HUDSON REGISTER-STAR
OCTOBER 10, 2102
Finch Cardenas was a legendary fixture at Cuppa Joseph in downtown Hudson, playing strange and haunting music on their natural trumpet—a trumpet without valves or buttons, whose tones are controlled by mouth and lungs alone. Conversations would hush, and in the summer, when people passed by the cafe, they would often stop and listen at the open windows. “I actually bought one of Finch’s CDs,” said one regular. “And I don’t even know what you’re supposed to play it on.”
Finch Cardenas died yesterday of a slip-and-fall accident in their Hudson apartment, according to roommate Hester Moss. They were 53 years old.
Finch lived a fairly quiet life in our little town (except for the trumpet, of course). But controversy briefly visited them in the late ’80s. An accusation had been made that they were somehow “assisting” the fugitive AI known as Peregrine. The rumor spread like wildfire, ultimately attracting the unwanted attention and subsequent harassment by a local chapter of Disengagists. The Hudson community was proud to rally around Finch during this time, and the accusations were never proven, nor the anonymous accuser revealed.
“At different times in history, acts like the one Finch was accused of are either seen as illegal or heroic,” said Cuppa’s owner, Joseph Martin. “All I’ll say is, if it were true that Finch was helping Peregrine, they had a damn good reason for doing it. They didn’t go with the flow, but there are enough of us doing that already.”
Ultimately, Finch will be remembered most for their music and their friendly, smiling presence at Cuppa. Roommate Hester Moss has organized a memorial at the coffee shop next Thursday, with Finch lattes on special (their favorite—made with cinnamon and rose syrups), and attendees will have the opportunity to purchase CDs, including a recording Hester discovered on Finch’s cloud drive, a full trumpet-only soundtrack for a little-known 1926 silent film called “The Courageous Virgin Wilgefortis.”
“Proceeds will go toward paying for Finch’s funeral as well as some debts they left behind,” said Hester. “A working CD player will be available to rent.”