Getting to Know… Follow Me Dark | Interview 🎤

In the 401^st Q&A in our Getting to Know… series, we get the inside scoop from genre-pushing, California alternative rock band, Follow Me Dark. 

“We don’t really fit in with any one genre or scene, which can be a double-edged sword,” genre-pushing, California alternative rock Follow Me Dark respond to the first question in our Q&A. Follow Me Dark is comprised of Stephen Kozak (vocals / guitar), Sean Batinic (guitar), Elliott Grove (bass), and Jim Boots (drums). They expound regarding the initial question, “We tend to be ‘too heavy’ for the indie kids and maybe not metal or hardcore enough for the metal or hardcore kids.” Word.  We get the inside scoop on the band’s genesis, goals, musical influences, and current, and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into Getting to Know… Follow Me Dark: Interview No. 401!!

For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes Follow Me Dark distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

I think it’s our sound, because we are heavy and edgy, but we also care about melody and pop sensibility.  We don’t really fit in with any one genre or scene, which can be a double-edged sword.  We tend to be “too heavy” for the indie kids and maybe not metal or hardcore enough for the metal or hardcore kids.  But we grew up with 90s alternative rock which rode that line and was all over the radio.  We were spoiled then.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did Follow Me Dark form and what were some of the goals or visions you had early on?

Humorously enough, a mutual friend of ours got us together with a crazy-eyed proposal to form an “old-school Muse cover band.”  When Elliott and Stephen showed up to jam and he wasn’t there, it became obvious that writing original songs under a new project was the way to go.  Sean, our guitarist joined soon after and we realized we had three songwriters capable of throwing ideas in.  Our sound landed in kind of a Mogwai meets Deftones territory, and once Jim joined as drummer we knew we could deliver a kickass live show, so we were off to the races.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

Yeah, we are over five years into it now, so we have certainly been on a journey.  The first year was all excitement, writing new songs and playing a lot of shows, then the pandemic hit and that was a huge blow, obviously.  We used that time to finish our album and write more songs, but going two years playing only a handful of small shows was difficult.  I think now our goal is primarily to develop our audience, and that’s driven by our faith in the material.  We love the music we make, and we know there are other rock fans out there who are thirsty for new, current rock music that evolves the genre without going full electronica or being TikTok-driven or whatever.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Whom would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

Sonically our shared influences are bands like Deftones, Alice in Chains, Tool, Smashing Pumpkins… bands that walk the line between metal and more approachable alt-rock.  Lifestyle wise, we look up to Floater, Mogwai, Murder by Death – bands that have maintained their independence and artistic vibrancy and have a great relationship with their fans.  That would be the goal for us.  I think we have subtler influences like Pink Floyd and even a band like Queen, just in terms of being willing to go to whatever lengths the song might demand.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

Early on we played a show at a tiny metal club in Sacramento, it was poorly attended and of course Stephen chose that show to drop acid beforehand.  The surreality and frustration boiled over when his microphone stopped working mid-song.  We have a hilarious picture of him bent over screaming into the crowd, not wanting to end the song early.  Of course, now we are more careful with our dosage.

Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

I think “Lullaby”, from our 2022 EP, An Offering, is probably the band’s favorite from what we’ve recorded that is already released.  It hits a lot of our strengths as a band – it’s eerie, epic, and beautiful.  That said, the new album contains some of our best work so we can’t wait to get that out later this year.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

Elliott is a dedicated disc golfer and an obsessive karaoke singer.  Sean is an expert precision painter and has studied permaculture.  Stephen plays Magic: the Gathering and literally wrote the Wikipedia article on Billy Corgan.  Jim used to perform shows covered in animal blood, and now practices meditation.  We are a bunch of oddballs, but the chemistry somehow balances out.

Closing out, what is Follow Me Dark currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

Yes!  We just released the video and single “Acid Desert” –  the video was shot in seven different locations near our hometown of Grass Valley / Nevada City, California.  It’s from our new album, Far From Any Shore, which is a concept album based on Joseph Campbell’s writings on the Hero’s Journey.  We’ve been working on it since August 2022 with our friend Chris (Tabarez, producer of Boz Scaggs’ last few albums) and it is shaping up to be something very special.  Look forward to releasing it and playing some shows later this year.  We’ll even leave the animal blood at home.

 Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward. 

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Getting to Know… Follow Me Dark: Interview No. 401 [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Follow Me Dark; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Królestwo Nauki, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pete Linforth, Tumisu from Pixabay]