‘cause I really loved this song and was really proud of it. Havoc faction has also been on hiatus since December of 2025 so I didn’t have anything else going on in music so I was excited form something new that can have its own momentum.

Amit Ahuja: Every band's name carries a story. FINISHER is memorable and immediately sparks curiosity. How did you arrive at the name, what does it represent to each of you, and why did it feel like the perfect identity for this band?

Chris Kennedy: I’m a pro-wrestling fan. It comes from pro-wrestling. We can apply any deeper meaning to it after that, but it sounded cool and didn’t see any other band that had it.

Kyle Rutchland: When Chris told me he was set on Finisher for the name, I was into it. I thought it was a strong name. And it can be a fun play on words. I’m always thinking about marketing ideas so there’s a lot that we can do with FINISHER.

Amit Ahuja: Kyle, as the band's vocalist, you're often the first connection listeners make with the music. Beyond singing the songs, what role do you see yourself playing in shaping FINISHER's identity, storytelling, and emotional connection with listeners?

Kyle Rutchland: I’m a big visual guy; I love creating imagery via photo/artwork/videos/motion graphics. I love digital art and have a lot of fun creating it. We knew we wanted a futuristic/sci-fi type of theme with the song and the band so we played into that with the release of Toxic Heart, and came up with a cyborg female character for the song.

Amit Ahuja: Chris, your guitar work provides much of the band's sonic identity. When you're writing riffs, melodies, and textures, how do you decide what best serves the emotion of a song rather than simply showcasing technique? What do you hope listeners recognize as uniquely your style?

Chris Kennedy: I don’t think I set out to have a particular goal besides writing something that’s interesting, and if I’ve captured a vibe we like, we’ll start expanding on it. I don’t like to put limits on anything from technique to style, but you’re absolutely right that it has to serve the song first. I think the one thing I’d like to be recognize for is my ability to blend as many of my influences as I want to, from both playing AND writing style.

Amit Ahuja: What does the songwriting process typically look like between the two of you? Does inspiration usually begin with a lyric, a riff, or a melody, or is every song different?

Kyle Rutchland: So far, Chris has come up with some musical ideas, I’ll give some input or notes but 99% of what he comes up with I think is already great. I just help elevate it in certain ways or help dial in the ideas. And once musically it’s pretty set, that’s when I start crafting vocals. I usually start with loose melody ideas and then I figure out the theme and what I want the song to say and then I start crafting the lyrics. Our producer Kevin is also a key player and helps us dial in all of our ideas into the cohesiveness that is our songs. It really shows in our upcoming track, Aerial Burial.

Chris Kennedy: I usually will start with an idea on guitar, or more recently even some synth stuff, that I think could fit for us. I’ll put it in a folder for us to decide on whether it’s worth working on even more. If we like it, I’ll try to write as much as I can until I feel like it’s ready to take to a producing session where everyone gets to help finish the process.

Amit Ahuja: Every creative partnership has moments of disagreement. How do you navigate those conversations, challenge one another creatively, and ultimately keep the focus on creating the strongest song possible?

Chris Kennedy: We’re honestly pretty good at being as respectful as possible when trying to conveying conflicting opinions on ideas; We’ll listen to both sides of the debate and why something may or may not work, and just doing that alleviates any kind of friction, even if the idea isn’t used. We both know we want what is best for the song and in the end, we always get there.

Kyle Rutchland: I believe we’re really good at communicating our thoughts and if there’s any conflicting thoughts we work on finding compromise but ultimately we always hear each other out and our goal for making the best piece of art outweighs the need to be “right” or anything. We also have a mutual respect for each other and want each other to be happy and fulfilled with anything we create together and I think that’s important. We keep our ego’s in check. Well I try to, Chris doesn’t even have ego issues at all haha. He’s too humble.

Amit Ahuja: Since forming FINISHER, what has each of you learned from the other as musicians, songwriters, and collaborators? Have those lessons changed the way you approach writing or performing?

Kyle Rutchland: Hmm, I think the best way to answer this is this project allows me to take everything I’ve previously learned and try to apply it the best I can to this, and learning how to navigate this better than any previous project.

Chris Kennedy: I think we both knew we were going to work well together, but actually getting in the studio to do it confirmed that.

Amit Ahuja: Was there a moment during the recording of "Toxic Heart" when you looked at each other and realized, "This is the sound we've been searching for"? What made that moment feel so significant?

Chris Kennedy: Toxic Heart took us awhile to finish, as it originally wasn’t intended to be a part of FINISHER; The project wasn’t even an idea when the song started, but it sat on the back burner for about a year before I realized it was wrong for a previous project and Kyle was the right person to bring it to. Once we finished it, then we knew we had what we consider a ‘good first song’ on the path to the ideas we had been sharing all along.

