Face to Face

Face to Face – Ignorance is Bliss vinyl reissue

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Antagonist Records has reissued the classic Face to Face album Ignorance is Bliss on vinyl (for the first time ever!) in celebration of its 20th anniversary.

Immediately controversial when it was released in 1999, Ignorance is Bliss caused a schism among Face to Face fans who were unprepared for the band’s change of direction.  Known for their snappy SoCal pop-punk sound, the band had entered the studio (with me as co-producer, engineer and mixer) intent on breaking out of that narrow niche.  We labored together at length (and at great expense to the band members themselves) to meticulously craft a bold, densely-layered, creatively produced hard rock album.  The backlash from fans was severe.

Over time, though, Ignorance is Bliss gained a devoted following as fans gradually rediscovered its artistic strengths.  To this day, a subset of Face to Face fans holds the album up as their very favorite.  Although it remains controversial, it has earned its status as a classic in their catalogue.

The vinyl reissue is available in three limited edition colorways direct from Antagonist, while stocks last.

Face to Face – Live / Trever Keith – Melancholics Anonymous vinyl reissues

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Two long-anticipated vinyl reissues (of records I worked on!) are now available from Antagonist Records.

The classic Face to Face album Live, originally released in 1998, has been repressed in a deluxe 20th anniversary double-LP edition, in three colors.  Visit the Antagonist Records site for details and ordering.

The live album was the first Face to Face record I worked on (following our anomalous remix collaboration for the Mortal Kombat: Annihilation soundtrack album), beginning a series of creative adventures with the band and its individual members that continues today (see Viva Death – Illuminate).

I mixed the tracks for Live, with Trever and Scott producing, at The Complex studios in West L.A.

For its 10th anniversary, Trever Keith’s 2008 solo album Melancholics Anonymous has been pressed on vinyl for the first time ever, in a limited orange vinyl edition with redesigned artwork.  Visit the Antagonist Records site for details and ordering.

Sonically and emotionally unrestrained, Melancholics Anonymous is considered by many Face to Face fans the successor to the band’s 1999 art rock masterpiece Ignorance is Bliss.  Trever’s distinctive melodic style and voice are in top form here, wrapped in rich layers of heavily effected guitars and drums, electric piano, vintage synths and drumboxes, and copious magnetic echo machines.

Trever and I co-produced the album, I did some drum programming, recorded in various studios in and around Los Angeles, and mixed at The Eye Socket.  Listen here:

Face to Face – Big Choice reissue

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My old pals face to face are celebrating 25+ years as a band with a ton of good stuff.  Their latest album Protection (released March 2016) marked their return to Fat Wreck Chords and has earned great reviews everywhere.  A new 7″ single from the album is coming out in May.  The band continues to tour all over, and in May and June of this year they will reprise their legendary 1996 “Econo Live” tour with a series of small club shows around the U.S.

The band’s classic first three albums have also received long-awaited vinyl and digital reissues through Fat Wreck, remastered by the outstanding Joe Gastwirt.  The second album Big Choice is a special case:  For the reissue, Trever and I remixed the entire album from the original multitrack master tapes.  The new mixes give the album a more honest sound, presenting the band’s performances straightforwardly and without the “studio polish” that adorned the original release.  (See below for more about this process.)

The Big Choice reissue is available on vinyl from the band’s official store, Fat Wreck, Amazon, and your local record shop.  It’s also on CD and digital from iTunes, Google Play, etc.

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New (old) photos added

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I’ve added a bunch of new photos to the site, including some recently discovered “lost” pics taken with my Lomo LC-A+ nearly ten years ago.  In an age of ubiquitous digital photography, these grainy film artifacts — from sessions at the Village and the Eye Socket with Jackson United and members of Face to Face — are a rare treat.

I’ve also added some (digital) photos from sessions at the BIRN studio in 2011 and 2012, and a few from some sessions back in California in 2009.

Have a look on the photos page.

Rise Against/Face to Face split 7-inch now available

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Rise Against/Face to Face split 7-inch

My old pals Face to Face have been busy. Their excellent new album Laugh Now, Laugh Later comes out May 17, with a big North American tour in support. Their Kickstarter project for a limited edition 180-gram colored vinyl edition (with artwork by renowned tattoo artist Corey Miller!) was a quick success, meeting its funding goal in short order. Copies are still available as of this writing. (To be clear: I was not involved in the recording of Laugh Now, Laugh Later — the first record they’ve made without me since the 1998 Live album!)

Meanwhile, the band have a split 7-inch single with Rise Against out May 10. Face to Face’s cover of “The Good Left Undone” (which I did record and mix) is backed with Rise Against’s cover of “Blind.” The limited edition colored vinyl single is available for pre-order right now (five bucks!) from Folsom Records.