It’s really nice to have a definitive end to something, a bow on the package if you will. To be completely truthful though this playlist was the first one I created for the fictional band from Indiana. I imagined what a final concert from a prolific band would look like if they decided to play one song from each album. Of course I’ve updated and changed the playlist as I worked my way through creating a fictional discography but still the spark was here, and I can only hope it’s brought you a little of the joy it’s brought to me. The Final Concert For their last concert No Name Face decided to try something different and special. Although the lineup for their farewell tour had consisted of Andrew Webb on vocals and bass, Alexander Gramm on keys, guitar, and vocals, Steven Franks on lead guitar and vocals, and drummer Denny Owens they decided to mix it up on the final show.
First they decided to play one song from every album in reverse chronological order. Second every member who had ever been part of the band made an appearance during the songs they had been a part of. Finally during the second to last song all the members made an appearance singing and playing their respective instruments. Ultimately the show ended up being a celebration of everything they had done as a band, and what a fine celebration it was. Andrew Webber – Vocals, Bass, Drums Steven Franks – Guitar, Vocals Alexander Gramm – Vocals, Keys, Guitar Denny Owens – Drums Nathan Turner – Vocals Jeff Newsworth – Keys, Vocals George Packard – Guitar, Piano, Vocals Chris Peltz – Vocals, Drums Greg Wise – Vocals
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I love “One last …” stories. It’s an opportunity for the book series, tv show, etc. to take one last look at the journey the characters have been on and wrap up any loose story threads. I especially love it when musical artists do this, “Give Us Rest” by davidcrowder*band and “Abbey Road” by The Beatles both come to mind as excellent examples of an artist knowing their story was coming to an end and giving us one last hurrah. I hope you guys have enjoyed this story and enjoy the last studio album from No Name Face. Goodbye After years of exhaustive touring No Name Face once again imploded, though this time in a much more amicable manner. Jeff Newsworth and Nathan Turner left to pursue other projects and spend more time with family respectively. This left lone original member Andrew Webber and relatively new guitarist Steven Franks as the only remaining members of the band.
Andrew talked to David Moon about maybe doing one last album, for old times’ sake. Moon agreed and helped recruit old band mates Alexander Gramm and Denny Owens for the project. With members spanning every iteration of the band they went into the studio for one last time. The good news was after years of rest and therapy Andrew’s voice was finally back in singing condition and he gleefully stepped to the microphone strapped with his old bass with addition vocal contributions from Alexander Gramm, Steve Franks and Chris Peltz. Everyone hit on all cylinders during the recording, and even though this exact lineup had never played together there was still a sense of comradery and adventure that had been missing from the past several albums. After recording they hit the road for one last tour. Andrew Webber – Vocals, Bass, Keys Steven Franks – Vocals, Guitar Alexander Gramm – Vocals, Guitar, Keys, Programming Denny Owens – Drums
How do you know when something has outlived its usefulness? Is such a thing even possible? For this group of guys the shot in the arm that was their band reboot could realistically only last so long and the loss of a core member of the group only adds to the feeling of things winding down. Maybe that's why the new songs seemed to allude to the afterlife and better places even as they decided to go back into the studio and see what could be done with the present. Light From A Distant Shore The next few years after the release of “Life Is Beautiful” went by at a dizzying pace. While concert and album sales were nowhere near as strong as during their peak they were still strong enough to financially support the band and keep them going at a steady pace.
However at the end of one particularly grueling tour longtime guitarist George Packard announced he was ready to retire and spend more time with his family which moved Steven Franks up to the role of lead guitar. Additionally this was the first time Webber had written for an album without input from Packard leading him to rely much more heavily on the rest of the band. The result was a much more experimental offering with David Moon making his normal appearance in the studio but offering very little input. With another record finished the band went back to touring, which for the first time felt a little more like work. Nathan Turner – Vocals Steven Franks – Guitar, Vocals Jeff Newsworth – Keys, Programming, Vocals Andrew Webber – Drums
Sometimes at the right moment at the right time, the right people come into our lives. For our group of guys looking for relevance in a time when they feel past their expiration date the right people come in the form of a new bass player and keyboard player. Two young kids that give the guys that spark they were looking for to continue going along. Not only that but it turns out they are able to find a new younger audience as well as remnants of their old fan base at their shows. Life may not be perfect but it’s certainly beautiful. Life Is Beautiful After a few smaller shows with their new lead singer Nathan Turner the band found that they did indeed still have fans willing to show up to see them play, albeit in much smaller groups than during their heyday. Invigorated the band bolstered their numbers with the addition of keyboardist/background vocalist Jeff Newsworth and bass player/sometimes lead vocalist Steven Franks.
