BIOGRAPHY

Press Clippings

Updated 1/26/00

From their first show together playing a private New Year's Eve party in front of a screaming packed house, South Carolina's Five Way Friday had gotten a taste of the good life. For some bands, that one night would have been the pinnacle of their career, but Five Way Friday were just kicking things off right. Working hard ever since to develop their own niche sound within the Southeastern music scene, their memorable tunes have been called "radio friendly rock with sleek commercial appeal" by Columbia's Free Times. Now, they are on the cusp of releasing Run Like This, produced by Jeff Powell (Bob Dylan, Afghan Whigs, Tonic), which is sure to strike a chord with fans both diehard and newfound.

Metamorphosing from an acoustic trio to a rockin' quintet, Five Way Friday were finding comfort in their newfound sound. Featuring two sets of brothers, Randy & Michael Helmly (lead vocals & rhythm guitar, vocals, respectively) and Mac & Gibbs Leaphart (lead guitar, vocals & bass, respectively) and drummer Joe Good, they recorded Twice This Year, a demo produced by their friend Rusty Milner of The Marshall Tucker Band. Their first full length, 1998's Moon Driven World, was critically acclaimed and topped local commercial modern rock station WARQ's playlist. Listeners rallied behind the band's first single and their calls made "Dreams of Elvis" the #1 most requested song for three straight weeks, pushing sales to 3,500 units to date.

The last piece of the puzzle was Michael McWhorter who had sat in on keyboard during the recording of Moon Driven World. Becoming a permanent sixth Friday, McWhorter was the catalyst for a new evolution of the band's sound adding more depth and versatility. Powell's vision for Run Like This was to push the piano and organ up front on selected tracks and to incorporate drum loops and lush guitar tones. It works wondrously on tracks like "Pushing Back Tomorrow," which sounds like Bruce Hornsby guesting with Tonic and the surefire radio hit single "Pace".

Recorded at Ardent Studios (REM, Sister Hazel, Gin Blossoms) in Memphis, TN, the album reverberates with the sounds of the recording space which is the longest running studio in the U.S. Five Way Friday's chief songwriters, Mac Leaphart and Michael Helmly, are priming the band for commercial success by being equally talented, yet possessing their own distinguishable touches. Run Like This arches with the zenith of rocking moments on track such as "Does Anybody Care" and "Everyone," the latter credited to Leaphart. The CD concludes with the affecting nadir, another track seasoned by the keys, on the heart-wrenching "No Time For Lonely," penned by Helmly.

With the release of Run Like This, Five Way Friday is planning to take their trusty mobile "Air Force One" on a cross-country tour that will welcome new fans into their already large following. And the hometown paper is sure to have bragging rights when Five Way makes good on the Free Times' claim that the band "is the up and coming success story of the year."