
- Face Time Police -

Biography

"This isn't about thinking outside the box.. it's about destroying the box entirely." - Brian Serra.

Face Time Police is a group that openly defies categorization. When you have influences that run the spectral gamut several times over from Avril Lavigne to Bone Thugs N Harmony to White Zombie, that's a given. For argument's sake, they've coined the term "pop macchiato" to describe themselves (pop "marked" or "stained" with one or more unconventional elements). FTP has managed to avoid from sounding like a disassociated unlistenable train wreck by writing memorable, catchy pop songs at heart while allowing their influences to blend in just enough to keep things interesting. With this enticing brew, they are able to jump genres drastically as a successfully forged hybrid of both unconventional music for the conventional crowd and conventional music for the unconventional crowd.

Made up of Brian and James Serra (The Serra Brothers), there is a great sense of duality and dichotomy that resonates within FTP. Brian is serious, James is fun-loving. Brian writes from an autobiographical standpoint, James writes from an outsider's perspective. James wants to rock your body, Brian wants to move your soul.

There isn't a single aspect of their art that they aren't responsible for. The Serras write, record, and edit all of their songs from their home studio. They design all of their logos, merch designs, and website layouts. They shoot and edit their own videos. FTP are the epitome of the term "do-it-yourself."

This project first began in the Winter of 2005. Recording what the duo referred to as their "pre-demo," FTP set out to complete A Lesson in Articulation. A rather ambitious undertaking, the songs in this collection were named after segments of a well-known tongue-twister: "She Sells," "Seashells," "By the Sea," "Shore." This 4-song collection was posted online as audio streams in the Summer of 2006. Soon after, the Serras set out to work on the next collection of songs, scheduled to be an independently released EP. Now that they were more aware of and comfortable with their abilities, the Serras were ready to spread their wings and fly. That flight was slightly delayed in the Summer of 2007 when they entered their video for their song "Without Wings" into an online competition through FameCast.com (think of it as an online American Idol).

Entered on a whim, the video was entered into the "metal" category in Season 2 of the "FameCast Fenom" contest. As FTP advanced further each round they eventually found out that all artists in each category (should they proceed to the Top 10/Semi-Final Round), would have to submit a new song and video. Now, at this point, Face Time Police only had one heavy song that would even remotely be considered as "metal." So, Brian and James quickly began the daunting task of not only writing, recording, and editing a new heavy song, but filming and editing a new video for it as well.. all within the span of 2 weeks (that was the time in-between the Quarter Final and the Semi-Final Rounds). As they drew closer and closer to the announcement of the Semi-Finalists, the Serras scrambled to complete the new song and video. When the duo found out that Face Time Police was among the Semi-Finalists, they were ecstatic to unveil the new song and video ("A Different Road"). It meant that they were just one step away from the Final Round, in which the top 5 finalists would be flown to Austin, Texas to perform on a live webcast to compete for $10,000 and the title of "FameCast Fenom." Meanwhile, Face Time Police had caught the attention of one of their most influential idols.. Jeffrey Nothing, of the band Mushroomhead. Along with friends, fans, and newfound supporters, Face Time Police garnered enough votes to beat the odds and advanced to the final round. Here came the next hurdle.. Brian and James needed to assemble a live band immediately. Though Brian played the instruments himself on their recordings, it was impossible for the duo to perform these songs live. Time was running out and the finals were just around the corner. James was able to haphazardly gather a line-up comprised of several musicians from local bands he had been a part of at one time or another. And in yet another unexpected twist of fate, the original musician who agreed to play bass flaked out at the last minute. The remaining musicians had to be shifted around to make the performance possible. With only 2 rehearsals under their belt before the finals, FTP shared their first performance ever, live in front of a worldwide audience.

Much to the chagrin of a handful of die-hard metalheads, Face Time Police (a pop group) made it into the top 5 round on the "metal" stage. Greeted by disapproval and cries of "YOU'RE NOT METAL!" amongst some of the famecast internet community, FTP was attacked from every direction for being different and not of the norm. They defied classification and challenged the fact that there is no step-by-step, point-by-point checklist as to what constitutes as "metal" (or any other genre, for that matter). They may not have won first place (FTP placed 2nd), but their point was made loud and clear. And in true FTP tongue-in-cheek fashion, Face Time Police both celebrated and poked fun at the entire experience by making shirts that boldly proclaimed "NOT METAL ENOUGH" soon after.

With all the drama and stress of the FameCast Finals behind them, the Serras were able to complete all the songs, videos, and artwork for their debut EP, which they had named Excellence in Elocution. On September 22, 2007, the duo released the EP at a show where they performed among the side-stage/opening acts for renowned Chicago hip hop artist Common.

Top 5 Metal Finalists? Openers for a Hip Hop legend? With FTP's widespread appeal, it's only a matter of time before they break down musical barriers and shatter all taboos. The Serras strive to put the "art" back into "artist." FTP is definitely not just another face on a pedestal.. it's a genuine weapon in articulation.