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The Lost Art of Being Yourself
And Being at Peace with It … Really !
By Alex Henry Foster
Following the release of Standing Under Bright Lights , I had the privilege to share about my creative journey , from my 12 years as the frontman of alternative rock band Your Favorite Enemies to the last three years navigating as a solo artist . I found it interesting to reflect on how I became an artist-entrepreneur , more than a decade before it became a common term in the music business .
It ’ s incredible how things have changed in the last 15 years , yet one element remains the same ; the nature of our foundation as people and as artists , and how willing we are to remain faithful to ourselves when the temptation to fit in comes . Compromising isn ’ t evolving , pretending isn ’ t strategizing . Everything goes back to the core , the values , the vision .
I ’ ve been lucky to find this out early . It was the MySpace golden era , and our band were suddenly a hot ticket for people who were starting to pay attention to social media incubators following the success of Arctic Monkeys and so many others . It was a massive shift at the time , far from today ’ s data-driven blindness . That was 2006 ! I didn ’ t know about the entertainment mechanism then , I was just playing music . Your Favorite Enemies was a tiny basement unit without any ambition to make it into a “ thing .”
Fast forward a few months , we suddenly had management — in Toronto ! For us , this was major ! It seemed like the way to go at the time . The guy was legit , a veteran who shaped the Canadian alternative scene . It didn ’ t last long . And it became a nightmare . We had started to educate ourselves . Mark Makoway , the guitarist for Moist , had released a book called “ The Indie Band Bible ,” which my bandmate , Jeff Beaulieu , and I studied as if it was the holy grail .“ You will do as I tell you ,” said the manager . But we didn ’ t think so . Makoway says management is teamwork , not a dictatorial affair . Ours lasted six months , and I had to take a second mortgage on my recentlypurchased house to break the contract .
Before parting ways , the greatest of all lessons came from meetings we had with major labels . That ’ s when I understood the meaning of “ business .” We , a dead-broke band , had to borrow a car to drive to Toronto for what we thought was the meeting of our lives . We were about to make it ! We were still naive ...
“ You guys have a nice and sympathetic thing going on , but it won ’ t last . We ’ ll put you on a development plan , hire a songwriter for you , and you will now sound like Alexisonfire .” We thought it was a joke . Then came the lesson I needed to learn , which wasn ’ t included in Makoway ’ s Bible ... “ Look Alex ... We don ’ t need to release your record . We need to release a record . Take it or leave it .” The ride back home was quiet , but filled with reflection . That brings us back to point number one : What ’ s our foundation ?
We declined , obviously , but that meeting became the most profitable and impactful conversation we would have , pushing us to define who we were and how fiercely determined we were to follow our own marks . It helped us determine that the “ traditional ” road wasn ’ t for us . Our manager , who had already agreed in our names without consulting us , threatened to sue us for breach of contract . It was time to start all over . It wasn ’ t anyone ’ s fault , it was part of our education , if not the beginning of it . We had to decide if that band thing was serious and what it meant to be in it .
We reached a bad settlement deal almost a year after our split with the management , during which we couldn ’ t release any music nor tour . It took us over a year to pay the settlement , but that tribulation unified us . We started our own record label , invited friends to join in on the magnificent chaos that is operating a business without a clue on how to do pretty much anything . And while we were fortunate enough to have an online store to sell our first EP ( self-produced on a $ 100 budget ) worldwide , the real investment was within us — our foundation .
Every time we ’ ve faced disturbances – and God knows we have – we always go back to our core , our values , our vision . There may not be an award for integrity and being honest with ourselves , but it ’ s what paved the way to an adventure that is ours . We saw outstanding artists come and go , businesses go bankrupt , legacies be forgotten . Yet here I am , sharing my story , at peace and creating with the same measure of independence as I always have . That ’ s the ultimate reward : being yourself , doing it with your loved ones based on your values and visions .
And isn ’ t it crazy that Moist are about to release a new album and that I have been interviewed by their keyboardist , Kevin Young , about my church-studio ? If only Alexisonfire could come back as a full-time unit to complete the circle ...
Alex Henry Foster is a Montreal-based singer , musician , writer , and activist who fronts the Juno-nominated alternative band Your Favorite Enemies . His solo debut LP , Windows in the Sky , was released in 2018 on Hopeful Tragedy Records , and he recently released Standing Under Bright Lights , a triple LP and DVD from his sold-out concert at the Montreal Jazz Festival . www . alexhenryfoster . com .
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 31