DRH in The Anniston Star (AL), 1991

Follow For Now makes mark

by Mike Stedham

Follow For Now, a five-member band that blends rock, rap, funk,

gospel and swing into its music, will return to Jacksonville on Monday and

Tuesday nights for two shows at Brothers' Bar.

The Atlanta-based group, which is touring in support of its

self-titled debut album, will also make an appearance Tuesday

afternoon at Slip Disc in the Anniston Plaza.


Formed in April 1988, the band quickly made its mark on the

Southern club scene and signed a publishing deal soon after. They

entered Atlanta's Triclops Studio in January of this year and

released ''Follow For Now'' on Chrysalis Records four months later.

Vocalist-guitarist David Ryan-Harris says the band was happy with

the results.


''In making this record, as in our live shows, we want to sound

like a band, to be very organic with no sampling, and to have a

feel more than an actual sound,'' he says.


Most of the songs on the record are original compositions by the

band, reflecting the diversity of their musical backgrounds and

tastes. The only cover is a hard-driving version of Public Enemy's

''She Watch Channel Zero.''


''A lot of people are waiting for something to bridge the gap

between rock and rap,'' Ryan-Harris says. ''That, plus all the

retro-seventies buzzes that are going around make the times ripe

for Follow For Now.''


Many of the band's songs deal with contemporary social issues, and

their attitude is in keeping with the current rap scene. But the

band does include some love songs, and the overall blend of the

sound has a strong dose of straight rock 'n' roll.


''We grew up among a lot of various musical influences and we use

them all,'' Ryan-Harris says. ''It's really diverse because

everything we listen to influences us. This album is almost like

the 'Cliff's Notes' of music.''


***Thanks to Furious Rose for submitting this interview.