Gameface

From 1991 through 2003, the band Gameface produced 14 releases featuring emotionally-driven punk rock that led listeners down the roads of heartache, friendships, relationships, and the minds of musicians finding their route through life. Fronted by songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Jeff Caudill, the band moved forward through their musical interests, sharing their sound with fans across the world in an era that saw the late days of the post-punk/hardcore movement and the early days of the movement that would eventually become known as "emo."
As the band progressed through the years fans found comfort in their clean style over releases such as Good and Three To Get Ready; and found maturity as the band moved through the era of Cupcakes and Every Last Time.
At the turn of the century Gameface's stylings would take another turn with the release of Always On, as the members found themselves addressing less adolescent minded themes and venture into lyric adulthood as they addressed everyday circumstances and happenings. In 2003 the band released their last record, Four to Go, on Doghouse Records and soon after the members called it quits and said goodbye to over a decade of brotherhood and to the music they created together through the years.
O.C. Powerpop
In the spring of 1991 Gameface released their first 7" recording, O.C. Powerpop, via Nemesis Records. The album was recorded and mixed in a single day at the South Coast Recording Studio in Santa Ana, California. The equipment wasn't up to par, and the fellas didn't know much about what they had to work with. The first pressing of the album was on green vinyl, while follow up pressings were on black vinyl.
Tracks on OC Powerpop included Puzzle, Just Last Night, Noticed Too Late, and Need.
Beach Chair
In fall of 1992 Gameface released "Home" via Network Sound. The two song 7"/Cassette Single featured tracks from the band's third demo tape, which also happened to be recoreded at the South Coast Recording Studio in Santa Ana, California.
While the audio mixes on the release weren't up to par for the boys; the two songs did wind up getting played over and over at shows, as they quickly became crowd favorites.
Songs on this release were Home and Beach Chair; and it was pressed on purple marble, clear, and black vinyl.
Good
Originally released in the fall of 1993, Gameface's Good would eventually be labeled as a classic by fans who kept with them over the years. Good was the first album that gained Gameface national exposure and the experience they received from it led to several additional outings.
The original release of Good had twelve tracks: Election Year, Only One, Organization, soap, Backwards, Common Ground, Scared, Friday Matinee, The Last Song, Retraction, Good, and a cover of the Diff'rent Strokes theme song. A 1999 rerelease from Dr. Strange Records also included the demo version of Retraction.
June
In the summer of 1995 Gameface was in the midst of working with Dr. Strange Records when the June 7"/CDEP was released. Featuring three songs the release would set the tone for the upcoming full length release "Three to Get Ready" which featured a maturing sound for the band.
Songs featured on June included A Day in June, Whatever Happened to Fun, and Thrift.
Three to Get Ready
In November of 1995 Gameface released Three to Get Ready, their second full-length studio recording.
Three to Get Ready followed a somber period of time as the boys lost a great friend and drummer Bob Binckley. Most of the songs had already been worked through on a four track, and it wasn't until they were joined by new drummer Phil Hanson that they stepped back into the studio to produce TTGR. There were two recording sessions, of which Jeff states that you can tell the difference in snare drum sounds; and there were a rumored four to five mixes of each song floating around before final versions were settled upon.
Tracks on the album were emotional, nostalgic, and charged with energy; and the album was beyond expectations -- as many a fan will dub the album their favorite. Gameface took the show on the road with Texas is the Reason following the release of TTGR. To this day you'll still see old school fans sporting "Unpunk" t-shirts and Goodwill logo hoodies.
Tracks on Three to Get Ready included Start Me Over, Ten Blue Sticks, Greentree, Guess What, Three, Only Chance We Get, June, Song, The Big Deal, Gibberish, Daylight Savings, Undone, Home, and a cover of Cyndi Lauper's Time after Time.
Cupcakes
After a two-year haitus from releases due to touring and backing up TTGR, Gameface released the Cupcakes EP in 1997. A three song 7" release, and five song CD release, Cupcakes continued Gameface's march to maturity with five emotionally charged songs with a bit of humor and somberness.
Phil wasn't quite fitting in as the drummer and the boys picked up Steve from Brown Lobster Tank and the fit just seemed right.
Cupcakes featured a cover of the Psycadelic Furs' tune House along with four other songs -- Cupcakes, Only Souvenir, Somebody Save This Boy, and Chasing the Sun. The 7" release only included Cupcakes, Only Souvenir, and House.
Reminder
December of 1998 saw the release of Reminder, a visit back to the early days of Gameface. Caudill finds the album to be more of a photobook than a release; as it shares early recordings, early versions, and it's a bit rough. Fans who loved the clean releases that came from the Good era through Cupcakes might have bit a bit turned off by the album; however hardcore listeners and individuals that had followed Gameface from their early years found a treat in visiting the past and Gameface's roots.
