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.
Monday, December 30, 1991
DRH in Austin-American Statesman, 1991
Sounding like leaders
Follow For Now bridges musical styles to stand out among black rock bands
by Don McLeese
The band's name is Follow For Now, but don't expect it to play follow the leader. Though the Atlanta band's attempt to reclaim rock as a black musical birthright inevitably invites comparison with the likes of Living Colour, its forthcoming debut album shows the ambition and audacity that marks the most determinedly original music. Within its funk grooves and rock dynamics, Follow For Now plays with the urgency of a trailblazer.
Austin can hear a sneak preview Friday, when the band opens for Ian Moore at Liberty Lunch in the midst of making its first trip to Los Angeles. The gig represents a triumphant return for Follow For Now, which created a significant stir when it played South by Southwest in 1990. A few months later, the band signed with Chrysalis, which will release the Follow For Now debut on Sept. 10.
Though the range of the band's music reflects influences such as Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix and George Clinton, it additionally incorporates more contemporary elements from hardcore metal to rap (the band's name comes from a Public Enemy number). Rather than an assortment of influences and attitudes, however, Follow For Now impresses most through the strength of its songcraft, which fuses these disparate musical elements into a coherent whole.
"We didn't have 10 songs that would have made a single-style album," explained 23-year-old David Ryan Harris, the band's singer, lead guitarist and primary songwriter. "I think it flows very well, but we didn't make a conscious effort to stay in one general area . . .
"Before the band started, I had never been in a band that played out in the music scene before," he continued. "I was just sort of holed up in my room, listening to a really wide range of stuff. When I put the band together, it was like a child really knows no difference between black and white. I like all these different types of music, so what's the big deal?"
Like most of the emerging black rock acts - from Living Colour to Fishbone to Austin's Chris Thomas - Follow For Now finds itself playing music that is steeped in black consciousness and influences for audiences that are overwhelmingly white.
"I think a lot of it has to do with urban contemporary radio (the latest euphemism for what was once known as `R&B' or simply `black' radio), where they make it seem if you're black and play guitar, you're freaky," said Harris. "Radio is just so pigeonholed, and I think that black radio is the worse for that. If it's not drum-machine, new-jack-swing stuff, then it doesn't get played.
"I think that bands like us, Living Colour and Fishbone can kind of turn things in the proper direction, little by little, chip by chip, but we're by no means on a mission to do that. I think the youth can listen to what we do and hear strains of things that are in hip-hop songs. Like hip-hop songs will take things from James Brown or Sly Stone or Parliament-Funkadelic, and it's really popular. Now here's a contemporary band doing those things, but playing their instruments for real."
This week's calendar additionally marks the return of a couple of other bands that made career breakthroughs with South by Southwest showcases. The Cannibal Club could promote its offerings as a class reuniuon of SXSW '89, with Milwaukee's Spanic Boys playing tonight followed by Arkansas' Gunbunnies Friday.
South by Southwest was the start of an extended Cinderella story for the father-and-son team of Tom and Ian Spanic. Midwest bar-circuit regulars since forming a band in the mid-'80s as Those Spanic Boys, the Spanics arrived at SXSW as comparative unknowns, but left as the featured act in MTV's conference coverage and with an offer from Rounder Records in their pockets.
From there, things have continued to snowball for the Spanics. Their Rounder album caught the ear of Saturday Night Live, which booked the Spanics as a last-minute replacement when Sinead O'Connor cancelled her appearance. Making their first trip to New York, they found themselves pursued by both Rolling Stone and Entertainment Tonight, both of whom did features on the band.
While the novelty of a father-and-son band creates an obvious hook, the bedrock traditionalism and yearning harmonies of the Spanics show a staying power beyond novelty fare. They remain one of the world's great bar bands, and the Cannibal's a great bar in which to hear them.
As for the Gunbunnies, their fairy-tale coach turned into a pumpkin when Virgin Records dropped the band after a single album which received little promotion and even less airplay. When the band returned to SXSW this year, it was back in the ranks of the unsigned hopefuls, though the Gunbunnies' quirky brand of Southern soulfulness merits another shot.
