The Billy Ripken F*ck Face Card
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The Billy Ripken F*ck Face Card

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"The Elevens Gets Carded"

I wasn't sure how my interview with drummer Shawn Fogel was going to end up. But considering that his band is called The Billy Ripken Fuck Face Card and the debut disc Hold Me Like You Did Before The Accident , I had a pretty good idea how to kick it off.

"What the hell is up with these names?"

"It has to do with an infamous 1989 Bill Ripken Fleer baseball card, which was printed with the words 'Fuck Face' written rather legibly at the bottom of his bat," Fogel explains in an almost encyclopedic fashion.

"The background of course is that Billy wasn't that good -- or liked by his teammates -- but got on the team because his brother Cal insisted on it."

He goes on to say that while no one in the baseball world has come forward to take credit for the prank, the whole fiasco was just so deliciously malicious and comedic that it simply had to be immortalized as a band moniker.

And the inspiration for the 'Accident'-prone CD title? Nothing more noteworthy -- or relevant -- than the mere fact that it seems to have passed the BRFFC litmus test: It made them giggle.

According to Fogel, however, the joke is over once you pop the CD into the player. He and bandmates Stephen Perry and Noah Stevralia have spent a lot of time and effort crafting their smart -- albeit quirky -- power pop tunes. And they are quick to spur off even the slightest applications of the "novelty band" tag.

But if serious music is in the cards and future for this Amherst-based trio, wouldn't choosing a name like The Billy Ripken Fuck Face Card be a quick way to stack the credibility deck against them?

"It can be a double-edged sword," Fogel admits. "For a good example, you don't have to look further than who I think are one of the best bands in the Valley, The Fucking Sparklies . They'd probably say that the name has made booking and publicity more difficult, and they'd also tell you they don't give a shit."

Knowing what I know about the Sparklies, I'd be inclined to agree with that conjecture -- on both counts.

The Billy Ripken Fuck Face Card plays The Elevens this Friday, May 13. - Gary Carra (The Valley Advocate)


Discography

"Hold Me Like You Did Before The Accident" (2005)
debut full length

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Bio

Named after the little known 1989 Fleer baseball card accidentally printed with a naughty word about Cal Jr.'s little brother Bill, The BRFFC combines the influences of early 90's rock including The Pixies, Pavement, Nirvana, and R.E.M.

The band formed at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA with original members Stephen Perry, Shawn Fogel, Dan Turnbull (bass), and Chris Madak (guitar).
After Dan left, Noah joined the band on bass, later moving to baritone guitar after Chris left. Once the songs were adapted to the new trio line up, the band began work on their debut full length "Hold Me Like You Did Before The Accident". The Billy Ripken F*ck Face Card puts on an explosive live show and can bring the rock with the best of them.