Family Stand: Family Stone for the ‘90s

Family Stand doesn’t mind being compared to Sly & the Family Stone. In fact, the funky Brooklyn trio is flattered by the suggestion.

“We appreciate the analogy,” said V. Jeffrey Smith, singer and saxophonist for the 3-year-old soul band. “After all, Sly was an artist who used dance music to say something, something that people with very different musical tastes could relate to.

“I realize that lots of people are saying we remind them of Sly, but it’s not like we’re imitating his singing or stealing his riffs or anything,” said Smith, adjusting his psychedelic sunglasses.

“That’s not what Family Stand is about. We’re just trying to update the essence of what he stood for and bring that attitude into the ‘90s.”

Family Stand’s new single, “Ghetto Heaven,” which features a haunting mix by Soul II Soul’s Jazzie B, is an unflinching look at inner-city escapism.

“ ‘Ghetto Heaven’ is a story about how people cope with oppression,” said singer Sandra St. Victor. “People in trouble use anything they can to escape their problems. Some use love. Some use religion. Some use drugs and sex. Our song doesn’t promote such behavior, it just describes the different ways people deal with reality.”

“Ghetto Heaven,” currently No. 21 on the national black music chart, is the first cut to be released from the band’s new Atlantic album, “Chain.”

But keyboardist Peter Lord says that finding radio programmers to support Family Stand’s own music has not been easy.

“A lot of people in the industry have tried to pigeonhole us into doing certain types of music. I guess they think that R&B; stands for restricted and black,” Lord said, smiling. “But we like to mix it all up: pop, metal, hip-hop, R&B;, the whole works. You know how Billy Joel says that it’s all rock and roll to him. Well, it’s all just soul to us.”--CHUCK PHILIPS