On Easter Sunday, while some  of us either ruined our teeth with chocolate eggs or contemplated the crucifixion story, Face To Face rehearsed their live set.

They’ve been doing it for many years — with noteable breaks involved — but walking out with a new album is a different statement for the band.  As they practice before hitting the road with their first new album in nine years, appropriately titled, Laugh Now, Laugh Later, Face to Face has turned a new corner.

The title was conceived by tattoo artist, Corey Miller, who worked in tandem with the band, creating imagery for the album while the members worked on new material. 

“It’s really a commentary on where we are as a band, and as people,” Keith explains. “Working so close with Corey, Laugh Now, Laugh Later was actually a phrase that he’d come up with. I just kind of capitalized on it and said, ‘Dude, that’s the perfect way to sum up where we’re coming from.’”

The Victorville, California four-piece have been household names in punk rock kitchens since 1991 — lead vocalist Trever Keith joyfully speaks of his band with the same enthusiasm of a man who is embarking on his very first tour.

“We just really appreciate the fact that we’ve been a band for 20 years and we’ve got this loyal fan-base and we’ve been allowed to do what we do for so long. We’re not being overly anal about anything. We’re just trying to have fun with it.”

In the time between their latest albums, the band took a four year hiatus to work on other projects.  But as solid as those ventures were, they simply couldn’t compete with two decades of momentum.  It wasn’t long before a void was felt in each member, and talk of reuniting sparked into flame.

 “There’s nothing about those other projects that can even compare to what we were doing in Face To Face,” says Keith. “It’s such a unique experience for us and our fans. It’s not something that’s easily replicated or replaced.”

With such a large catalogue, Keith looks at their career as a whole. They try to represent each record at every gig and have no plans of filling up shows with only new songs — as excited for them as they are.

“We’re gonna make sure we give people what they came to see, which is the material they’re most familiar with,” Keith says. “As time goes on and people become more familiar with the new record, then we’ll start playing more and more new songs. But it’ll be a slow process.”

Whether it is a hit from their now-historic Don’t Turn Away, or a new song from their upcoming album, there’s  an obvious reason Face to Face find themselves on a stage again.

 “As long as it’s still meaningful to fans and it gives everyone a good experience, why not?,” says Keith. “There’s no reason not to continue to do it as long as we possibly can.”