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 (counting a covers album), 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.
Biography Face to Face traces its beginnings back to 1988 when singer/guitarist Trever Keith, bassist Matt Riddle, and drummer Rob Kurth formed a local metal band called Zero Tolerance. After forming, Kurth's friend Mark Haake joined the group in 1989 as an additional guitarist for a couple of months before getting orders to the Middle East with the Air Force. Although no formal studio recordings of Zero Tolerance exist, they had recorded a handful of demo tapes. As a three-piece, the band played a show at Spanky's in Riverside, California, and a couple of other local shows. When Haake left, the band continued as a three-piece and changed their name to Face to Face in 1991.
In late 1991, Face to Face were signed to a local punk rock record label Dr. Strange Records. Dr. Strange issued the band's first single "No Authority" and their first studio album Don't Turn Away, which was released in 1992. Copies of Don't Turn Away sold quickly and Dr. Strange was unable to keep up with the demand, so Keith contacted NOFX's Fat Mike of Fat Wreck Chords to re-release it with wider distribution. In addition to re-releasing the album, Fat Wreck Chords released "Disconnected" as a 7" single in August 1993. Also in 1993, just after a three-week tour in Germany supporting their labelmates Lagwagon, Face to Face added Chad Yaro as an additional guitarist. Before the band could begin work on Don't Turn Away'''s follow-up, they made a decision to go with a new label that had major-label distribution. The label, Victory Music, signed them and then they entered the studio with producer Thom Wilson (of The Offspring fame) and began recording their second album, entitled Big Choice. The label was nervous about their distribution deal and wanted a test release to run through the system, and issued an EP of songs from 7"s and other rarities called Over It.
A&M Records signed the band and re-released Big Choice in 1995, yielding a minor hit on the L.A. local radio station KROQ with the re-recording of "Disconnected". After touring with bands such as NOFX, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and The Offspring during 1995, Riddle left Face to Face and went on to play in 22 Jacks and Pulley before settling on No Use for a Name. The band replaced Riddle with a then-unknown bassist named Scott Shiflett. Face to Face returned to the studio in 1996 to record another album for their label, resulting in their self-titled fourth album, which was a moderate success. To promote the album, the band joined the Warped Tour in 1997.
After promoting the self-titled album, longtime drummer Rob Kurth left the band in early 1998. To finish out the touring cycle for the self-titled album, the band replaced Kurth with Jose Medeles, who was out with them on a co-headlining US tour with the Reverend Horton Heat band, before taking a break to write and record their next album. After 25 different drummers were auditioned to replace Kurth, the band finally found Pete Parada. After the release of two more albums, Ignorance Is Bliss (1999) and Reactionary (2000), Yaro departed from Face to Face in 2001. Instead of hiring a replacement for him, the band decided to continue as a three piece.
After the release of one more album, How to Ruin Everything (2002), Face to Face decided to call it quits, and embarked on a farewell tour in 2004. The band released a holiday song "Merry Xmas" on the 2004 Kevin and Bean album Christmastime in the 909. After breaking up, Keith had been active in the mashup group Legion of Doom, among other bands such as Shiflett's brainchild Viva Death and a solo project called Pablum. Yaro had been missing from the public eye after his 2001 departure from Face to Face. After leaving Saves the Day, Parada joined The Offspring in 2007, replacing Atom Willard, During the recording of their new studio album at the time.
After a four-year hiatus, Face to Face reunited in January 2008 for select shows in the US and internationally. In April of that year, they performed together for the first time since breaking up at The Glasshouse in Pomona, California, and have continued to perform numerous live venues since. The band released Laugh Now, Laugh Later'', their first album in 9 years, on May 17, 2011.