After a round of successful touring in support of "Starting Over" and an encouraging number of sales the group returned to the studio with the ever faithful David Moon close behind. The ensuing album stands as an updated more polished version of the band with all band members pitching in ideas but Andy Webber having the loudest voice, even if he was now in the non-singing role of full time drummer. Only time would tell if No Name Face 3.0 would go the distance. Nathan Turner – Vocals George Packard – Guitars, Vocals Steven Franks – Bass, Vocals Jeff Neworth – Keys, Vocals Andrew Webber – Drums
The reboot, the band 2.0 (or in this bands case 3.0), the time when the band not only changes lead singers but also their musical identity. Genesis, Petra, newsboys (twice), all bands who changed things up and still succeeded in remaining relevant and in some cases superseding the popularity of their previous incarnations. Let’s see what happens with our fictional band as they go through a similar metamorphosis. Starting Over Shortly after the tour for "Love" had abruptly ended due to interpersonal conflict No Name Face imploded. The dream was dead and the members quietly went their separate ways. However four years later Andrew Webber got an idea, why not restart the band? His voice was in no shape to sing but this wouldn't be the first time the band had switched lead singers, and last time it led more success than they had ever dreamed.
A quick call to George Packard later and the two were on the hunt for a new lead singer. Soon they found independent artist Nathan Turner who could seemingly make his voice mimic any era of the band and went into the studio with longtime friend David Moon for a test run of sorts (Alex Gramm and Chris Peltz both declined the invitation to join them). The results were 8 re-recordings from throughout their catalog and two new tracks that everyone agreed felt appropriate for the new iteration of the band. Now all that was left to find out was if they could still put on a show, and if they still had a fan base willing to show up. Nathan Turner – Vocals George Packard – Guitar, Keys, Vocals David Moon – Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Mandolin, String Arrangements Andrew Webber – Drums, Guitar
We all know this story. I think The Beatles codified the trope of a band breaking down during the making of an album but it’s something that’s been repeated over and over again throughout the years. But the interesting thing is I don’t think these bands necessarily know their breaking down in the moment, rather they are more than not just trying to make the best piece of work they can in the moment. Meanwhile we are on the outside feeling the tension, having 20/20 hindsight, and able to see exactly where everything is going. Love During the "Other Side Tour" singer Andy Webber's voice finally failed him, leaving him unable to sing mid-tour. Not daring to break stride the band decided to move Andy back to the drum kit and put Chris Peltz front and center, complimented and sometimes lead by members Alex Gramm and George Packard. The shakeup did little detour the band and by the time they rolled back home they were ready to record another album with Chris in particular energized by his new role as frontman. However the new band dynamics led to some infighting between members and recording sessions were tense. Additionally the band had opted to have a different producer on every track in order to spice up their sound and the extra people in the room just added to the distress.
While the album featured songs from all four members and vocals from Alexander, George, and Chris, it was Chris' voice that was most prominent on the album. The cohesion that had carried the group dynamic previously was crumbling and by the time the tour for the album had started the writing was on the wall, the band was facing the end, maybe for good this time. Chris Peltz – Vocals Alexander Gramm – Vocals, Keys, Guitar, Programming George Packard – Vocals, Guitar, Keys, Programming Andrew Webber – Drums, Keys, Programming
After you’ve conquered the world where do you go next? Also the question inevitably becomes, how long can it all last? For the boys in fiction land this become the moment where they knocked some stuff off their personal bucket lists (play to their biggest crowd, record at a legendary studio) but otherwise they just kept doing what they had always done. However beneath it all tensions began to brew as they inevitably do, and time began to play it’s cruel game on members. It would only be a matter of time till this moment came to an end but until that time they would enjoy what they had. Around The World No Name Face were on top of the world, and touring said world while they were at it. While traveling through Europe the band were asked by their record label if they would like to record at legendary Abbey Road studios. They emphatically said yes and were given a week to record whatever they wanted completely self-produced with the only other people in the studio being a staff engineer.
While the record label undoubtedly expected them to just make re-recordings of their current catalog and maybe a couple covers the band instead chose to record an entire album. Made up of leftovers from their previous albums and songs they had been working on while on the road the band was able to bang out the skeleton of an album in that one week. They finished the tracks while on the road and through long distance collaborations with David Moon. The album contains the first time George Packard was featured on lead vocals (and piano) as well as even more contributions from Chris Peltz and Alexander Gramm. Although the album was more sentimental than the group was generally known for it still sold well, but for those who were paying attention the deteriorating vocals of Andrew Webber indicated changes for the band were once again on the horizon. Andrew Webber – Vocals, Bass Chris Peltz – Vocals, Drums George Packard – Vocals, Guitar, Keys, Piano Alexander Gramm – Guitar, Keys, Vocals
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