Apparently, the days when a band is allowed to develop its music and its audience over the course of a few albums are long gone, at least at Virgin. Syd Straw, appearing at the Cactus tonight and Friday, was also a victim of the label's quick hook, when her terrific solo debut failed to find the audience it deserved.
For those whose love of music extends to more than an overnight return, it's almost criminal when a label that professes enough faith in its artists to sign them doesn't show enough faith to sustain them. An industry that once prided itself on developing careers has become way too focused on the instant sensation, the popular hit as disposable commodity, a quick-fix strategy that threatens severe musical damage over the long haul.
***Thanks to Furious Rose for submitting this interview.
Follow For Now bridges musical styles to stand out among black rock bands
by Don McLeese
The band's name is Follow For Now, but don't expect it to play follow the leader. Though the Atlanta band's attempt to reclaim rock as a black musical birthright inevitably invites comparison with the likes of Living Colour, its forthcoming debut album shows the ambition and audacity that marks the most determinedly original music. Within its funk grooves and rock dynamics, Follow For Now plays with the urgency of a trailblazer.
Austin can hear a sneak preview Friday, when the band opens for Ian Moore at Liberty Lunch in the midst of making its first trip to Los Angeles. The gig represents a triumphant return for Follow For Now, which created a significant stir when it played South by Southwest in 1990. A few months later, the band signed with Chrysalis, which will release the Follow For Now debut on Sept. 10.
Though the range of the band's music reflects influences such as Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix and George Clinton, it additionally incorporates more contemporary elements from hardcore metal to rap (the band's name comes from a Public Enemy number). Rather than an assortment of influences and attitudes, however, Follow For Now impresses most through the strength of its songcraft, which fuses these disparate musical elements into a coherent whole.
"We didn't have 10 songs that would have made a single-style album," explained 23-year-old David Ryan Harris, the band's singer, lead guitarist and primary songwriter. "I think it flows very well, but we didn't make a conscious effort to stay in one general area . . .
"Before the band started, I had never been in a band that played out in the music scene before," he continued. "I was just sort of holed up in my room, listening to a really wide range of stuff. When I put the band together, it was like a child really knows no difference between black and white. I like all these different types of music, so what's the big deal?"
Like most of the emerging black rock acts - from Living Colour to Fishbone to Austin's Chris Thomas - Follow For Now finds itself playing music that is steeped in black consciousness and influences for audiences that are overwhelmingly white.
"I think a lot of it has to do with urban contemporary radio (the latest euphemism for what was once known as `R&B' or simply `black' radio), where they make it seem if you're black and play guitar, you're freaky," said Harris. "Radio is just so pigeonholed, and I think that black radio is the worse for that. If it's not drum-machine, new-jack-swing stuff, then it doesn't get played.
"I think that bands like us, Living Colour and Fishbone can kind of turn things in the proper direction, little by little, chip by chip, but we're by no means on a mission to do that. I think the youth can listen to what we do and hear strains of things that are in hip-hop songs. Like hip-hop songs will take things from James Brown or Sly Stone or Parliament-Funkadelic, and it's really popular. Now here's a contemporary band doing those things, but playing their instruments for real."
This week's calendar additionally marks the return of a couple of other bands that made career breakthroughs with South by Southwest showcases. The Cannibal Club could promote its offerings as a class reuniuon of SXSW '89, with Milwaukee's Spanic Boys playing tonight followed by Arkansas' Gunbunnies Friday.
South by Southwest was the start of an extended Cinderella story for the father-and-son team of Tom and Ian Spanic. Midwest bar-circuit regulars since forming a band in the mid-'80s as Those Spanic Boys, the Spanics arrived at SXSW as comparative unknowns, but left as the featured act in MTV's conference coverage and with an offer from Rounder Records in their pockets.
