Face (a cappella group)

Last updated

Face
Origin Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A
Genres A cappella
Years active2002-
LabelsIndependent
MembersForest Kelly
Anderson Daniel
Mark Megibow
Stephen Ross
Ryan Driver
Past membersJoseph DiMasi
Jayson Throckmorton
Ben Lunstad
Cody Qualls
Website www.facevocalband.com

Face is an American a cappella group from Boulder, Colorado. Formed by Joseph DiMasi and Ben Lunstad in 2002, they made their first national appearances as one of the eight original groups on NBC's premiere season of "The Sing-Off" in 2009. They are a two-time National Audience Favorite and two-time runner-up at the National Finals of Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival (2005 and 2007), and the runner-up for Favorite Pop/Rock Group at the Contemporary A Cappella Society's Community Awards (2007). Face has also garnered numerous local awards including Best Local Band by The Denver Channel's A-List Awards (2013), Best Local Musician by Boulder Weekly's Best of Boulder Awards (2009) and third-place for Best Local Band by The Denver Channel's A-List Awards (2009).

Contents

History

The idea for Face grew out of a university a cappella experience. Both Ben Lunstad and Joseph DiMasi had formed and performed with undergraduate a cappella groups. They met in grad school in 2000 at the University of Colorado in Boulder while singing with CU's In The Buff. Deciding that In The Buff wasn't exactly what they were looking for, Ben and DiMasi co-founded the award-winning Extreme Measures. [1]

The success of Extreme Measures attracted bass J Forest Kelly and the core of Face began to form. Once they graduated, they began seeking members to fill out Face. It would be two years before the group was fully formed. Many of the group members were found by friends of friends. Mark Megibow had been performing since he was 6 years old but was in the midst of a 7-year hiatus until he got the call from DiMasi asking him to audition. During this time, the group included John Lawrence, Michael Daehnick, and Cody Qualls.

In 2003, Ryan Driver was introduced to the group. He added his voice and successful arrangements to the group as well as his longtime friend, Steven Ross. 2004 was a big year for Face. Ryan Driver, called Driver by his friends and fans, took a year to tour with the east coast's Almost Recess and later that year, Joseph left the group for other endeavors. In addition, Jayson Throckmorton was introduced to the group by more friends of friends and has impressed his fans with his tenor.

By 2005 the group had jelled. They saw success in the Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival as well as other competitions. In the years to come they competed in Colorado and California, performed for Jimmy Buffett and numerous politicians at the Bohemian Grove, provided on-stage vocal accompaniment for Ballet Nouveau Colorado's contemporary ballet production face.2.face, performed in Las Vegas, and are currently performing 80-90 times a year. [2] [3]

Between 2006 and 2011 Face continued to rock the local and national stage. They were featured on two national television programs the Sing Off and America's Got Talent and touched crowds from San Francisco to Chicago, from Dallas to Detroit and Minneapolis. In late 2011 Face released their fourth album, I Hear the Bells at their 10-year anniversary concert held at the Paramount Theatre in Denver.

2012 was a tumultuous year for face with many periodic changes in the band's performing line up. Stephen Ross suffered a vocal injury and was out for August and September, while Jayson Throckmorton made an official exit from the group in early June. Former member Cody Qualls, who had exited previously in 2007, stepped in for Jayson's absence. By September of that same year, Face announced that Qualls would be returning as a permanent member of Face.

In December 2013, an ice storm in Dallas/Fort Worth cancelled numerous flights, including Face's who had been in Texas for a performance. They entertained other delayed passengers by walking through the concourse singing Christmas carols. Their sound man, Jeremy, taped them singing, and uploaded it to YouTube. As a result, Face was featured on Headline News, [4] the Huffington Post [5] and ABC World News with Diane Sawyer. [6]

As of 2014, Face has released five CDs and one live concert Blu-ray/DVD.

In January 2016, co-founder Ben Lunstad did one last farewell show, and officially left Face. As of now, Face is not looking for a sixth member and will be continuing to perform with their five remaining members.

America's Got Talent

In 2008, Face auditioned for America's Got Talent, getting before the celebrity judges, including David Hasselhoff, however, they were eliminated and their segment never aired. [7]

The Sing Off

Face are featured on the NBC television program The Sing-Off, which premiered on December 14, 2009. Face was selected amongst hundreds of groups to compete. Having made it that far, Face performed "Living on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi and while the judges were impressed that they could "rock without instruments," it was not enough to keep them on the show. In particular, their lack of an upper range ultimately led to their elimination in the first round.

According to The New York Times [8]

Face delivered a pretty tasty rendition of the Bon Jovi anthem... How could these guys get the heave-ho, especially given that a whole other religious college is also represented in the final eight and that they had such a swell back story? One of the member’s wives couldn’t go through a pregnancy because of cancer, so the wife of another member carried the embryo for her.

Performances & Results

Episode/ThemeSong choiceOriginal artistResult
Premiere"Livin' on a Prayer" Bon Jovi Eliminated

Members

All of the men in Face are employed with full-time jobs and most have families.

Awards and Accolades

Best Local Band/Musician

Best Band That Plays the 'Burbs

Audience Favorite

National Runner-Up

Best Arrangement

Favorite Rock/Pop Group Runner-Up

Regional Champions

Best Stage Presentation

Best Soloist

Regional Runner-Up

[18]

Discography

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References

  1. ↑ "Results Archive". Varsity Vocals. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Face History". Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Best of Boulder" . Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  4. ↑ "HLN". CNN. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  5. ↑ "A Cappella Group Stranded at Airport Delights Travelers with Carols". HuffPost . December 9, 2013.
  6. ↑ [ABC World News, 12/9/13]
  7. 1 2 "Longmont Times-Call interview" . Retrieved January 11, 2024.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (December 15, 2009). "'The Sing-Off' Watch: All A Cappella, All the Time". ArtsBeat. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Browse "Popular" - NBC.com". NBC. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 "Face About Us". Archived from the original on April 11, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Boulder Weekly Cover Story" . Retrieved January 11, 2024.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. 1 2 3 "A Cappella Music Awards".
  13. 1 2 "Best A&E". Yellow Scene Magazine. April 2, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Denver A-List". Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  15. 1 2 3 "Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival - Annual competition for vocal groups". www.harmony-sweepstakes.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  16. 1 2 "Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival - Annual competition for vocal groups". www.harmony-sweepstakes.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Denver Regional Champions". www.harmony-sweepstakes.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Face's Awards". Archived from the original on October 1, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
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