Every Last Time
In March of 1999 Gameface released their third full-length studio album, Every Last Time. With tracks such as "My Star" and "Everything I Do is Wrong," ELT continued Gameface's journey to maturity with more honest and heartfelt lyrics as well as the inclusion of a second guitar. The boys moved to a new studio, Grandmaster Recorders in Los Angeles, and brought aboard a new producer, Jim Monroe.
The recording of ELT was broke up into stages, unintentionally of course, and it took the better part of 1998 to complete the album.
ELT was released on Revelation Records, with the first 200 copies being pressed on clear vinyl. Songs included on the outing are as follows: The Pirate Song, Sweet Wreck, My Star, What I Learned in School, Shock Tester, Mean, The Easy Way, If You Want My Advice, Last of the Good Guys, Boy Wonder, Hey Radio, Everything I Do Is Wrong, Flying and Falling, and Mercury Dimes.
Jeff Gameface
In December of 1999 Jeff Caudill released Jeff Gameface, an acoustical collection four previously released Gameface tracks and a new track that would eventually appear on Always On.
Jeff Caudill recorded the album in Jim Monroe's garage (also known as Basura de Blanco, and later as the 3D House of Pancakes), and tried to keep the songs as intimite as possible. Jeff stated that many of Gameface songs started out in this manner, and it was his way of "bringing them back home."
Songs included on this release were: Somebody Save This Boy, Daylight Savings, Hey Radio, Friday Matinee, and Laughable.
What's Up Bro
In March of 2002 Gameface released three songs on a split CD EP with Errortype:11 on Revelation Records.
Following the release of ErrorType:11's Amplified to Rock the band had an extra song remaining and the boys asked Gameface if they'd be interested in doing a split release. As the relationship grew between the bands the boys in Gameface ran with the idea and as soon as they had a few new tunes ready they booked time at Revolver Recordings in Costa Mesa, California and finished up two new songs and a cover of a Tom Petty classic.
Gameface's offerings on the split were How Far is Goodbye?, Wartime Hero, and Change of Heart. Errortype:11's tracks included Ticket to Listen to Ride, a cover of I Got You, and Clan MacGregor.
Always On
On Halloween 2001 Gameface released Always On, their fourth full-length studio album and their second full-length offering on Revelation Records.
The songs featured on Always On continued to reflect the toll the years took on the band and its members, as the lyrical content and sound had matured even more since Every Last Time.
Caudill found the song writing process to be more challenging and more rewarding than his past outings, yet the recording process on the album felt more like work to the band, as personal lives started to take precedence over bandwork.
Always On featured a fully-tuned version of Laughable, and nine other songs: The Warmest Heart Attack, Angels on the Wing, Balance, Anyone Can Write a Song, New Landscaping, Robots, Accidental Clarity, The Problem With Me, and Awkward Age.
Feels A Lot Better
In August of 2001 Gameface released Feels A Lot Better ..gap Records as a UK-only release. It was recorded to coincide with their second European tour.
Featuring a collection of five songs, the release was a collection of some different sounding tunes, a couple of covers, and some acoustical leftovers.
Feels A Lot Better features the following tracks: Everyday I Write the Book (Elvis Costello), Sing Your Life (Morrissey), How Far Is October?, Angels on the Wing (Acoustic), and an untitled "song" that originally appeared on Jeff Caudill's "The Way Back."
Natural Selection
On June 3, 2003, Gameface released the five song CDEP Natural Selection.
Natural Selection features some of the band's favorite songs that were still being playing live at the time, which were recorded in their current state with changes that have occured over the eyars.
Natural Selection features the following tracks: Daylight Savings, Friday Matinee, How Far is October?, The Big Deal, Balance, and an extra video track featuring Laughable that has an extended acoustical introduction.
Four to Go
On August 12, 2003, Gameface released Four to Go, a 12-song album on Doghouse Records.
The writing process seemed to work better this time for the boys as all four of them worked together on its offerings, the recording process went on without a hitch as it was the first time the Gameface did a complete record via digital recording. Eric Stenmen offered his expertise during the process and guiding the boys through the recording sessions.
The tracks on the album continued Gameface's trend of adding maturity to their music with comparisons being made to personal lives, expectations, and life in general.
Tracks included on Four to Go are as follows: This Old House; Everybody; Four Chords, Seven Years; When You've Had Enough; The Word; Crash Course in Polite Conversation; Give Me Something Real; Stop Anytime; Rescue Mission; How Far is Goodbye; Don't Get Me Started; and A Test.