From there, things have continued to snowball for the Spanics. Their Rounder album caught the ear of Saturday Night Live, which booked the Spanics as a last-minute replacement when Sinead O'Connor cancelled her appearance. Making their first trip to New York, they found themselves pursued by both Rolling Stone and Entertainment Tonight, both of whom did features on the band.
While the novelty of a father-and-son band creates an obvious hook, the bedrock traditionalism and yearning harmonies of the Spanics show a staying power beyond novelty fare. They remain one of the world's great bar bands, and the Cannibal's a great bar in which to hear them.
As for the Gunbunnies, their fairy-tale coach turned into a pumpkin when Virgin Records dropped the band after a single album which received little promotion and even less airplay. When the band returned to SXSW this year, it was back in the ranks of the unsigned hopefuls, though the Gunbunnies' quirky brand of Southern soulfulness merits another shot.
Apparently, the days when a band is allowed to develop its music and its audience over the course of a few albums are long gone, at least at Virgin. Syd Straw, appearing at the Cactus tonight and Friday, was also a victim of the label's quick hook, when her terrific solo debut failed to find the audience it deserved.
For those whose love of music extends to more than an overnight return, it's almost criminal when a label that professes enough faith in its artists to sign them doesn't show enough faith to sustain them. An industry that once prided itself on developing careers has become way too focused on the instant sensation, the popular hit as disposable commodity, a quick-fix strategy that threatens severe musical damage over the long haul.
***Thanks to Furious Rose for submitting this interview.
DRH in The State (Columbia, SC), 1991
SOUND OF FOLLOW FOR NOW - MAY BE MORE USER FRIENDLY
by MICHAEL MILLER
Here it comes, that inevitable question, the one that slithers into almost every interview Follow For Now's David Ryan-Harris does.
"What about all those comparisons between your band and Living Colour? How do you feel about that?," queries the intrepid journalist.
You can hear Ryan-Harris sigh into the phone, having been forced to deal once again with the "Black Rock Coalition thing."
"The whole visual thing has very little to do with the actual music," he says. "But I guess it's just indicative of the times, what people look at and what they perceive, that whole deal.
"I think some of those comparisons are ill-founded. Living Colour has been an inspiration, but they weren't necessarily an influence. We were together before we even knew there was a Living Colour."
Having that out of the way, Ryan-Harris gets down to business and talks about the real influences that have given Follow For Now, an Atlanta-based quintet, its powerful rock 'n' roll presence.
"Steely Dan, Coltrane, Miles Davis, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Parliament/Funkadelic, Frank Zappa," he rolls them off like a funk, pop and rock who's who.
"Our sound is really sort of pure. Nothing was really thought out or planned. Everybody in the band has lots and lots of influences and they just sort of naturally came together in a composite."
It's a wild and wonderful composite, too, drawing one moment on heavy- metal crunch, then surprising everyone a second later with some serious, George Clinton-style funk. Follow For Now wears its influences well, but it's also forged an identity that's richer and more accessible than Living Colour, Fishbone, Urban Dance Squad or any other band that's been plugged into the funk/rock pigeonhole.
"I believe that's true," Ryan-Harris says. "We have a little more of an organic sort of sound. The sound is a little more round, to put it in geometrical terms. It's, like, more user-friendly."
Ryan-Harris was born in Evanston, Illinois, but moved to Atlanta with his family when he was seven. He met a kid named Enrique in second grade, but they went their separate ways in high school.
The two young men were reunited a few years later when they happened to participate in the same local talent show. They formed a band and eventually guitarist Chris Tinsley, bassist Jamie Turner and keyboardist Billy Fields came on board. The unit gelled as Follow For Now in April 1988.
After becoming one of the hottest acts on the Deep South club scene, Follow For Now raised music industry eyebrows with high-powered sets at showcases like Nashville Extravaganza and South By Southwest. Chrysalis Records signed the band in January 1991, and four months later Follow For Now's debut was being mixed by noted engineer Thom Panunzio.
Ryan-Harris says he hopes that someday his group and others like it will transcend labels like "black rock 'n' roll band" and be judged solely on their music. When that happens, Follow For Now will move to the head of the modern rock class.
