punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
band from
Victorville, California
Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810.
Victorville is the principal city of a Victor Valley–based urban area defined by the United States Census Bureau: ...
, formed in 1991 by frontman
Trever Keith
Trever Keith (born May 28, 1969)Trever Keith at
Rob Kurth. The band rose to fame with their 1995 album ''
Big Choice
''Big Choice'' is a full-length album by the California punk band Face to Face, released in 1995. It was released on Victory Music in 1995, and then re-released on A&M Records. "Disconnected" was released to alternative radio on January 20, 19 ...
'', featuring the radio hit " Disconnected" which received heavy rotation on
KROQ
KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock").
The sta ...
radio in Los Angeles and appeared in the movies ''
Tank Girl
Tank Girl is a British comic created by Alan Martin (writer), Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. It first appeared in print in 1988 in the British comics magazine ''Deadline (magazine), Deadline'', and then in the solo comic book series ''Tank Girl' ...
'' and ''
National Lampoon's Senior Trip
''National Lampoon's Senior Trip'' is a 1995 American adventure comedy film for the National Lampoon magazine franchise, directed by Kelly Makin. It marked Jeremy Renner's film debut.
Plot
At Fairmount High School, Ohio in the suburbs of D ...
''.
Face to Face officially split up in September 2004, allowing the band members time to focus on other projects. During that time all the band members played in a number of post-Face to Face projects including
Legion of Doom
The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in '' Challenge of the Superfriends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...
,
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (often shortened to MFGG or the Gimmes) are a punk rock supergroup and cover band that formed in San Francisco in 1995. The band's lineup consists of Spike Slawson, C. J. Ramone, Joey Cape, Pinch and John Reis. ...
,
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...
and Saves the Day. In April 2008, after a four-year hiatus, Face to Face performed together for the first time at The Glasshouse in Pomona, California. Since then, the band has continued to perform and has released five more studio albums to date.
History
Beginnings (1987–1992)
Face to Face can trace its beginnings to 1987 when
Trever Keith
Trever Keith (born May 28, 1969)Trever Keith at
Matt Riddle
Matthew Fredrick Riddle (born January 14, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is the reigning MLW World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He ...
(bass, background vocals), who had both been friends since high school, and formed a heavy metal band named Victoria Manor that also featured Todd "Rick" Atmire (guitars) and Matt Atmire (drums). Other than one demo tape they released in 1989, Victor Manor never released any albums and after they disbanded, Keith and Riddle formed a band named Zero Tolerance with drummer Rob Kurth and guitarist Mark Haake who were both Air Force members stationed at George Air Force Base outside of
Victorville
Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810.
Victorville is the principal city of a Victor Valley–based urban area defined by the United States Census Bureau: ...
. Like Victor Manor, Zero Tolerance never released a full-length album, but they recorded one demo tape in 1990 with the aforementioned line-up. By the following year, the band decided to take a new musical direction and changed their name to Face to Face. Shortly afterwards, guitarist Mark Haake left the band and the remaining members continued on as a three-piece.
The band continued to play frequently throughout the
Inland Empire
The Inland Empire (commonly abbreviated as the IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County and Or ...
and Orange County and quickly became a local favorite alongside bands like
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...
,
Guttermouth
Guttermouth is an American punk rock band formed in 1989 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released nine full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour. They are ...
,
Voodoo Glow Skulls
Voodoo Glow Skulls are an American ska punk band formed in 1988 in Riverside, California, by brothers Frank, Eddie, and Jorge Casillas and their longtime friend Jerry O'Neill. Voodoo Glow Skulls first played at backyard parties and later at Spa ...
, and others. At a show in Montclair, CA in May 1991, the band met Bill Plaster of Dr. Strange Records and was offered a record deal. After accepting Plaster's offer, Face to Face entered
Westbeach Recorders
Westbeach Recorders was a recording studio in Hollywood, California famous for recording punk rock groups, such as Bad Religion, Avenged Sevenfold, NOFX, Rancid, the Offspring and Pennywise.
History
It was established in 1985 by Bad Religion g ...
studio located in Hollywood, CA in October 1991 to record songs for their first album, ''
Don't Turn Away
''Don't Turn Away'' is the first album by the American punk rock band Face to Face. It was released in 1992 under the label Dr. Strange Records, and was considered a strong debut for the band. It was re-released a year later on Fat Wreck Chord ...
