Rees Finley is a singer-songwriter, dueling pianist, multi-instrumentalist and music educator. At age 18 he moved to Los Angeles to enroll in the USC Thornton School of Music’s popular music program, graduating with a degree in music performance in 2015. After working for many years as an educator, writer, and performer in Southern California, he decided to return to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio in 2022. Rees has been mentored by many leaders in the music industry, including Grammy Award-winning producer/songwriter Glen Ballard and has gained diverse performance experience including venturing into dueling pianos in 2022 and becoming entertainment director for Howl At The Moon in 2024.

In June 2019 Rees released his debut full-length Album, “A Tale Told by an Idiot” to which Rick Koster at “The Day” remarked, “Finley is young but immensely gifted and seems to have grown up with a fine and influential diet of excellent and energized melodists.” Introduced to music as a pianist in his youth, Rees began by emulating his songwriting heroes, Elton John, The Beatles, and Freddie Mercury. In his teens, he taught himself guitar, bass, and drums, inspired by one-man-band musicians such as Prince, Paul McCartney, and Elliott Smith. In 2017 Buffablog praised Rees’ first solo single, “The Band Broke Up” as an “infectious ode to the downtrodden“. EartotheGround described Finley’s style as combining “the phrasing and style of Ben Folds and the syntax of Green Day…an interesting, clever songwriting style…as ‘timeless’ as alt rock can get. The intricate songwriting elements even sometimes feel like Queen.” 

Throughout his career, Rees has been dedicated and passionate about sharing his knowledge with students helping them achieve their musical goals and discover their own love for music.