Face to Face is a punk rock band from Victorville, California, formed in 1991 by frontman Trever Keith, bassist Matt Riddle and drummer Rob Kurth. The band rose to fame with their 1995 album Big Choice, featuring the radio hit "Disconnected" which received heavy rotation on KROQ radio in Los Angeles and appeared in the movies Tank Girl and National Lampoon's Senior Trip.

Face to Face officially split up in September 2004, allowing the band members time to focus on other projects. 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 (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, 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. 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 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. 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. 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). 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. with former Uprising drummer Danny Thompson replacing Pete Parada, who had recently joined The Offspring. 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.

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 – lead vocals, guitar (1991–present)
  • Scott Shiflett – bass, vocals (1995–present)
  • Danny Thompson – 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 – drums (1998–2004)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

  • Don't Turn Away (1992)
  • Big Choice (1995)
  • Face to Face (1996)
  • Standards and Practices (1999)
  • Ignorance Is Bliss (1999)
  • Reactionary (2000)
  • How to Ruin Everything (2002)
  • Laugh Now, Laugh Later (2011)
  • Three Chords and a Half Truth (2013)
  • Protection (2016)
  • Hold Fast: Acoustic Sessions (2018)
  • No Way Out but Through (2021)

Footnotes

  • Face to Face official website