When he looked out onto the Reid Park lawn at the hundreds of strangers crowded around the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center that early April Sunday afternoon, Andrew Kandell admitted being on that stage was nerve-racking.
It was the first time he and his Faces in Motion bandmates had played a real gig — one that didn’t only involve close friends and family.
Despite the butterflies, Kandell and his bandmates beat out seven other high school groups to win the City of Tucson’s 2025 Battle of the Bands.
On May 5, the band made its KXCI debut on “Locals Only,” a show that shines the spotlight on Tucson artists.
As part of its win, the band also is promised a local gig from Tucson promoter Best Life Presents.
Faces in Motion formed in the summer of 2024 with Tucson High Magnet School students Andrew Kandell, 15; Nolan Nguyen, 17; Andrew Coss, 18; and Joseph Cruze, 18.
Competing in the April 7 Tucson Parks and Recreation Battle of the Bands was their first true live performance and it took place before several hundred spectators.
As they took the stage, Nguyen’s guitar pedals malfunctioned, briefly throwing the band into uncertainty.
“It got a little nerve racking,” Kandell said. “We got a little worried, but it all worked out.”
The band’s sound — a blend of art rock and noise rock — stood out in April’s lineup. Judges praised the group’s originality, musical precision and on-stage presence.
“I think they had the most mature sound out of any of the bands I heard that day,” said Michael Hayes, special events coordinator for Tucson Parks and Recreation. “I’m really excited to see what they do with all the new toys we gave them.”
As part of their prize package, the band received a professional home recording setup, including a Cloud ribbon microphone, Ableton 12 Suite software and a USB audio interface — all industry-standard tools to support their next steps.
The band is already putting the gear to use.
Kandell said that while he had no set release date, the band plans to use their new equipment to record a full-length album.
Faces in Motion began performing less than a year ago, when Cruze and Nguyen started recording demos during last summer. Soon after, they brought in Coss and Kandell, and the group quickly found creative chemistry.
Since then, they’ve written and self-recorded several original songs and are preparing for more live performances. Their music touches on themes of adolescence, identity and transformation — layered with the raw, unfiltered energy of four teenagers still navigating high school life.
A major influence on their sound is the British experimental rock band Black Midi, known for its genre-defying compositions and improvisational performances. Black Midi’s fusion of math rock, jazz and avant-garde elements has inspired Faces in Motion to push boundaries and explore unconventional song structures, the band said.
That experimental spirit was on full display during their “Locals Only” appearance on May 5. The band performed nine original songs in a 45-minute live set — the most extensive set they’ve ever played — and participated in a series of on-air interviews.
Kandell called their KXCI experience the band’s best show.
“Our goal is to play as many shows as possible — maybe even at Club Congress,” he said.
Nguyen said they’re also hoping to put out a physical CD.
With graduation around the corner, keeping the group together will take some coordination. Kandell will return to Tucson High for his junior year, Nguyen will attend the University of Arizona and Cruze plans to enroll at Pima Community College. Coss, however, is leaving the band as he heads to Arizona State University in Tempe.
“We’ll have to find a new (drummer),” Kandell said, “but we’re staying together.”
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
