Northern Faces

About Northern Faces

ORIGIN Albany, NY
GENRE Alternative
FORMED 2012

MEMBERS:
Bryan Shortell - Vocals, Guitar
Marco Testa - Vocals, Guitar
Matt Ippolito - Bass

Settling into an official lineup in 2012, Northern Faces are an Albany, New York-based indie rock group taking influence from British and American trad rock. With Bryan Shortell and Marco Testa on vocals and guitars, Matt Ippolito on bass, and Mike Ryan on drums, they put out their debut EP, Southern Places, in 2013. Featuring production by Casey Bates (Portugal. The Man, Emarosa), their first full-length, Northern Faces, arrived in 2015 on Equal Vision Records. Mark McKenna had replaced Ryan as drummer by the time of its release. Officially down to the trio of Shortell, Testa, and Ippolito, they returned in the spring of 2017 with the shimmering single "Messin' with Me" from their sophomore LP. ~ Marcy Donelson

“It feels great to sign to Equal Vision Records,” explains Northern Faces’ Bryan Shortell. “We’ve been working hard for a very long time, and there’s a huge feeling of validation when you sign to a label as awesome as EVR. Knowing that there is a team of people that believe in our music enough to invest their blood, sweat and tears into forwarding our career is humbling and something we’ll never take for granted.”

He continues, “After we finished tracking the songs for our EP, we sent over some rough mixes, and turns out, everybody was really excited about them. One thing led to another, and after a few meetings with everyone, it was obvious that EVR was the perfect home for Northern Faces. Not only is the whole team incredible, but they’ve released countless records we grew up listening to and have signed some of our favorite bands (Portugal. The Man, The Snake The Cross The Crown, etc.)”

The band features Shortell and Marco Testa on vocals and guitars, and Matt Ippolito on bass. After solidifying their lineup in early 2012 the band headed to an isolated cabin in Vermont to begin writing their debut effort. Free of technology and other daily distractions, the band wrote the six songs that comprise their impressive debut EP, Southern Places. The EP was released through Equal Vision Records March 5, 2013 and is available through MerchNOW.com.

The band followed the successful EP with an even more impressive full-length, the self-titled ‘Northern Faces’, released April 21, 2015. With singles ‘Cops Come’ and ‘Wait Wait Wait’ Northern Faces has created a proven brand of earnest pop-rock which earned them both an avid fan base and critical acclaim.

The band released the single ‘Messin With Me’, May 12, 2017 and has wrapped up an early summer support tour with Electric Six.

“The only thing we want people to take away from our music is a feeling. It doesn’t matter what it is. The best music makes you actually feel something. It can be any shade of color on the emotional spectrum, but that’s what makes a good song,” elaborates Shortell. “If someone can listen to our record or see us live and be affected by it in some way, then in my book, we’re doing something right.”

Northern Faces’ played their first show opening for The Kooks and Royal Teeth in early 2012 and have since shared stages with the likes of Electric Guest, Civil Twilight, Futurebirds, and Heartless Bastards.

“Our live shows are our pride and joy,” the band reveals. “We take a lot of pride in trying to put on a show that leaves a lasting impression on the audience. We’ll be incorporating some new instruments into our live show that we’ve never used before, and we’re working on some really cool alternate versions of songs to play live. It’s our natural habitat. The stage really is our home.”