Face to Face, Anxiously Up Close and Personal With Loyal Fans

The musician-fan relationship will always be an obvious factor in an artist’s success, but sometimes that connection has a more profound influence.

In the manner of Korn, whose huge cult following eventually translated into chart success, the pop-punk band Face to Face claims a core of fiercely loyal admirers. Korn invited fans to submit drawings for the cover of its last record, but Face to Face took it one step further, allowing fans to pick, via online voting, every cut on its latest album, “Reactionary.”

At the first of three sold-out nights at the House of Blues on Thursday, the Los Angeles quartet presented its minions with those new tunes and some older turbocharged offerings.

Recalling the relentless yet peppy riffs of bands such as NOFX and MxPx and the passionate, commentary-driven lyrics of Bad Religion, Face to Face’s anxious ditties flowed quickly, with such tunes as the new single ‘Disappointed,” the ‘90s KROQ hit “Disconnected” and a version of Joan Jett’s ‘Bad Reputation” becoming interactive sing-alongs for the adoring crowd.

Lesser-known tunes also garnered enthusiastic reactions--even those that lacked the hooks to make them real standouts. On the whole though, the band demonstrated a knack for tight, charismatic compositions that could easily appeal to fans of crossover acts such as Green Day and the Offspring while still maintaining the respect of its core following.

And while the band has obviously embraced technology, aligning itself with the controversial Napster and using the Web to reach audiences, the kind of raw energy they transmitted on stage can’t be contained on a computer monitor or even on a record. When it comes to enjoying Face to Face’s propulsive yet melodic punk at its most fervent, the band’s name says it all.

* Face to Face, with Saves the Day and Alliance Trio, plays tonight at the House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 7:30 p.m. Sold out. (323) 848-5100.