Kyle Rutchland: Definitely the chorus. The vocal melody, the guitar chords, the words, the way I sang it.

Amit Ahuja: Congratulations on releasing "Toxic Heart." As your debut single, why did this feel like the right song to introduce FINISHER to the world?

Kyle Rutchland: Well it was the only song we wrote haha, but it definitely encapsulated what we wanted to introduce ourselves with. It’s big, it’s heavy, it’s melodic. It hits hard and sticks with you.

Chris Kennedy: A lot of the song, like the first 30% of it, had been written before Kyle came along, so it was kind of the ONLY song we had but had the confidence to choose it as the first release instead of keeping it around even longer. It has a lot of ideas we love, and know future releases are just going to expand on those.

Amit Ahuja: Without giving away every detail, what inspired "Toxic Heart," and what conversations or emotions do you hope listeners take away from it?

Kyle Rutchland: Lyrically it was about a couple of break ups I went through. I haven’t written a super personal song in a while. This actually might be the most personal song I’ve ever written.

Chris Kennedy: Musically at the time ( still am! ) I was listening to a lot of VCTMS, Notions, and 2 Australian bands called liveCONFORMdie & Diamond Construct. I think if you heard a few songs from any of them, you could listen to Toxic Heart and hear those influences.

Amit Ahuja: Kyle, from a lyrical and vocal perspective, was there a particular lyric, vocal take, or moment in "Toxic Heart" that challenged you emotionally or became especially meaningful once it was recorded?

Kyle Rutchland: I’d probably say the line “how could you let me go” was a moment that really took all the pain from my past relationships and released it. I’ve always felt like I was never good enough in my last couple relationships no matter how hard I tried.

Amit Ahuja: Chris, was there a particular riff, guitar tone, or musical moment on "Toxic Heart" that you feel became the emotional backbone of the song? How did that part help shape the song's identity?

Chris Kennedy: I think those verse riffs really helped me carve out the groove of the song, and we built everything else around that. The chorus might have been the hardest part, because for the year the song sat around, I just couldn’t come up with something. It wasn’t until we revisited and took the song serious that our producer KingxCold ( Kevin Kerestes ) helped us write it.

Amit Ahuja: Releasing a debut single is a milestone every artist remembers. What was going through your minds on release day, knowing FINISHER was finally being introduced to listeners around the world?

Chris Kennedy: I’d never been the point person for releasing music digitally; I had to learn everything from what sites and how to upload to making sure I did everything correctly. And that process was about 6 weeks away from the release date, so that part was way more stressful than maybe even what we we’re worried about with fan reaction. Luckily we’ve had an overwhelming amount of support, which made it well worth it.

Kyle Rutchland: Excitement and relief. Ultimately I know we were just happy to put the song out finally after having been sitting on it for a year. And I know it meant we could now start digging into new song ideas and the next move for the project.

Amit Ahuja: Every new band spends time discovering its identity. Now that "Toxic Heart" is out and more music is on the horizon, what do you hope people will recognize as unmistakably FINISHER? How have the upcoming songs expanded on that identity, and what do you think fans will be most excited to discover next?

Chris Kennedy: We really want to emphasize how limitless our creativity can be. We’re hoping fans will be able to hear the different influences and be open to them, which range anywhere from modern metal and synth wave to post hardcore and trip hop.

Kyle Rutchland: I personally believe Chris and I have our own unique styles that really get to shine together. And with our new addition of Austin Dunn on bass, our signature sound is only going to grow and become more and more distinct.

Amit Ahuja: Without naming the song, is there an upcoming track that you think will surprise listeners the most? What makes it such an important step forward for FINISHER, and what can fans look forward to hearing in it?

Kyle Rutchland: We’re really excited for our next release. It brings a new flavor to our sound with some more electronic elements and more melodic vocals. It’s a very heartfelt song for me. Writing was inspired by a friend who’s battling cancer, so to have a big ballad type of song, I want this song and FINISHER to really be heard because this song really deserves it.

Chris Kennedy: Our next single just finished being mixed and is ready for a release by the end of 2026. It’s already light years ahead of what we thought we could do musically, and going to really solidify how creative we really want to get with things.

Amit Ahuja: If FINISHER's music could soundtrack any film—classic or modern—which would you choose? What kind of scene or emotional moment do you imagine your music elevating, and is there a particular song that feels especially cinematic?