Studio albums YearTitle Comments 1992 Don't Turn Away Label: Dr Strange Records Formats: CD, Vinyl LP, CassetteDebut studio album. Re-released in 1993 by Fat Wreck Chords. 1995 Big Choice Label: Victory Music Formats: CD, Vinyl LP, CassetteRe-released in 1995 by A&M Records, marking Face to Face's first release on a major label. First album recorded with Chad Yaro on guitar, and last album recorded with Matt Riddle on bass. 1996 Face to Face Label: A&M Records Released: September 10, 1996 Formats: CD, Vinyl LP, CassetteFirst release on A&M Records. First album with Scott Shiflett on bass, and last album with Rob Kurth on drums. 1999 Ignorance Is Bliss Label: Beyond Music Released: July 27, 1999 Formats: CD, Cassette TapeFirst album with Pete Parada on drums. 1999 Standards & Practices Label: Vagrant Records Formats: CD, Cassette TapeCovers album. This album was recorded at the same time as Ignorance Is Bliss and self-released at the same time. It was re-released in 2001 on Vagrant Records. The UK version includes 2 bonus tracks. 2000 Reactionary Label: Vagrant Records Released: June 6, 2000 Formats: CD, Vinyl LPLast album recorded with Yaro on guitar. 2002 How to Ruin Everything Label: Vagrant Records Released: April 9, 2002 Formats: CD, Vinyl LPFinal album before disbanding. The only Face to Face album thus far recorded without Yaro since Don't Turn Away. 2011 Laugh Now, Laugh Later Released: May 17, 2011 Label: People Like You Records Formats: CD, LP, Digital DownloadFirst album since their reunion. First album with Yaro on guitar in 11 years. 2013 Three Chords and a Half Truth Released: April 9, 2013 Label: Rise Records Formats: CD, LP, Digital DownloadLast album recorded with Yaro 2016 Protection Released: March 4, 2016 Label: Fat Wreck Chords Formats: CD, LP, Digital DownloadFirst Album recorded with Dennis Hill on guitar2020Standards & Practices, Vol. II Released: October 16, 2020 Label: Antagonist Formats: LP, Digital Download Covers album 2021 No Way Out But Through Released: September 10, 2021 Label: Fat Wreck Chords Formats: CD, LP, Digital Download
Live albums YearTitle Comments 1995 Combat Zone Label: Unofficial Release Format: CDLive from Philadelphia. Soundboard recording. 1998 Live Label: Vagrant Records Format: CDRecorded live in Los Angeles in September 1997.2019Live in a Dive Released: October 18, 2019 Label: Fat Wreck Chords Format: CD, LP Part of the Live in a Dive series
EPs YearTitle Comments 1994 Over It Label: Victory Music Format: CD, 10-inch vinyl 1994 Split w/Horace Pinker Label: Rhetoric Records Format: 7-inch vinylSplit EP with Horace Pinker. 1996 Econo Live Label: Vagrant Records. Format: 10-inch vinyl 1999 So Why Aren't You Happy? Format: CDReissued as bonus tracks on Ignorance Is Bliss 2002 Split w/Dropkick Murphys Label: Vagrant Records Format: CDSplit EP with Dropkick Murphys. 2011 Split w/Rise Against Label: Folsom Records Format: 7-inch vinylSplit EP with Rise Against. 2012 All For Nothing Label: Antagonist / People Like You Records Format: 10-inch vinyl 2013 The Other Half Label: Rise Records Format: 10-inch vinylSpecial release for Record Store Day.
Compilation albums YearTitle Comments 2001 Everything Is Everything Label: Kung Fu Records Released: 2001 Format: CD, DVD2005Shoot the Moon: Essential Collection Label: Antagonist Records Released: November 1, 2005 Format: CDReleased after Face to Face's Break Up.2018Hold Fast: Acoustic Sessions Released: July 27, 2018 Label: Fat Wreck Chords Formats: CD, LP, Digital Download Acoustic studio album with new version of previously released songs.2020 Standards & Practices, Vol II Released: October 17, 2020 Label: Antagonist Records Formats: CD, LP, Digital Download Covers album.
Singles Year Title Album Music video? 1992 "No Authority" Don't Turn Away No 1993 "Disconnected" Don't Turn Away Yes1995“A-OK”Big ChoiceNo 1995 "Debt" Big Choice Yes 1996 "Paint It Black" Non-album track No 1996 "I Won't Lie Down" Face to Face Yes1996“Ordinary”Face to FaceNo1998“Blind”Face to Face No 1999 "God Is a Man" Ignorance Is Bliss Yes 2000 "Disappointed" Reactionary Yes 2002 "The New Way" How to Ruin Everything Yes 2011 "It's Not All About You" Laugh Now, Laugh Later Yes 2013 "Right As Rain" Three Chords And A Half Truth Yes 2016 "Bent But Not Broken" Protection Yes 2016 "Double Crossed" Protection Yes2021"No Way Out But ThroughNo Way Out But ThroughNo2021"Farewell Song"No Way Out But ThroughNo
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