***Thanks to Furious Rose for submitting this interview
by MICHAEL MILLER
Here it comes, that inevitable question, the one that slithers into almost every interview Follow For Now's David Ryan-Harris does.
"What about all those comparisons between your band and Living Colour? How do you feel about that?," queries the intrepid journalist.
You can hear Ryan-Harris sigh into the phone, having been forced to deal once again with the "Black Rock Coalition thing."
"The whole visual thing has very little to do with the actual music," he says. "But I guess it's just indicative of the times, what people look at and what they perceive, that whole deal.
"I think some of those comparisons are ill-founded. Living Colour has been an inspiration, but they weren't necessarily an influence. We were together before we even knew there was a Living Colour."
Having that out of the way, Ryan-Harris gets down to business and talks about the real influences that have given Follow For Now, an Atlanta-based quintet, its powerful rock 'n' roll presence.
"Steely Dan, Coltrane, Miles Davis, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Parliament/Funkadelic, Frank Zappa," he rolls them off like a funk, pop and rock who's who.
"Our sound is really sort of pure. Nothing was really thought out or planned. Everybody in the band has lots and lots of influences and they just sort of naturally came together in a composite."
It's a wild and wonderful composite, too, drawing one moment on heavy- metal crunch, then surprising everyone a second later with some serious, George Clinton-style funk. Follow For Now wears its influences well, but it's also forged an identity that's richer and more accessible than Living Colour, Fishbone, Urban Dance Squad or any other band that's been plugged into the funk/rock pigeonhole.
"I believe that's true," Ryan-Harris says. "We have a little more of an organic sort of sound. The sound is a little more round, to put it in geometrical terms. It's, like, more user-friendly."
Ryan-Harris was born in Evanston, Illinois, but moved to Atlanta with his family when he was seven. He met a kid named Enrique in second grade, but they went their separate ways in high school.
The two young men were reunited a few years later when they happened to participate in the same local talent show. They formed a band and eventually guitarist Chris Tinsley, bassist Jamie Turner and keyboardist Billy Fields came on board. The unit gelled as Follow For Now in April 1988.
After becoming one of the hottest acts on the Deep South club scene, Follow For Now raised music industry eyebrows with high-powered sets at showcases like Nashville Extravaganza and South By Southwest. Chrysalis Records signed the band in January 1991, and four months later Follow For Now's debut was being mixed by noted engineer Thom Panunzio.
Ryan-Harris says he hopes that someday his group and others like it will transcend labels like "black rock 'n' roll band" and be judged solely on their music. When that happens, Follow For Now will move to the head of the modern rock class.
***Thanks to Furious Rose for submitting this interview
Sunday, December 29, 1991
DRH in The State (Columbia, SC), 1991
SOUND OF FOLLOW FOR NOW - MAY BE MORE USER FRIENDLY
by MICHAEL MILLER
Here it comes, that inevitable question, the one that slithers into almost every interview Follow For Now's David Ryan-Harris does.
"What about all those comparisons between your band and Living Colour? How do you feel about that?," queries the intrepid journalist.
You can hear Ryan-Harris sigh into the phone, having been forced to deal once again with the "Black Rock Coalition thing."
"The whole visual thing has very little to do with the actual music," he says. "But I guess it's just indicative of the times, what people look at and what they perceive, that whole deal.
"I think some of those comparisons are ill-founded. Living Colour has been an inspiration, but they weren't necessarily an influence. We were together before we even knew there was a Living Colour."
Having that out of the way, Ryan-Harris gets down to business and talks about the real influences that have given Follow For Now, an Atlanta-based quintet, its powerful rock 'n' roll presence.
"Steely Dan, Coltrane, Miles Davis, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Parliament/Funkadelic, Frank Zappa," he rolls them off like a funk, pop and rock who's who.
"Our sound is really sort of pure. Nothing was really thought out or planned. Everybody in the band has lots and lots of influences and they just sort of naturally came together in a composite."
