Facing New York formed in early 2004, comprised of friends and ex-members of ex-bands wanting to play ex-music together. After recording two EPs and touring ferociously all year, they returned home to the reality of being “working musicians” in the Fall of 2004.
Without jobs, without a way to make end’s meet, Facing New York began writing and rehearsing material for their first full length record. They found themselves with no freedom other than to write about what was on their minds: survival. As the year went on, the record began to chronicle their own travels more and more.
To ensure this recording would accurately display every tiny detail the band was beginning to obsess over, they took an advised-against, risk-taking, decisive step to engineer and produce their own album. It was a conscious decision to make a record that
would comfortably find it’s own sound, and it’s own feel. The group also decided to track the album in a live fashion, with all the members standing in one room, smiling, laughing, and making music all at once.
Now complete, the album stands as a testament to the entire last year of their lives. It can also be considered a tribute to the masses of 20-somethings, trying to find themselves, trying to find love, and trying to find enough change in the couch to make rent.
The original five members formed from mutual bands from the Bay Area scene. Omar Cuellar and Matt Fazzi left their band, Tragedy Andy, to pursue a new musical direction, while Eric Frederic and Rene Carranza's band, Locale A.M., had recently disbanded. Eric continued to write music and along with Rene, the two began to jam with Matt Fazzi. Omar was then invited into the project and the four then began Facing New York.
Brandon Canchola was the first bass player auditioned and was soon added, completing the line up.
The band then immediately began to tour extensively over the next year, gaining a reputation for their inventive sound and style with intense and energetic live performances.
In early 2004, the group participated in the Vans Warped Tour 2004 on select dates. There, they went on to sell more than 5000 copies of the self-released EP, Swimming Not Treading, pushing around 500 copies a day. The band not only gained a wide new fan base from amongst concert goers, but from also the headliners that they shared the stage with.[1]
After the final tours were over, the members returned to San Francisco in late 2004, out of work. So they immediately began to write their first full-length and self-titled album, which was released on August 30, 2005.[2]
The band then set out on another tour to promote their new album. In March 2006, the band did a tour with fellow label mates, Eastern Youth, and then with Taking Back Sunday in the Western United States in April of the same year. The tour then lead them traveling as far as Japan, in early June 2006, to do a series of shows again with Eastern Youth and the Japanese indie rock group, toe. [3]
Then in July 2006, Rene Carranza stated he would be leaving the band to go back to school:
“ A message from Rene Carranza:
Ladies, gents, lovely friends, I've been looking all over the place for some intangible thing called balance, and I haven't found it. End vagueness now: I'm going back to UC Berkeley on August 22nd and the Facing New Yorks will proceed without me. The tour we're embarking on this week will be my last with the dudes, so if you miss these shows, you're missing a farewell of sorts (aside from the .peace-out, Rene. show tba).
It's a bitter-sweet departure, needless to say. We are on great terms, I love them and I'm pretty sure they love me, and we'd make it out if Matt didn't have a girlfriend. Or if Eric liked guys. I've had the privilege of playing with four phenomenally talented musicians and in the course of our comradeship we've grown together like a beard on a face and the hot-sauce that drips into it. Omar is the hot-sauce. Brandon's the solid. Matt's the love and Eric is my guy. I'm sad to leave the baby-Frankenstein I helped birth together, but I'm ecstatic about the possibilities of my new life. I will keep writing and playing music and will surely collaborate with one or two of four or five of the New Brunswicks (FNYs).
To the lovely homies who have come into my life via our touring (the Minnesotans, the Arizonians, Washingtonians, New Yorkers, Japanese, San Diegahns, and every Canadian who was ever born), I truly hope to see you again and I cherish the memories that have stuck; come hang out with me in Berkeley. Thanks for the support. F*** the world bank.
* Rene.[4]
”
Rene Carranza played his last show on September 1 in San Francisco, and the remaining members finished off the remainder of 2006 with a headling tour throughout the U.S., with friend and label mate, Gavin Castleton filling in.
In March 2007, the band participated in the [South by Southwest] music festival and has begun to write new material which they debut at the festival.
Matthew Fazzi played his final show with the band on April 19th, 2008 at San Francisco's Bottom of the Hill. The encore featured ex-bandmate Rene Carranza back again on keyboards for a dramatic finale. It was revealed on May 5th that Matt had joined Taking Back Sunday, after the departure of Fred Mascherino.
Currently, the band will release their second full-length release "Get Hot" which will be released October 14 2008. They have also decided to stay as a three piece group during the process.
OnMarch 2, 2009, Brandon left the group. Despite this, the remaining two fifths of FNY are continuing on.
The band has cited their influences as: Do Make Say Think, The Dismemberment Plan, Yes, Fela Kuti, The Police, Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan, The Beatles, Can, Gentle Giant, Sly and the Family Stone, Parliament/Funkadelic, anticon., The Neptunes, and My Morning Jacket.
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