The Futurenows to head Paper Jam

By Kate Evans

April 28, 2011

Paper Jam 2011

Folk rock band The Futurenows has been in the works since dorm-room living three years ago. The four-piece ensemble from Amherst combines bass, guitar, drums, banjo, original songwriting and lots of soulful singing. University of Massachusetts seniors Brian Goss, Sean Nolan and John Shaver teamed up with Greenfield resident Tony Interlande to form the locally popular band, which is performing at Maximum Capacity in Chicopee on July 8 and this Saturday, April 30 at The Collegian’s Second Annual Paper Jam.

Originally a trio, Goss, Nolan and Shaver began performing at the Greenough Sub Shop during open mic nights. The group asked Interlande if he wanted to play drums with them, and, from then on, they were a quartet. After playing together for a while, the unnamed, mixed genre group found a name more casually than planned. While hanging out with Goss and Nolan, Shaver accidentally used the nonsensical phrase “future now.” The word-vomit name stuck, and the band has become known as The Futurenows among campus and local communities.

Desiring to stand out among a sea of over-played, flashy guitar solos, The Futurenows base a lot of their music around harmonies and songwriting. Although the members do love good guitarists, they felt the urge to explore other areas of music.

“There’s not really a lot of people who are doing vocally-driven music lately,” said Shaver of their new-age genre. “It’s a little bit more organic, but at the same time still pretty rockin’,” he continued.

Shaver emphasized the importance of having four bandmates that can all sing well.

“We all do three- or four-part harmonies on every song, and it’s something we don’t hear in a lot of music lately,” he said.

The group released their first collection of recordings on July 9, 2010, titled “Handsome Ballads.” Not fully satisfied with their debut release, a full-length album has been in the works for quite some time now. The Futurenows ideally plan to release the album by the end of May.

“The process has been so long and tedious, but awesome at the same time,” said Shaver of the upcoming album.

In the midst of their hectic scramble, the bandmates have still managed to add a brand new member. UMass senior Isaac Wainstein recently hopped on board with The Futurenows, bringing his piano and accordion with him.

“That just added a whole new level to our sound, because there aren’t a ton of bands that have an accordion,” said Shaver.

To hear more from The Futurenows head to the Paper Jam this Saturday or check out their Facebook fan page.

Kate Evans can be reached at [email protected].