It's a wild and wonderful composite, too, drawing one moment on heavy- metal crunch, then surprising everyone a second later with some serious, George Clinton-style funk. Follow For Now wears its influences well, but it's also forged an identity that's richer and more accessible than Living Colour, Fishbone, Urban Dance Squad or any other band that's been plugged into the funk/rock pigeonhole.
"I believe that's true," Ryan-Harris says. "We have a little more of an organic sort of sound. The sound is a little more round, to put it in geometrical terms. It's, like, more user-friendly."
Ryan-Harris was born in Evanston, Illinois, but moved to Atlanta with his family when he was seven. He met a kid named Enrique in second grade, but they went their separate ways in high school.
The two young men were reunited a few years later when they happened to participate in the same local talent show. They formed a band and eventually guitarist Chris Tinsley, bassist Jamie Turner and keyboardist Billy Fields came on board. The unit gelled as Follow For Now in April 1988.
After becoming one of the hottest acts on the Deep South club scene, Follow For Now raised music industry eyebrows with high-powered sets at showcases like Nashville Extravaganza and South By Southwest. Chrysalis Records signed the band in January 1991, and four months later Follow For Now's debut was being mixed by noted engineer Thom Panunzio.
Ryan-Harris says he hopes that someday his group and others like it will transcend labels like "black rock 'n' roll band" and be judged solely on their music. When that happens, Follow For Now will move to the head of the modern rock class.
***Thanks to Furious Rose for submitting this interview.
by MICHAEL MILLER
Here it comes, that inevitable question, the one that slithers into almost every interview Follow For Now's David Ryan-Harris does.
"What about all those comparisons between your band and Living Colour? How do you feel about that?," queries the intrepid journalist.
You can hear Ryan-Harris sigh into the phone, having been forced to deal once again with the "Black Rock Coalition thing."
"The whole visual thing has very little to do with the actual music," he says. "But I guess it's just indicative of the times, what people look at and what they perceive, that whole deal.
"I think some of those comparisons are ill-founded. Living Colour has been an inspiration, but they weren't necessarily an influence. We were together before we even knew there was a Living Colour."
Having that out of the way, Ryan-Harris gets down to business and talks about the real influences that have given Follow For Now, an Atlanta-based quintet, its powerful rock 'n' roll presence.
"Steely Dan, Coltrane, Miles Davis, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Parliament/Funkadelic, Frank Zappa," he rolls them off like a funk, pop and rock who's who.
"Our sound is really sort of pure. Nothing was really thought out or planned. Everybody in the band has lots and lots of influences and they just sort of naturally came together in a composite."
It's a wild and wonderful composite, too, drawing one moment on heavy- metal crunch, then surprising everyone a second later with some serious, George Clinton-style funk. Follow For Now wears its influences well, but it's also forged an identity that's richer and more accessible than Living Colour, Fishbone, Urban Dance Squad or any other band that's been plugged into the funk/rock pigeonhole.
"I believe that's true," Ryan-Harris says. "We have a little more of an organic sort of sound. The sound is a little more round, to put it in geometrical terms. It's, like, more user-friendly."
Ryan-Harris was born in Evanston, Illinois, but moved to Atlanta with his family when he was seven. He met a kid named Enrique in second grade, but they went their separate ways in high school.
The two young men were reunited a few years later when they happened to participate in the same local talent show. They formed a band and eventually guitarist Chris Tinsley, bassist Jamie Turner and keyboardist Billy Fields came on board. The unit gelled as Follow For Now in April 1988.
After becoming one of the hottest acts on the Deep South club scene, Follow For Now raised music industry eyebrows with high-powered sets at showcases like Nashville Extravaganza and South By Southwest. Chrysalis Records signed the band in January 1991, and four months later Follow For Now's debut was being mixed by noted engineer Thom Panunzio.
Ryan-Harris says he hopes that someday his group and others like it will transcend labels like "black rock 'n' roll band" and be judged solely on their music. When that happens, Follow For Now will move to the head of the modern rock class.
***Thanks to Furious Rose for submitting this interview.
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