Band founded in Oakland, California, USA in 2004.


FACING NEW YORK may face New York, but the band was born in the San Francisco Bay Area. Singer and guitarist Eric FREDERIC and keyboardist Rene CARRANZA's band of Locale A.M. joined with Tragedy Andy's guitarist Matthew FAZZI and drummer Omar CUELLAR in 2004, adding bassist Brandon CANCHOLA to form the band. FACING NEW YORK released an EP and did some touring before attracting the attention of indie label Five One Records. By summer of 2005, the band had released a self-titled debut.

But in 2006, CARRENZA left the band, forcing FAZZI and FREDERIC to split keyboard duties. And in 2007, FAZZI left too, forcing the band to continue as a trio. Their second full length album, Get Hot, was releasing in 2008.

Musically, FACING NEW YORK has a grungy Dadaist streak that has drawn comparisons to The Mars Volta, but the band can frequently fall into a relaxed post-rock groove. The group has said it draws influence from alternative rock contemporaries, like My Morning Jacket, as well as classic bands like Yes, Led Zeppelin and Gentle Giant. More recently, the band has claimed influence from the madcap grooves of Funkadelic and the easy jazz of Steely Dan.