Next up in the Videos from Purgatory Series is Follow For Now who
were one Helluva Band. Signed in the flurry following Living Colour's
Double-Platinum Debut "Vivid" this 5-piece Atlanta based outfit where
right at the crest of a New Wave of Alternative/African-American music
that unfortunately, like to many other music acts whose careers
disappeared out from under them in that era, crashed on the Rocky Shoals
of Cobain-ville and Lottapoorlosers after 1992. Why take a risk with
and keep supporting guys like this when you can sign a ton of
Nirvana/Pearl Jam Wannabe's like Candlebox, Bush and Creed?
But that didn't completely stop them, not all of them. Lead
Vocalist/Guitarist David Ryan Harris went on to produce a solo record,
and worked with a variety of artists starting with former Arrested
Development singer Dionne Farris to Mariah Carey. in 2000 he released
the first of two records (so far) by his new group Brand New Immortals
and current can be found as a member of John Mayer's Backup Band.
I
personally would prefer to see him fronting his own groups rather than
backing up anybody else, particularly since he tends to ROCK a lot more
on his own and seems like so many other Black Artists to get trapped in a
generic R&B Rut when he has to play side-man to pay the bills.
This
particular Follow For Now video is one I never did see on the air back
in the 90's, but I did see their other video "Holy Moses".
Although there may have been some rough spots in their first CD, I think
songs like the cool funk of "Temptation", "White Hood" (which switches
between and Zepplenish-Metal and Ska), a Metaled-Up cover of Public
Enemies "She Watch Channel Zero"
(whereas the original had used a Sample from Slayer's "Angel of Death",
FFN actually played the riff themselves creating "Rap Metal" long
before Limp Biscuit and Papa Roach and even a months before Anthrax's
"Bring the Noise" Cover) or the straight-up cool Funkadelic groove of
"Fire and the Snake" all of which should've been classics. Unfortunately being stuck
in the "Next Living Colour Box" didn't allow people to fully see the
incredible potential and how widely varied and talented this group truly
was.
