History
Beginnings (1987–1992)
Face to Face can trace its beginnings to 1987 when Trever Keith (vocals, synthesizers) and Matt Riddle (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, [6] 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. Like Victor Manor, Zero Tolerance never released a full-length album, but they recorded one demo tape in 1990 with the aforementioned line-up. [7] By the following year, the band decided to take a new musical direction and changed their name to Face to Face. [8] 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 and Orange County and quickly became a local favorite alongside bands like The Offspring, Guttermouth, Voodoo Glow Skulls, 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 studio located in Hollywood, CA in October 1991 to record songs for their first album, Don't Turn Away (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. [9] 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 along with the songs recorded at Westbeach Recorders.
Success (1993–1997)
In 1993, following a three-week tour in Germany supporting Lagwagon, Face to Face added Chad Yaro as an additional guitarist and new manager Desi Benjamin and began writing material for a new record. [9] 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 (of The Offspring fame) and began recording the album that became known as Big Choice .
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. [8] The EP contained a remixed version of the song "Disconnected". This version began to receive significant airplay from KROQ in Los Angeles, California. 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 song "Bikeage".
After touring with bands such as Sublime, NOFX, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and The Offspring in 1995 supporting Big Choice, bassist Matt Riddle chose to leave the band. Riddle went on to play in 22 Jacks, Pulley, No Use for a Name, Implants, and most recently Fire Sale. The band replaced him with a then-unknown bassist, Scott Shiflett. [8] 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. 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 and joined the Warped Tour. [10] Their song "I Won't Lie Down" was featured on the 1997 movie Mortal Kombat Annihilation 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. After the tour ended, Pete Parada 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), Ignorance Is Bliss (1999) and Reactionary (2000). [11] 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 , which was released on Vagrant Records in 2002. [11] Following the release of How to Ruin Everything, the band headlined The Warped Tour. [10]
In the fall of 2003, the band began a temporary hiatus; however, the following year, they announced that their hiatus would be permanent. [4] They gave their fans a proper farewell with "The Only Goodbye Tour" of 2004 with supporting acts My Chemical Romance and Seconds to Go, which followed with a raucous Warped Tour finale in Boston. [4]
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 on vocals and guitar, Scott Shiflett on bass and Chad Yaro returning on guitar. [5] Later that same year the band launched a short U.S. tour [12] with former Uprising drummer Danny Thompson replacing Pete Parada, who had recently joined The Offspring. [4] This lineup recorded Face to Face's first studio album in nine years, Laugh Now, Laugh Later (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. [11]
In September 2015, it was announced that the band had signed with Fat Wreck Chords and was headed to the Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado to begin recording their ninth album. [13] This album was released on March 4, 2016, and is titled Protection . 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. [14]
As of April 2020, according to an interview with Trever Keith, a new Face to Face album is in the works. [15] The album No Way out but Through was released on September 10, 2021. [16]
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are a punk rock supergroup and cover band that formed in San Francisco in 1995. The band's lineup consists of Spike Slawson, CJ Ramone, Joey Cape, Pinch and John Reis. Dave Raun, Chris Shiflett, and Fat Mike are former members.
Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, California, just outside Santa Barbara. They formed in 1990, went on hiatus in 2000, and reunited several times over the years. Their name comes from the band's tour van, which can be seen on the back cover of their 1994 second album Trashed.
Face to Face is the 1996 third studio album by the California punk band Face to Face.
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, 1995. "Debt" was released as a single on August 15, 1995.
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 Chords.
How to Ruin Everything is the seventh studio album by the punk rock band Face to Face, released in 2002.
Ignorance Is Bliss is the fifth studio album by the punk rock band Face to Face. The album was released in 1999, and was a musical and lyrical departure from the pop punk or skate punk influenced music found on previous albums and EPs.
Reactionary is the sixth studio album by the band Face to Face. Released in 2000, it was recorded in January 2000. The band ran a promotion with MP3.com where fans could decide which songs ended up on the final version of the album. This was their last release with second guitarist Chad Yaro until Laugh Now, Laugh Later in 2011.
Matt Riddle is an American punk rock bassist. He was the original bass player for Face to Face, which was founded in Victorville, California in the early 1990s. After the band's 2nd album Big Choice was released in 1995, Riddle parted ways with Face to Face due to personal conflicts with singer/guitarist Trever Keith.
Trever Keith is an American musician, producer and record label owner from Victorville, California, United States. He is the founding member of the So-Cal punk group Face to Face and has been the singer and guitarist of the band since their inception in 1991. Keith is also the owner and founder of the independent record labels Lady Luck Records, Antagonist Records and Folsom Records.
Scott David Shiflett 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. Scott has also performed in the bands Viva Death, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Jackson United, and 22 Jacks.
Standards and Practices is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band Face to Face. It was a cover album that released in 1999 under the label Lady Luck, Face to Face's imprint through Vagrant Records. It was re-released two years later on February 20, 2001, on Vagrant Records. It contains a mixture of rock, punk rock, and new wave cover tracks.
Jackson United is an American punk rock band, formed by singer and lead guitarist Chris Shiflett in 2003. Shiflett recruited his older brother Scott Shiflett (bass) and Pete Parada (drums) to complete the band. A debut eponymous EP was recorded and released in 2003. Shortly after this release Parada left the band. He was replaced by Cary Lascala, and the group was then further expanded with the addition of a rhythm guitarist, Doug Sangalang.
"Disconnected" is a song by the American punk rock band Face to Face, written by singer/guitarist Trever Keith and bassist Matt Riddle. It first appeared on their 1992 debut album Don't Turn Away and was released as a 7" single in 1993 on the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords. A remixed version appeared on the Over It EP in 1994 after the band had signed to Victory Music. This version received radio airplay, leading the label to request that the band re-record "Disconnected" for their second album Big Choice (1995). This third version of the song was made into a music video and reached #39 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1995.
This is a comprehensive discography of Face to Face, a Southern California-based punk rock band. The band has released eleven full-length studio albums, eight EPs, two split albums, one official live recording, one compilation album, eleven music videos and twelve singles. This list is not intended to include material performed by members or former members of Face to Face that was recorded with Legion of Doom, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, No Use for a Name, The Offspring, Pulley, Saves the Day, 22 Jacks, Viva Death, Red Faced, or Real Space Noise.
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 since the release of Face to Face's previous studio album How to Ruin Everything in 2002. It is their first release with second guitarist Chad Yaro in 11 years, since 2000's Reactionary.
Three Chords and a Half Truth is the ninth studio album by American punk rock band Face to Face, released on April 9, 2013, through Trevor Keith's Antagonist Records, under exclusive license to Rise Records, their first album for Rise. This is the last Face to Face album to feature guitarist Chad Yaro.
Protection is the tenth studio album by American punk rock band Face to Face, released on March 4, 2016, through Fat Wreck Chords. It was issued with the catalog number FAT954 on multiple formats including compact disc, vinyl and digital download. This was the first release for the band on Fat Wreck Chords in over 20 years, and the first one with guitarist Dennis Hill as the replacement of Chad Yaro.
Hold Fast: Acoustic Sessions is the eleventh studio album by the American punk band Face to Face. Hold Fast was released on July 27, 2018 by Fat Wreck Chords on CD and LP. The album consists of ten new acoustic versions of popular Face to Face songs from previous albums, spanning the band's entire career.
Live in a Dive is an album by American punk rock band Face to Face; it is the band's third live album and the ninth installment of the Live in a Dive series. It was released by Fat Wreck Chords on October 18, 2019 and includes songs spanning from the band's debut album Don't Turn Away (1992) to the more recent album Protection (2016).
