What can audiences expect when Rees Finley comes to The Hub in Vallejo for a concert Friday? According to the Los Angeles-based singer songwriter, just about anything. Finley has dabbled in every genre from ‘80s synthpop to Motown-inspired retro funk to intricate folk to witty modern alternative rock in the vein of Death Cab for Cutie and Ben Folds.

Finley— who grew up in Columbus, Ohio— says he owes a lot of his love of music to his parents.

“My parents are big music lovers, so I grew up around a lot of it,” he said in an interview with the Herald. “My dad would always be playing The Beatles or Harry Nilsson. He also loved to sing and taught me pretty early on how to harmonize with him since he had been in choirs and done barbershop. We would sing together and he would show me all sorts of music which I consumed rapidly.”

Finley’s mother was also a huge fan of artists like Elvis Costello and Prince, who were both played around the house a lot when he was a kid, although Finley himself did not get into those artists until he was older.

“I used to not think my mom had a good taste in music but now I would say that Prince is one of my biggest idols so I definitely get it now,” he said.

At the age of 7, Finley begged his parents for piano lessons and began writing his own songs at the age of 9. Since then, he has been playing and writing music with great frequency.

Finley enjoys writing music as an outlet for his own emotions, and he always looks to how other artists have poured their souls into their music.

“Listening to music is a very spiritual experience for me,” he said. “When I hear music that comes from the soul, it doesn’t matter if it’s Brahms or Beach Boys, Joni Mitchell or Freddie King. The real heartfelt stuff is true intimacy and that feeling is addicting for me both as a giver and a receiver.”

Finley performs music in a wide variety of genres, although he finds formats less important in crafting great music than strong hooks and melodies and thoughtful lyrics.

“I think anything I hear influences me in one way or another,” he said.

Finley currently teaches music but aspires to focus on making music as a full-time job. He says the teaching position is “rewarding in its own way but I’d love to not have to rely on that.”

“I think there have been a lot of times where a song or a performance felt like they reached out directly to me and changed me as a person,” he said. “I’d like to be able to pass that on to as many people as possible.”

Five of Finley’s songs are available on Soundcloud, and his song “Animated” has a music video featuring stop motion Lego figurines animated by Zach Siegel. In a few weeks, those five songs will also be made available on Apple Music and Spotify.

After more than a year of performing shows in Ohio and Southern California, Finley will finally bring his talents to the Bay Area this week for the first time. On Thursday, he will be performing at the Caravan Lounge in San Jose, and on Friday he will be coming to The Hub with a trio who Finley says will expand on some of the arrangements.

“I’ll be switching between keyboard and guitar,” he said. “Some stuff will be really dance-y and funky, there will be some punk rock, a taste of jazz and blues and there will be some folky ballads. I try to do a little bit of everything and keep people on their toes.”

“It’s my first time playing in the area which I’m pretty excited about,” he added.

Finley will perform from 7:30 to 10 p.m., Friday, July 28 at The Hub, located at 350 Georgia St. There will be a $15 cover charge. For more information on the show, call the venue at 561-6514. For more information on Finley’s music, go to reesfinley.com.