Photo Credit: Stephanie Bujold
Alex Henry Foster is already riding high on the success of his April 2024 release alongside Momoka Tobari. Now he’s set his sights on another release, this time riding solo with ‘A Measure Of Shape And Sounds,’ out everywhere on October 20th. We talked about not only the audible paint strokes utilized to make the record, but also his band beginnings, the importance of honesty, and more in this back-and-forth exchange.
Kendra: Back in the day, you were part of Your Favorite Enemies, and that band came at a time when there was a huge wave of alt-rock bands that all sort of fell underneath the shade of a rare umbrella at Warped Tour. Today, many bands from that era pay their rent selling nostalgia; doing those huge festivals, or playing album shows. Nothing wrong with it. I’m a fan of a great album show, but what made you want to sort of push forward in your artistic capabilities and approach the future as a solo artist in a new realm of music?
Alex Henry Foster: I guess artists have their own vision, trajectory, or interpretation of who they are at any given space and time of their journey. I came to the conclusion that I had pushed Your Favorite Enemies way beyond its own design when I released Tokyo Sessions back in 2016. I had to come to terms with the fact that I would only rewrite or recreate a subpar rendition of what I knew was the best version of ourselves had I decided to keep on going further. I didn’t see the point of lying to myself any longer or of trying to convince others that I hadn’t settled down to become a pale reproduction of what I had genuinely given life to and nurtured for a decade.
Honesty, as brutal as it might be, remains a key component of my creative stream. The band had several top radio singles, was nominated for several prestigious recognitions, and headlined festivals on the other side of the world. As exhilarating as it might be for some — and don’t get me wrong I am utterly grateful for every drop of success we had — I have never been driven by any of that. My motivation has always been fueled by my community values and desire to evolve as a creator. So when it started becoming more about the business aspect of a song rather than its soulful authenticity, I had to move on. And by moving on I mean going back to my foundation, to what led me to express myself through different art forms in the first place, and this isn’t radio placement, units sold, or the size of my name on a concert poster.
That part was easy for me to figure out, but having to tell my friends, with whom I grew into the bandmates we became, wasn’t. Same for the people for whom Your Favorite Enemies meant so much. Honesty was indeed incredibly brutal for many when I decided to do so. Some fans haven’t forgiven me, and I understand and respect that. But again, the current was just too strong for me to keep denying the reality I had to embrace. Everything became clearer after that.
Kendra: We pushed all the way from 2018 to now and the release of 2024’s ‘A Measure Of Shape And Sounds.’ It’s an album you noted deals a lot with introspection, and when I listened to songs like “Alchemical Connection” it’s clear that instrumental music is more like painting than anything, creating emotion via sounds vs. colors/shapes. So whereas blue, red, and yellow all have their representations on a canvas, what sort of sounds and instruments would you say best showcase serenity, rage, and happiness when you’re composing?
Alex Henry Foster: If I initially thought that my heart surgery had left me incapacitated and incompetent, the fact that I wasn’t able to rely on my voice, on words, on physical expression, or on any of my usual brushes to express emotions turned out to be liberating for me. It is witnessing the luxuriant grandiosity of the environment surrounding me (I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia) that ultimately gave life to ‘A Measure of Shape and Sounds.’
The singularity of nature was the instruments, from the birds singing early in the morning to the foxes screaming at night, the wind whispering in the forest, the raging rain covering the sky from its otherwise bright and peaceful colors, or the deep midst covering the lands where herds of deers slowly emerge as living specters conveying the silence of a moment defying time itself. These are both the canvas and the paint; the strangely familiar elements I had never truly paid attention to before until I was deprived of my own false sense of blindfolded security.
Kendra: You mentioned the pinks and purples, the serenity of “Sorrowful Bouquet.” I felt that, but I also felt like it was sort of ominous. It was like the start of a movie in the ‘Alien’ franchise. Does the cinematic aspect of songs ever cross your mind when working on new material?
Alex Henry Foster: That’s an interesting parallel. You led me back to Jerry Goldsmith’s music for a split second. And you are absolutely right. Both for the 1979 ‘Alien’ opening sequence and for the high significance of the cinematic aspect in my creative process.
I visually write, always have been, even with Your Favorite Enemies, regardless of its entirely different type of sonic component. It’s like being on a fast train and capturing snapshots of life, may it be a sound, an image, a color, and the whole thing, once assembled upon arrival, is a version of the journey. It doesn’t matter if it’s confused, blurry, or if it’s fragmented because I could ride that very same train back and forth, all day and night, without ever photographing an identical snapshot. That’s life to me.
The “result,” if there’s one, doesn’t have anything to do with the perfect exactitude of scenery, it’s a perception of it, a sensation even, collected and realigned over the number of frames you want to share with others at that point in time. It’s always cinematographic and metaphorical in a way, a representation of a reality that can be defined and redefined with each and every single passage.
Kendra: So you’ll be out on the road this October alongside Temple. When you’re given the responsibility of supporting a tour, how do you go about tailoring your set? Do you make one and stick to it or do you make a few and test them out as the shows progress?
Alex Henry Foster: I never approach a concert, a festival, or a tour based on the “supporting” or “headlining” nature of my place on the bill. It’s more about the emotions I want to commune with people on any particular night. The set list evolves, just like the songs themselves, from one concert to another. I don’t think I have ever played any of my songs the same twice. It’s about the moment. I’m conducting the band based on whatever I may feel, perceive, or dwell on at that specific moment. It drives my band crazy, to say the least!
Instinctive improvisation is an intrinsic component of my concerts. That’s why, at least for me, it’s not a “show” or “entertainment”; it’s a gathering where we can let go if only for a brief period. So how can a communal get-together possibly be the same in Seattle, Columbus, Washington, New York, or any other city? The fabric of every community is fundamentally unique and singular.
I don’t have to force myself into the mix, I just have to offer my shades and tints to the specific color of the audience. You received in the same measure that you welcome. That’s how I see it.
Kendra: Time for a side note – With it being prime Back 2 School time this month, I’d love to know what song from your past immediately transports you back to getting ready for class in the morning?
Alex Henry Foster: Wow, that’s a fantastic question! That would be The Cramps’ “People Ain’t No Good.” That song perfectly describes my teenage years spent fighting my way through high school as a punk kid coming from the poorest side of the city! And no matter what you identify with or where you may be from, you can’t go wrong with The Cramps, there’s absolutely no contest here!
Kendra: Lastly, with ‘A Measure Of Shape And Sounds’ out on September 20th and some dates already lined up, what else can fans expect as we finish out 2024?
Alex Henry Foster: I’m currently in Tangier, Morocco, where I established a studio to start working on new material with the members of my band until mid-September. I will go to Japan following the American tour with Temples where I’m invited to a music conference to talk about the upcoming release of a movie titled “Voyage à La Mer” that I filmed and produced in Japan before heading back to my recording studio in Montreal to keep working on my next album. It’s a kind of creative transitionary period for me, so the rhythm of the stream ahead is considerably different from usual. It’s not lighter by any stretch, as I don’t trust downtimes, but I truly like heading into the unknown as an artist. Time to hop on the train and capture some new snapshots!