'' (1992). Once the recording was finished, Dr. Strange Records had difficulty raising the financial resources to have the recordings pressed; in the interim, the band met Jim Goodwin. Goodwin offered to record the band's newest songs for free so they entered the studio in August 1992 and recorded "Nothing New," "Pastel," and "Disconnected". These three songs ended up being included on ''
Don't Turn Away
''Don't Turn Away'' is the first album by the American punk rock band Face to Face. It was released in 1992 under the label Dr. Strange Records, and was considered a strong debut for the band. It was re-released a year later on Fat Wreck Chord ...
'' along with the songs recorded at
Westbeach Recorders
Westbeach Recorders was a recording studio in Hollywood, California famous for recording punk rock groups, such as Bad Religion, Avenged Sevenfold, NOFX, Rancid, the Offspring and Pennywise.
History
It was established in 1985 by Bad Religion g ...
.
Success (1993–1997)
In 1993, following a three-week tour in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
supporting
Lagwagon
Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, California, just outside Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara. They formed in 1989, went on hiatus in 2000, and reunited several times over the years. Their name comes from the ba ...
, Face to Face added Chad Yaro as an additional guitarist and new manager Desi Benjamin and began writing material for a new record. Before the band began recording the new material, they decided to sign a recording contract with a new major label and publishing deal which Desi Benjamin secured for them with JVC/Victory/A&M Records and E.M.I. Music Publishing. On the heels of the new recording contract, Face to Face entered the studio with producer
Thom Wilson
Thom Wilson (died February 8, 2015) was an American punk rock record producer and engineer.
Career
Wilson began his musical career in the mid-1970s, engineering recordings by soft rock artists Burton Cummings and Seals & Crofts. He began worki ...
(of
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...
fame) and began recording the album that became known as ''
Big Choice
''Big Choice'' is a full-length album by the California punk band Face to Face, released in 1995. It was released on Victory Music in 1995, and then re-released on A&M Records. "Disconnected" was released to alternative radio on January 20, 19 ...
''.
After finishing the recording, Victory Music decided they wanted to test their distribution system with a new release. To do so they assembled an EP of songs featured on several of the band's 7" records along with other unreleased recordings. This EP was titled '' Over It'' and was released several weeks before ''Big Choice''. The EP contained a remixed version of the song " Disconnected". This version began to receive significant airplay from
KROQ
KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock").
The sta ...
in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. This drove the label to push the band to re-record "Disconnected" for ''Big Choice''. It was featured as a bonus track alongside a cover of the
Descendents
The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in Manhattan Beach, California, in 1977, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson (musician), Bill Stevenson as a power pop/surf music, surf punk band. I ...
song "Bikeage".
After touring with bands such as Sublime,
NOFX
NOFX () was an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Bassist/lead vocalist Fat Mike, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin were original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...
,
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky ...
, and
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...
in 1995 supporting Big Choice, bassist Matt Riddle chose to leave the band. Riddle went on to play in 22 Jacks,
Pulley
Sheave without a rope
A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft enabling a taut cable or belt passing over the wheel to move and change direction, or transfer power between itself and a shaft.
A pulley may have a groove or grooves between flan ...
,
No Use for a Name
No Use for a Name (sometimes abbreviated NUFAN or No Use) was an American punk rock band from Sunnyvale, California, formed in 1986 by Chris Dodge (guitar), Steve Papoutsis (bass) and Rory Koff (drums). The band's sound evolved considerably throu ...
, Implants, and most recently Fire Sale. The band replaced him with a then-unknown bassist,
Scott Shiflett
Scott David Shiflett (born August 22, 1966) is an American musician who has been the bassist in the punk rock band Face to Face since 1995. Born in Santa Barbara, California, he is the brother of Foo Fighters lead guitarist Chris Shiflett. Scot ...
. Scott's first show with the band was on December 2, 1995, at the Victorville Fairgrounds.
In 1996, Face to Face began writing and recording what was to become their third album
self-titled
An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...
