The Members
Soul Chalice frontman, lyricist, and co-mixer, Face Balian:
From frontman to entrepreneur, from video production to audio engineering, Face Balian is the epitome of an artist. He is a mixed Filipino American, hailing from the Capitol of the First State Dover, DE. At an early age, writing lyrics was a way of release and self-expression. With clever wordplay, he expresses a sense of adventure through life’s journey while overcoming the obstacle of adversity and hardships throughout his musical content.
Face Balian has released numerous projects independently. Some of his work can be found on mixtape circuits like Datpiff and on all streaming platforms. Notable places Face Balian has performed at are Alice Cooperstown in Phoenix, AZ., The Far Out Festival in Snowflake, AZ. and the world-famous Whisky A Go-Go in Hollywood, CA. He has worked with a number of artists in studio settings as well as over 100 bands and acts as a live sound engineer. Face Balian is currently the frontman for the Hip-Hop Funk Rock fusion band Soul Chalice.
Musical Background: Hip-Hop
To find out more about Face Balian visit www.facebalian.com
Soul Chalice keyboardist and drummer: AJ
Introducing the master of the beats and keys for Soul Chalice. AJ is a musical prodigy who started playing music at age 4 and hasn’t stopped since. He makes the Soul Chalice sound a unique and transcendent experience.
“It’s all feeling. I stay in the pocket.” - AJ
His roots are in Gospel music. AJ also currently plays keys at the Cathedral of Fresh Fire surrounded by other tremendously talented musicians.
Soul Chalice guitarist and co-mixer, Dan Ridgely:
Dan’s unique playing style is a fusion of rock, funk, blues, and classical influences. Back in the day he played classical guitar at weddings while heading up a band called “Midnight Revival” in Philadelphia. Dan also played for the House of Prayer in Philly. Pastor Williams showed Dan how to play from the heart. The Pastor had no musical training, but he tuned to his voice and set the tempo with a bright soulful tone and it felt so good. Drummer was only six but played since he could crawl. Dan was on the bass and the only white kid in the place. The ladies would sing like heaven. He will keep it in the attic of his mind and shine that light for you.
Soul Chalice is an idea. An idea to peel back the superficial styles and find that common ground. We all came from different backgrounds and approach the music from different angles. But where we come from doesn’t matter as much as shining that light in the music. Now we have this new sound for you. Journey with us and let’s see where this goes. You down?
“The chords and tempo make the colors in the music.” -Dan Ridgely
Soul Chalice bassist, background singer and party animal, Mark:
Mark Reeve started playing guitar and creating original music during his early teens living in Annapolis, Maryland. His listening habits covered everything from Led Zeppelin to John Coltrane, with an emphasis on fusion music of many kinds. Moving to Baltimore in the late 1970s, he played with a number of area original music bands, including prog rock band Tetelestai and alt pop original Kevin Scott Burns’s band Bad Math, as well as recording five albums as a solo artist between 1984 and 1992. While in Baltimore, Mark published music and arts magazines promoting the city’s creatives and supporting the music and arts communities. Moving to Delaware and taking a hiatus from music from the late 1990s until 2012, Mark rediscovered creating original songs again after a significant life change. He participated in local open mics, where he met Dan Ridgely and began collaborating as a bass player on the music that would evolve into Soul Chalice. Unlike Dan, Mark has no quirky stories with which to entertain readers—he’s just a regular guy.