Face is an American
a cappella group from
Boulder, Colorado. Formed by Joseph DiMasi and Ben Lunstad in 2002, they made their first national appearances as one of the eight original groups on NBC's premiere season of "
The Sing-Off
''The Sing-Off'' was an American television singing competition featuring a cappella groups. It debuted on NBC on December 14, 2009, and was produced by Sony Pictures Television and Outlaw Productions, with Mark Burnett's One Three Media (for a ...
" in 2009. They are a two-time National Audience Favorite and two-time runner-up at the National Finals of
Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival (2005 and 2007), and the runner-up for Favorite Pop/Rock Group at the
Contemporary A Cappella Society's Community Awards (2007). Face has also garnered numerous local awards including Best Local Band by The Denver Channel's A-List Awards (2013), Best Local Musician by Boulder Weekly's Best of Boulder Awards (2009) and third-place for Best Local Band by The Denver Channel's A-List Awards (2009).
History
The idea for Face grew out of a university a cappella experience. Both Ben Lunstad and Joseph DiMasi had formed and performed with undergraduate a cappella groups. They met in grad school in 2000 at the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...
in Boulder while singing with CU's In The Buff. Deciding that In The Buff wasn't exactly what they were looking for, Ben and DiMasi co-founded the award-winning Extreme Measures.
The success of Extreme Measures attracted bass J Forest Kelly and the core of Face began to form. Once they graduated, they began seeking members to fill out Face. It would be two years before the group was fully formed. Many of the group members were found by friends of friends. Mark Megibow had been performing since he was 6 years old but was in the midst of a 7-year hiatus until he got the call from DiMasi asking him to audition. During this time, the group included John Lawrence, Michael Daehnick, and Cody Qualls.
In 2003, Ryan Driver was introduced to the group. He added his voice and successful arrangements to the group as well as his longtime friend, Steven Ross. 2004 was a big year for Face. Ryan Driver, called Driver by his friends and fans, took a year to tour with the east coast's
Almost Recess and later that year, Joseph left the group for other endeavors. In addition, Jayson Throckmorton was introduced to the group by more friends of friends and has impressed his fans with his tenor.
By 2005 the group had jelled. They saw success in the
Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival as well as other competitions. In the years to come they competed in
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
and
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, performed for
Jimmy Buffett and numerous politicians at the
Bohemian Grove
Bohemian Grove is a restricted 2,700-acre (1,100 ha) campground at 20601 Bohemian Avenue, in Monte Rio, California, United States, belonging to a private San Francisco–based gentlemen's club known as the Bohemian Club. In mid-July each year, ...
, provided on-stage vocal accompaniment for
Ballet Nouveau Colorado's
contemporary ballet production ''face.2.face'', performed in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, and are currently performing 80-90 times a year.
[Best of Boulder](_blank)
/ref>
Between 2006 and 2011 Face continued to rock the local and national stage. They were featured on two national television programs the ''Sing Off'' and ''America's Got Talent'' and touched crowds from San Francisco to Chicago, from Dallas to Detroit and Minneapolis. In late 2011 Face released their fourth album, ''I Hear the Bells'' at their 10-year anniversary concert held at the Paramount Theatre in Denver.
2012 was a tumultuous year for face with many periodic changes in the band's performing line up. Stephen Ross suffered a vocal injury and was out for August and September, while Jayson Throckmorton made an official exit from the group in early June. Former member Cody Qualls, who had exited previously in 2007, stepped in for Jayson's absence. By September of that same year, Face announced that Qualls would be returning as a permanent member of Face.
In December 2013, an ice storm in Dallas/Fort Worth cancelled numerous flights, including Face's who had been in Texas for a performance. They entertained other delayed passengers by walking through the concourse singing Christmas carols. Their sound man, Jeremy, taped them singing, and uploaded it to YouTube. As a result, Face was featured on Headline News, the Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
and ABC World News
''ABC World News Tonight'' (titled ''ABC World News Tonight with David Muir'' for its weeknight broadcasts since September 2014) is the flagship daily evening television news program of ABC News, the news division of the American Broadcasting ...
with Diane Sawyer
Lila Diane Sawyer (; born December 22, 1945) is an American television broadcast journalist known for anchoring major programs on two networks including ''ABC World News Tonight'', ''Good Morning America'', ''20/20'', and ''Primetime'' newsmagaz ...
.
As of 2014, Face has released five CDs and one live concert Blu-ray/DVD.
In January 2016, co-founder Ben Lunstad did one last farewell show, and officially left Face. As of now, Face is not looking for a sixth member and will be continuing to perform with their five remaining members.
