Alternative, post-rock’s phenomenon originally from Montreal and now residing in
the highlands of Virginia, also lead singer for the Juno Awards nominee post-rock
band Your Favorite Enemies, Alex Henry Foster launched his debut album
“Windows in the Sky” on November 9, 2018 and ended his first week of release at
#3 in the Canadian Billboard Charts, right behind Muse and Imagine Dragons. The
album stayed in the iTunes charts for a total of 26 weeks and also reaching #1
several times.
His second album, “Standing Under Bright Lights”, consists of the entirety of his
comeback on the stage after 3 years. Recorded during the 40th edition of the
Festival de Jazz de Montréal, the album is a reinterpretation of “Windows in the
Sky”. The album entered the charts at #4 in Billboard Canada, #13 Emerging
Artists in Billboard USA, peaked at #11 in the UK Independent Albums Chart, #17
in the Irish Albums Chart, and also made its debut in the Australian ARIA Charts
at #6.
Windows in the Sky’s critical and mass success would once again propel Foster to
the forefront of the Canadian music scene, where he stood for about a decade as
the lead singer for alternative rock band Your Favorite Enemies before going on
hiatus the moment he left for Tangier to mourn his passed father. This grieving
period, which would last two years, became a journey to the end of his sorrowful
desperation and is what would ultimately inspire and give life to his first solo
record, immediately recognized as the likes of Nick Cave, Sonic Youth, Mogwai,
and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Having systematically denied any form of touring or public event in order to
preserve the intimate nature of his songs at their purest state, the vice-president of
the prestigious Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Laurent Saulnier,
nonetheless persistently asked Foster to join the program of the 40th anniversary
of the festival as one of the indoor main features. After repeated inquiries, Alex
finally accepted the invitation, with the only conditions that he would have absolute
control of the production and carte blanche regarding the promotion – which they
were pleased to agree to.
After publicly announcing that his performance would be the sole performance he
would do, along with the rumors regarding what would be a unique stage
production, the concert became one of the very few sold-out representations the
festival had over the years, prompting the international press to cover the concert
and fans from Japan, Germany, UK, France and the US to travel to Montreal for
the occasion, which became the most sought-after event of the summer in
Montreal.
In fact, the concert’s tremendous emotional involvement took such an
unprecedented uplifting proportion for Foster that it had him reconsider his
position regarding his apprehension for the songs to lose their soulful meaning
and intimate nature if played too many times:
“My vision to preserve the integrity of the songs from being played over and over
was a son’s ultimate attempt to keep a part of his father alive. But that night, I
realized that it’s once communed that every word and sound has the ability to
grow beyond the emotions they were created from, making them somehow
eternal… just like my father. Therefore, the sole concern that now remains is how
willing I am to face the fear to be left alone night after night when I let go of him,
when I don’t have any more reasons not to assume who I am now, to stand under
bright lights, whatever it may reveal to myself and others.” -Alex Henry Foster