Face Vocal Band comes to Niwot with one of Cody Qualls last performances

Face Vocal Band, the beloved a cappella band that has been featured on both local stages and in venues as elevated as Carnegie Hall, Red Rocks, The Broncos' Empower Field, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, is coming back to Rock & Rails. This year's concert comes during a time of change for the band, as longtime member Cody Qualls prepares to step away later this month. We talked to the band's percussionist/beatboxing master Mark Megibow about the band, current changes, some of their favorite concerts, and what they enjoy about playing in Niwot.

Q: Great to talk to you Mark. I know you've got a lot of fans in the area who are excited about your upcoming performance at Rock & Rails.

MM: Thanks. Yeah, we're based in Boulder County and it continues to be our home. I think we've been playing at Rock & Rails for something like 15-plus years. It's one that gets a big circle around our calendar because we know it's going to be shoulder-to-shoulder people who aren't just sitting there but will be dancing.

Q: It's a full crowd, isn't it?

MM: It gets so full. We will be singing in the round, so to speak, because there will be people surrounding that could be on all sides. In fact, I think the providers of the audio equipment bring speakers to point out the back as well, just knowing that there will be people completely surrounding that stage. And then the energy is always over the top.

Q: Do you have any songs you're planning? What can people expect to hear when they come?

MM: I think we'll play some of the newer songs that we've been working on, actually an old song called Inside Out. And you know, when we do the outdoor concert, we focus mostly on our upbeat stuff and our danceable music because that's what people want to hear.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about the background of Face? How did it get to be the band we know today?

MT: So origins of the band name the original members. Most of them sang together in college a cappella at CU Boulder. They didn't necessarily all sing together, but they knew of each other. But there were two guys, in particular, who wanted to try it professionally after graduating. And they invited people they knew to audition. I heard about the auditions from a friend to a friend even though I wasn't originally from here. Forest [J. Forrest Kelly] and I are the only two original members still in the band. And I think we call 2001 our official starting year.

Q: And Cody has announced his retirement?

MM: Yes. This will be one of his last performances with us. He's got a really full family life and I think that as we've started getting busy again, and he decided he would rather focus on his own projects, but at not quite the same pace as what we are trying to get. So he is stepping aside with our blessing, and we will have a big, sort of farewell concert, on Saturday, the 13th at the Arvada Center.

Q: At this point in the band's history, looking back, what are some of your most memorable concerts? And yes, I know that's a tough question.

MM: One that always rises to the top for many of us, is an opportunity to compete on one of NBC's top-rated shows, The Sing Off. We had the distinction of being the first band ever to be cut from the show. No one can take that away from us. It's our badge of honor (laughs).

But, we were able to book The Boulder Theater just days after coming off The Sing Off. Tickets sold out in, like, 45 minutes. And when we came out on that stage, that packed theater gave us the love. It never stopped. That memory will live on in all of our hearts as being one of the greatest moments.

Q: Wow. That's quite a story. No one has quite given me that response before. Thank you.

Now can you tell me what one of your most memorable performances at Rock & Rails has been?

MM: Sure. It had to be one of the times we were playing with Cody. And he was just getting the dance floor more and more packed up to the front, packed together. Everyone was so close. And for our last song, Cody was able to Stage dive and crowd-surf their pictures. There's proof.

Q: What a great memory.

MM: It was.

Q: So, we're looking forward to having you at Rock & Rails. It will be a fantastic night.

MM: It will. We can't wait.