Kyle Rutchland: Damn that’s a good question; I think Toxic Heart could work in a cool fight scene from Ghost In The Shell, or John Wick; high intensity chaotic fight scenes is what I picture with this song. I almost would even be down to find a scene from XXX with Vin Diesel and put this song in it. That’s what I picture haha.

Chris Kennedy: I’m huge Nicholas Refn fan ( Drive, Only God Forgives, Neon Demon ) and I’m CONSTANTLY using his imagery to convey sounds in our music. Even our first photoshoot had some inspiration from his work. The entire soundtrack to DRIVE is packed with amazing synth wave and electronic music, and I always wanted to heard a soundtrack like that with a huge metal infusion.

Amit Ahuja: Being musicians often means pouring so much of yourselves into your work that it can become mentally and emotionally demanding. How have each of you learned to balance songwriting, recording, performing, work, and everyday life while protecting your mental well-being? As a band, how important has supporting one another been throughout this journey?

Chris Kennedy: I’m lucky enough to have a job that lets me pick my hours, so I take advantage of that. I know when I’ve reached my limit with creativity, when I need a break, or when to step on the gas. We both have career aspirations and have never doubted each other’s commitment to the craft.

Kyle Rutchland: Chris and I have been doing music for so long it’s kind of just part of our lives..I don’t even know how to not be a musician haha. Working and balancing music life has become second nature, so thankfully that balance has mostly been achieved, because of I do for work (private events, trade shows, marketing events) which really helps in creating my own schedule.

Amit Ahuja: Looking ahead over the next several years, where do you hope FINISHER grows creatively and professionally? Are there dream tours, festivals, artists you'd love to collaborate with, or new musical directions you're excited to explore? Ultimately, what kind of legacy do you hope FINISHER leaves behind?

Kyle Rutchland: I know we definitely want to tour and put on our own headlining shows with really cool visuals and lights. We definitely want to put out a killer full-length album. I personally want to be able to take this internationally.

Chris Kennedy: We absolutely plan to become a live band that tours; Our goal is to have 5 songs finished, whether or not they’re all released, before we start preparing for the stage. There’s an infinite number of artists we’d love to work with, from either the metal or electronic world. One of our biggest influences is Essenger, and it would be an absolute dream to collaborate with him someday. Not having limits on our musical direction means we probably don’t know what we’re going to sound like in a few years, but hopefully people will join us for the ride and see the evolution.

Amit Ahuja: Five years from now, when fans look back at this interview and listen to "Toxic Heart," what do you hope they'll recognize about where FINISHER was at the very beginning of its journey? Looking back, what do you hope this moment will represent in the band's story?

Kyle Rutchland: I hope this song just becomes a cult classic. And despite how many bangers we put out, this song still gets played.

Chris Kennedy: I WANT people to look back on Toxic Heart and say ‘That was a good debut song, but they’re so much better now ‘. If fans can’t say that about us, then I feel like we’ve failed.

Amit Ahuja: As FINISHER grows and new opportunities begin to open up, what are the values or qualities that you hope never change? Whether it's the way you write, the relationships you've built, or the connection you have with your fans, what do you want to protect as the band continues to evolve?

Kyle Rutchland: I think it’s safe to say with Chris, Austin, and I being in music for as long as we have been, we won’t lose ourselves but just be allowed to be the biggest, best versions of ourselves as this project grows.

Chris Kennedy: I don’t think we ever want to put restraints on what we’re willing to try. That’s probably our core value. Why CAN’T we do something? We don’t know how fans of either the electronic or metal genres are going to react. There’s always purists. Finding the fans and collaborators that get it though will be rewarding.

Amit Ahuja: Finally, for anyone discovering FINISHER through this interview—or for someone chasing a dream while still searching for their own voice—what message would you like to leave them with?

Kyle Rutchland: We only have so much time on this Earth; if you’re not spending your time striving for things that fulfill you, then you’re only wasting it. Don’t be afraid to do things that feel impossible. And don’t quit too soon.

Chris Kennedy: Write music that YOU would listen to. Write music for yourself, and hopefully people will be drawn to it.

For FINISHER, “Toxic Heart” isn’t just a debut—it’s the starting point. Chris and Kyle have a clear sense of what they want this band to represent while leaving themselves enough creative freedom to discover where it can go.

There’s more music on the way, plans to eventually bring FINISHER to the stage, and an ambition to keep evolving with every release. If “Toxic Heart” is the first glimpse of that journey, it’ll be exciting to hear just how far they take it.

Hawk-It Media would like to thank Chris and Kyle for taking the time to sit down with us and share the story behind FINISHER.

Check out “Toxic Heart” and follow FINISHER to stay up to date on new music, upcoming releases, and everything still to come.