Face to Face is a 90s punk band that started in Victorville, California (a small desert town just north of Los Angeles) but quickly became known as an LA punk band when they started getting radio airplay on LA’s KROQ. They also practiced at a downtown LA rehearsal studio and played shows all over LA, the Inland Empire, and Orange County. I’ve even seen them play at Soma in San Diego back in the 90s.
They’re known for having a specific guitar sound that was thought of as a “bigger”, “more powerful” sound with catchy, anthemic vocal melodies that could really get a crowd going. Some refer to their sound as “power-pop punk” while their look incorporated a 50s “rockabilly” look, much of the time.
Face to Face enjoyed the success of having their music featured in some movies like Tank Girl and National Lampoon’s Senior Trip (both in 1995) and a music video on Hopeless Records’ VHS video compilation: Cinema Beer Goggles. They were signed to Vagrant Records for a time, went out on Warped Tours and toured extensively with the other major punk bands of the 90s.
The original members and core of the band are:
- Trevor Keith (vocals and lead guitar)
- Matt Riddle (bass and backing vocals)
And other members throughout the 90s were:
- Scott Schiflett (bass and backing vocals, beginning in 1995)
- Chad Yaro (guitar and backing vocals)
- Pete Parada (drums)
They then had further lineup changes in the 2000s.