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Face Dancer Biography

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A band whose music and history are both fraught with contradictions, Face Dancer germinated their seeds at the University of Rhode Island circa 1974, but would ultimately lay down roots in Washington, D.C., where they found a much larger college rock scene eager to watch their vast and often conflicting influences bloom. These influences ranged from the blue-collar toughness of classic hard rock to the artsy ambitions of progressive rock (in fact, their name was inspired by Frank Herbert's Dune books -- not some base sexual reference…well, maybe both), and the chart-oriented hooks of power pop. Multiple lineup changes and countless two-bit gigs eventually paved the way to a contract with Capitol Records, sending bandmembers Carey Kress (vocals), Jeff Adams (lead guitar), David Utter (rhythm guitar), Scott McGinn (bass), and Bill Trainor (drums) out to Los Angeles to record their first album, This World, with experienced producer Richie Wise (Kiss, Savoy Brown, etc.). The resulting songs managed to quote everyone from Bad Company to Cheap Trick to Queen to the Knack to the Bay City Rollers and even the Beatles, but despite climbing to number 35 on the Billboard charts, none of the album's singles latched on to radio airwaves nationwide. Capitol Records also seemed unsure as to how to market such an eclectic band, which would lose both Kress and Utter shortly after recording its sophomore LP, About Face, in 1980, before soldiering on with new singer and keyboard player Mike Milsap. All this was to no avail, though, and after being dropped by Capitol and alienating their Baltimore-area faithful with a softer new direction, Face Dancer finally ground to a halt by 1983. A patchwork lineup would reassemble in 1990 to record an independent (and extremely rare) third album entitled Midnite Raid, and another still produced 2003's Alive concert document, but, like Face Dancer's sporadic on-stage reunions over the years, these have attracted the attention of only a small cadre of fans, mostly dating back to the unfulfilled promise of their Capitol Records early days. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi

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