America's Got Talent
In 2008, Face auditioned for America's Got Talent, getting before the celebrity judges, including David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on ''The You ...
, however, they were eliminated and their segment never aired.[Longmont Times-Call interview]
The Sing Off
Face are featured on the NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
television program The Sing-Off
''The Sing-Off'' was an American television singing competition featuring a cappella groups. It debuted on NBC on December 14, 2009, and was produced by Sony Pictures Television and Outlaw Productions, with Mark Burnett's One Three Media (for a ...
, which premiered on December 14, 2009. Face was selected amongst hundreds of groups to compete. Having made it that far, Face performed "Living on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi and while the judges were impressed that they could "rock without instruments," it was not enough to keep them on the show. In particular, their lack of an upper range ultimately led to their elimination in the first round.
According to ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''
::Face delivered a pretty tasty rendition of the Bon Jovi anthem... How could these guys get the heave-ho, especially given that a whole other religious college is also represented in the final eight and that they had such a swell back story? One of the member’s wives couldn’t go through a pregnancy because of cancer, so the wife of another member carried the embryo for her.
Performances & Results
Members
All of the men in Face are employed with full-time jobs and most have families.
* Cody Qualls- Cody is a Vocal Coach, Songwriter, nationally recognized Master of Ceremonies and the director of The Whole Body Singing Studio. He is married with two sons and a daughter. [
]
* J Forest Kelly - Forest is a massage therapist in Boulder, Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
. He is married with one son.[Meet Face](_blank)
/ref>
* Mark Megibow - Mark works with Jewish teens and does leadership seminars. He is married with one son.
* Stephen Ross - Stephen is a music teacher at Skyline High School in Longmont
The City of Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder and north-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.
Longmont' ...
, Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
, U.S.A. He is married with one daughter.
* Ryan Driver - Driver is an entrepreneur and owns his own ice cream shop. He is also apprenticing as a recording engineer at Sonic Audio Productions in Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
.
Awards and Accolades
Best Local Band/Musician
A Cappella Music Awards Quintet of the Year 2019
A Cappella Music Awards Male Vocalist of the Year 2019 (Cody Qualls)
A Cappella Music Awards Beatboxer/Vocal Percussionist of the Year 2019 (Mark Megibow)
Boulder Weekly's "Best of Boulder" Reader Survey 2015
Yellow Scene Magazine's "Best of the West" 2015
Boulder Weekly's "Best of Boulder" Reader Survey 2014
The Denver Channel's A-List Awards 2013
Boulder Weekly's "Best of Boulder" Reader Survey 2009
Best Band That Plays the 'Burbs
Yellow Scene's "Best of the West" 2008-2009
Audience Favorite
Harmony Sweepstakes National Finals 2007 [Harmony Sweepstakes 2007](_blank)
/ref>
Harmony Sweepstakes Rocky Mountain Regional 2007
Harmony Sweepstakes National Finals 2005
/ref>
Harmony Sweepstakes Rocky Mountain Regional 2005
/ref>
Harmony Sweepstakes Rocky Mountain Regional 2004
Harmony Sweepstakes Rocky Mountain Regional 2003
National Runner-Up
Harmony Sweepstakes National Finals 2007
Harmony Sweepstakes National Finals 2005
Best Arrangement
Ben Lunstad, "O Fortuna" - Harmony Sweepstakes National Finals 2007
Ryan Driver, "Home" - Harmony Sweepstakes Rocky Mountain Regional 2007
Ryan Driver, "Harder To Breathe" - Harmony Sweepstakes Rocky Mountain Regional 2005
Favorite Rock/Pop Group Runner-Up
Contemporary A Cappella Society Community Awards 2007
Regional Champions
Harmony Sweepstakes Rocky Mountain Regional 2005, 2007
Best Stage Presentation
Harmony Sweepstakes Rocky Mountain Regional 2007
Best Soloist
Ryan Driver - Harmony Sweepstakes Rocky Mountain Regional 2007
Regional Runner-Up
Harmony Sweepstakes Rocky Mountain Regional 2003
Discography
* Wake Up (2004)
* Forward (2006)
* Momentum (2009)
* I Hear the Bells (2011)
* How Was the Show (2013)
* This Is the Season (2014) - live concert Blu-ray/DVD
* Connections (2015) - recorded live during a European concert tour
* Big Time (2017) - broke the record for most CDs sold during a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater
References
External links
*{{Official website, http://www.FaceVocalBand.com
Musical groups from Colorado
America's Got Talent contestants
A cappella musical groups