. This was the first record without Matt Riddle, who had been Keith's songwriting partner. Due to this, Keith wrote the majority of the songs on the album with some help from Shiflett and Yaro. In the studio, the band once again recruited Jim Goodwin to record and produce the record. Following the release of the album, they headlined the 1997
SnoCore Tour
The SnoCore Tour, occasionally typeset as Sno-Core, was an annual festival tour of the United States. It featured performances by some of the most popular groups largely of the alternative rock and metal spectrum. The event took place every year ...
and joined the
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...
. Their song "I Won't Lie Down" was featured on the 1997 movie
Mortal Kombat Annihilation
''Mortal Kombat Annihilation'' is a 1997 American Martial arts film, martial arts fantasy film directed by John R. Leonetti in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut. Based on the ''Mortal Kombat'' video game franchise, it is the sec ...
soundtrack.
Later years (1998–2004)
In 1998, it was announced that drummer Rob Kurth was leaving the band. To finish out the tour for their self-titled record, the band hired drummer
Jose Medeles
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph.
Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods
*Jose ben Abin
*Jose ben Akabya
*Jose the Galilean
*Jose ben Halafta
*J ...
. After the tour ended,
Pete Parada
Peter Parada (born July 9, 1973) is an American drummer who has been a member of several bands. Parada's drumming career began in 1995 when he joined L.A. band World In Pain on a recommendation from future Korn drummer Ray Luzier and then Stee ...
joined the band as Kurth's permanent replacement. With Parada behind the drums, the band recorded and released two more albums (with producer
Chad Blinman
Chad Blinman is an American recording engineer and mixer, music producer, and electronic musician. He has worked with such artists as Face to Face, the Get Up Kids, Saves the Day, Jackson United, Faith and the Muse, Monica Richards, Senses Fa ...
Reactionary
In politics, a reactionary is a person who favors a return to a previous state of society which they believe possessed positive characteristics absent from contemporary.''The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought'' Third Edition, (1999) p. 729. ...
'' (2000). Following the release of Reactionary, long-time guitarist Chad Yaro left the band to focus on his family.
Following Yaro's departure, Face to Face decided to remain a three-piece and began writing material for their sixth studio album, ''
How to Ruin Everything
''How to Ruin Everything'' is the seventh studio album by the punk rock band Face to Face, released in 2002 (see 2002 in music).
As of the release date, ''How to Ruin Everything'' was Face to Face's only album since their 1992 debut '' Don't Tur ...
'', which was released on
Vagrant Records
Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock music, rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk music, folk, soul music, so ...
in 2002. Following the release of How to Ruin Everything, the band headlined The
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...
.
In the fall of 2003, the band began a temporary hiatus; however, the following year, they announced that their hiatus would be permanent. They gave their fans a proper farewell with "The Only Goodbye Tour" of 2004 with supporting acts
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American Rock music, rock band from New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. They are considered one of ...
and Seconds to Go, which followed with a raucous Warped Tour finale in Boston.
Reunion and beyond (2008–present)
On January 29, 2008, Face to Face announced that the band would be reuniting for select shows in the US and internationally, with the lineup including
Trever Keith
Trever Keith (born May 28, 1969)Trever Keith at
Scott Shiflett
Scott David Shiflett (born August 22, 1966) is an American musician who has been the bassist in the punk rock band Face to Face since 1995. Born in Santa Barbara, California, he is the brother of Foo Fighters lead guitarist Chris Shiflett. Scot ...
on bass and Chad Yaro returning on guitar. Later that same year the band launched a short U.S. tour with former Uprising drummer
Danny Thompson
Daniel Henry Edward Thompson (born 4 April 1939) is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist. He has had a long musical career playing with a large variety of other musicians, particularly Richard Thompson and John Ma ...
replacing
Pete Parada
Peter Parada (born July 9, 1973) is an American drummer who has been a member of several bands. Parada's drumming career began in 1995 when he joined L.A. band World In Pain on a recommendation from future Korn drummer Ray Luzier and then Stee ...
, who had recently joined
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...
. This lineup recorded Face to Face's first studio album in nine years, ''
Laugh Now, Laugh Later
''Laugh Now, Laugh Later'' is the eighth studio album by American punk rock band Face to Face, which was released on May 17, 2011, through Antagonist Records, a label run by the band's lead singer and guitarist Trever Keith. It marks 9 years s ...
