Follow for Now
Follow for Now |
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Follow For Now was a pioneering rock/funk/soul/heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia that were seen by fans and critics as the forefunners of the black rock movement of the early 1990s. At the height of their popularity in 1991, they headlined Atlanta's Earthlink Live Theater on New Year's Eve without a record contract, although the two opening bands had already released several albums. Unlike their peers (Living Colour, Fishbone, etc.), Follow for Now never experienced mainstream success at any level and were internally dismantled before they could release a second album. Years later, the band is still popular in underground circles and their sole album remains a collector's item.
History
Follow for Now was formed in 1987 by guitarist/vocalist David Ryan Harris, guitarist/vocalst Chris Tinsley, bassist Justin Senker (the only white member of the group), and drummer Enrique (real name "Bernard Coley"). The band immediately earned a dedicated following in the southeast United States due to their manic live shows, which would feature several genres of music (rock, jazz, heavy metal, soul, R&B, ska, etc.) and call-and-response audience participation. Harris would lead the audience in a chant of "Is there unity in this house? Hell f***in' yeah!".
Early Follow for Now music also had indie rock and folk elements, not unlike The Connells or Drivin N Cryin. This changed with the arrival of bassist Jamie Turner (replacing Senker, who would join the Atlanta Rhythm Section) and keyboardist/vocalist Billy Fields. The band experimented more with heavy metal and punk without ever losing sight of their soul, R&B, and funk roots. The group's concert anthem became a reworked version of Public Enemy's "She Watch Channel Zero?!", their only cover song.
Several record companies got wind of the band's enormous live following, leading to the group's signing to Chrysalis Records in early 1991. There were problems from the very beginning as Enrique, considered by many to be one of the best drummers in the entire East Coast music scene, was forced to play simple beats along with a metronome. Enrique's unorthodox, odd-meter drumming style was one of the band's trademarks. In a move that would signal the beginning of the end, producer Matt Sherod played drums on the entire album with the exception of "Time," taken from an earlier demo.
Upon the album's release in September 1991, reactions were positive from critics that had never heard the band before, but fans and local critics were dismayed at the slick, polished release that seemed to echo none of the manic energy the band was known for in concert. Even though Chrysalis Records launched a huge promotional campaign for the album (the videos for "Holy Moses" and "Evil Wheel" appeared on MTV), the Seattle grunge movement of 1992 single-handedly engulfed the music business just months later, nearly destroying the careers of Follow for Now and many of the pioneering black rock bands of the early 1990s.
Despite the disastrous experience with their debut album, Follow for Now remained a powerful concert attraction. However, the group did not release another album in 1992 or 1993, and interest in the band began to wane. They officially broke up in the spring of 1994.
After the Split
Since the breakup, the most active member of Follow for Now has been bandleader David Ryan Harris, who was signed to Sony Records as a solo artist in 1997. Around the same time, he was the musical director on Dionne Farris's hit album Wild Seed, Wild Flower. He was dropped from the label after his debut album was released, but continued to perform with his good friend Dave Matthews on occasion and has recently launched a career as a solo singer-songwriter on acoustic guitar. A recent tour was as the opening act from Edwin McCain. Harris is presently playing in John Mayer's band and also is playing as the opening act for Mayer and Sheryl Crow throughout the USA.
Billy Fields went on to join Arrested Development and performed with the group at Woodstock 1994. Both he and Enrique joined soul outfit Seek, though Enrique soon quit the band to work with 24-7 Spyz guitarist Jimi Hazel on a new project called Black Angus. The project was cancelled when the original lineup of 24-7 Spyz reunited in 1995. Fields also worked with Dionne Farris and Sub-Terranian Circus.
Fields switched from keyboards to bass guitar while in Seek, but quit the band in 2004 to join Three5Human (on bass) with Enrique on drums.
Chris Tinsley formed rock/metal outfit 8Bus in the late 1990s.
Discography
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1. Follow for Now (1991)
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| (1989–1994) |
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