KingFace

Formed in 1985, King Face injected classic rock energy into the hardcore punk environment of Washington, D.C. The quartet merged the emotionally charged and tuneful punk approach of local acts Scream and Dag Nasty with the flashy hard-rock attitude of Van Halen during the David Lee Roth era. Singer Mark Sullivan’s soulful crooning and bluesy harmonica solos, paired with the ensemble’s precise playing, helped the group distinguish itself sharply from other bands in the D.C. punk community.

The dread-locked and highly charismatic Sullivan wrote words that moved away from the political themes then typical of most D.C. punk outfits, favoring instead a personal, poetic and philosophical style that stood apart. Guitarist Patrick Bobst specialized in flanger-heavy riffs that again recalled Van Halen at its peak, while bassist Andrew Rapoport and drummer Larry Colbert supplied the solid foundation for the band’s melodic, high-velocity sound.

In April 1986 the group tracked its first self-titled debut album at Inner Ear Studios with producer Ian Mackaye and issued the record on its own imprint. The second album, Everywhere You Look, appeared in 1989 on the Dutch punk label Konkurrel. Shortly afterward the band disbanded. In 1995 King Face worked with Dischord Records to assemble and release a self-titled anthology containing previously unheard material and compilation cuts. During the fall of 1996 the group reconvened for a series of reunion performances in its hometown of D.C. and in New York City.