'' (2011), followed by '' Three Chords and a Half Truth'' (2013); both albums were released on Keith's label Antagonist Records. After the release of ''Three Chords and a Half Truth'', Yaro once again left Face to Face and was replaced by Dennis Hill.
In September 2015, it was announced that the band had signed with
Fat Wreck Chords
Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is an independent record label based in San Francisco focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) and his wife at the time, Erin Burkett in 1990. ...
and was headed to the
Blasting Room
The Blasting Room is a recording studio in Fort Collins, Colorado. Founded by members of the punk rock band All in 1994, it is owned and operated by musician Bill Stevenson (Descendents, Black Flag, All, Only Crime) and Jason Livermore. The ...
in
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality in Larimer County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The population was 169,810 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an i ...
to begin recording their ninth album. This album was released on March 4, 2016, and is titled ''
Protection
Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...
''. In August 2018 the band released an acoustic record titled, '' Hold Fast''.
In December 2017, the band released a visual history coffee table book, ''Face to Face: 25 Years of SoCal Punk'', with author
Aaron Tanner
Aaron Tanner is an American graphic designer, author, archivist, and musician who creates coffee table books on underground bands and artists.
Career
Aaron Tanner, who grew up in the Midwest, found inspiration in the everyday visuals around h ...
.
As of April 2020, according to an interview with Trever Keith, a new Face to Face album is in the works. The album ''No Way out but through'' was released on September 10, 2021.
Band members
Current members
*
Trever Keith
Trever Keith (born May 28, 1969)Trever Keith at
Scott Shiflett
Scott David Shiflett (born August 22, 1966) is an American musician who has been the bassist in the punk rock band Face to Face since 1995. Born in Santa Barbara, California, he is the brother of Foo Fighters lead guitarist Chris Shiflett. Scot ...
– bass, vocals (1995–present)
*
Danny Thompson
Daniel Henry Edward Thompson (born 4 April 1939) is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist. He has had a long musical career playing with a large variety of other musicians, particularly Richard Thompson and John Ma ...
– drums (2008–present)
* Dennis Hill – guitar, vocals (2015–present)
Former members
* Matt Riddle – bass, vocals (1991–1995)
* Rob Kurth – drums, vocals (1991–1998)
* Chad Yaro – guitar, vocals (1994–2000, 2008–2014)
*
Pete Parada
Peter Parada (born July 9, 1973) is an American drummer who has been a member of several bands. Parada's drumming career began in 1995 when he joined L.A. band World In Pain on a recommendation from future Korn drummer Ray Luzier and then Stee ...
– drums (1998–2004)
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Don't Turn Away
''Don't Turn Away'' is the first album by the American punk rock band Face to Face. It was released in 1992 under the label Dr. Strange Records, and was considered a strong debut for the band. It was re-released a year later on Fat Wreck Chord ...
'' (1992)
*''
Big Choice
''Big Choice'' is a full-length album by the California punk band Face to Face, released in 1995. It was released on Victory Music in 1995, and then re-released on A&M Records. "Disconnected" was released to alternative radio on January 20, 19 ...
Standards & Practices
In the United States, Standards and Practices (also referred to as Broadcast Standards and Practices or BS&P for short) is the name traditionally given to the department at a television network which is responsible for the moral, ethical, and le ...
'' (1999)
*''
Reactionary
In politics, a reactionary is a person who favors a return to a previous state of society which they believe possessed positive characteristics absent from contemporary.''The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought'' Third Edition, (1999) p. 729. ...
'' (2000)
*''
How to Ruin Everything
''How to Ruin Everything'' is the seventh studio album by the punk rock band Face to Face, released in 2002 (see 2002 in music).
As of the release date, ''How to Ruin Everything'' was Face to Face's only album since their 1992 debut '' Don't Tur ...
'' (2002)
*''
Laugh Now, Laugh Later
''Laugh Now, Laugh Later'' is the eighth studio album by American punk rock band Face to Face, which was released on May 17, 2011, through Antagonist Records, a label run by the band's lead singer and guitarist Trever Keith. It marks 9 years s ...
Protection
Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...