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Beautiful Chaos
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Adding to a chipped tooth and bruised jaw, a visit to the birthplace of Chinese punk last week earne...Adding to a chipped tooth and bruised jaw, a visit to the birthplace of Chinese punk last week earned Alex Foster a "Wuhan kiss," or a couple of fractured ribs to the Chinese rock layman, after he "learned to fly" from the balcony of the city's VOX Livehouse.
"It's been a passionate tour so far," laughed Foster, lead singer of Your Favorite Enemies (YFE), on a train to Suzhou. "I've been beaten up with passion."
The heavy-hitting, socially conscious Canadian rock sextet will tie off a hefty 16-date tour at Mao Livehouse Saturday with Australian punk upstarts The On Fires and China's own scream team, Subs.
Originally booked to play the May festival circuit, YFE turned down some major European festivals and put off their long awaited third release until this Autumn. Their decision was not only to make room for The Hope Project, a benefit concert series in Japan later this month for Earthquake victims, but also their expanded China club tour, despite advice otherwise about turning a profit.
"A lot of other musicians told us not to come, saying there's no future there, like a body without a soul," he said. But Foster couldn't be more impressed with the unbridled passion of crowds, some of which he describes as "beautiful chaos."
"We've never experienced this degree of intensity before as artists," he said. "It's like being part of an amazing awakening."
In line with the DIY ethic that is attributed to their success following their 2007 self-backed debut EP, YFE is following the same spirit in China, with cheap hotels, train travel and street food.
"People know what's real and what's packaged. It's the difference between fire and neon lights," Foster said when asked for DIY advice for the many young Beijing bands. "Stay true, because it's always better to follow your own values and not succeed than realize years later you failed by following someone else's."
A former social worker with immigrant youth in Montreal, Foster was eager to communicate with the kids coming to see YFE performances.
"I was told, 'I'm stuck between the culture of my father and the insecurity of the future.'" Foster recalled one conversation after a show, "They're excited, but they know there's a struggle ahead."
Known for their active support for such organizations as AIDS charity (RED) and long-time spokesman for Amnesty International, Foster had been accused of "playing it safe" while in China.
"It's not about my politics, it's about filling the gap and distance between people," he said. "You don't make an impact by taking to the streets and invoking an incident. It would have been very selfish of me to get on stage and talk about my world views. That would just let people down."
"It's better just to share in moments with the people, going crazy, being alive. This way, you're just adding to the wave of transformation already in place."
"I'm already seeing that liberty in the crowd, I don't have to yell at it."
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Listening to Your Favorite Enemies
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Is it possible to tour the world while actively fighting for human rights, gaining critical praise a...Is it possible to tour the world while actively fighting for human rights, gaining critical praise and staying independent? Apparently it is if you are in a group which is as close as a family, that keeps producing good music and insists on doing it themselves. The proof is Canadian alternative rock band Your Favorite Enemies. Here, the sextet shares some of their thoughts.
Who are not to be trusted?
Don't trust a big bearded guy trying to get you into a conversation about Space Gorillas, about the inner electric circuits of an Orange guitar amplifier, about the importance of giving your bearded heart a shampoo of love or trying to explain why he's touring with all his 35 guitars (because he doesn't want to create jealousy amongst them... true story)! Because it means you're talking with Sef, Your Favorite Enemies' crazy lead guitar player, which means he missed the train to the next festival, which ultimately means you'll have to take him back to your home, to look at him eat the whole contents of your refrigerator, to let him lay down on your favorite couch, to watch the whole collection of Steven Seagal movies with him and to let him listen to every single Kiss album all night. So don't trust him, even if he looks like a good guy to hang out with. He's bad news for your sanity, trust me! He decided to turn me into his best friend a few years ago... nothing has been the same for me ever since! Help me!
Who are your heroes?
For us, a true hero is a person seeding hope in the midst of despair. We're millions of people whispering for change, but a hero is a person ready to be transformed in order to become the change agent for others who are hoping to witness bloom out of desperation. Everyone can be an "heroic" spark for anyone looking for light in the darkness of their lives.
Who are your favorite enemies?
Our favorite enemies are the illusions every one keeps feeding their soul with. When we feel lost in the dusk of our faithlessness, when the fog of our make-believe is turning the light of deepest dreams into shadows of fake neon lights. These favorite enemies are any emotions blooming from hopelessness, faithless and desperation. Those emotions are our favorite enemies. Favorite because they are self-indulgent lies we are turning into false sense of emotive security. Favorite because we know those lies are the enemies of our souls. We hate them, but somehow we convinced ourselves that we need those illusions in order to stay away from pain and suffering. Freedom is not the lies we turned into comforting truth; freedom is the hope we have in the invisible essence of life. We don't need illusions. We need faith to believe in the dreams we used to have for our own life!!!
... and if the question was about a rock band named Your Favorite Enemies... well, the band is infamously worse than any infamous rumors you may have heard about them... way worse... lol...
If you can go back in time to save or kill one person in history, what would you do?
We don't really live in the past, but Sef insisted to say that if he had one wish, involving going back in time and the ability to use all the science fiction crazy tools coming with it, he would go back in time to tell Bella and Edward that the vampire Victoria has created an army of "newborn" vampires to battle the Cullen family and murder Bella for revenge... Maybe should we have told Sef that this movie wasn't a "based on a true story" type of movie the night we rented Twilight for him to watch, in order for the others to have a proper band meeting! Sef keeps talking about wolves hating vampires and how Bella and Ed have the right to live their love without the the pressure of the Volturi clan ever since! Yes, it can be complicated being in a band sometimes!
What have you put in Love Is a Promise Whispering Goodbye?
We pretty much recorded "moments" on Love Is a Promise Whispering Goodbye. At the time we recorded the album, it was a recollection of pieces of where we were at, both emotionally and artistically. The heaviest songs are not the ones with loudest sounds. They are the ones crafted from a true sense of abandonment and we did craft those songs in total abandonment, for many personal reasons. The album, intended to be a special limited edition album for the fans only, became a platinum record to be re-issued next June! Sometimes what feels too painful to be publicly exposed can be turned into the freedom that others are no longer believing for their own lives. When art is real, life will bloom. And we are experiencing that freedom ourselves every time we are performing those "moments" others are calling songs.
What benefit do you get from being in a rock band except money and traveling the world?
Is being with bearded freaks 24 hours a day, seven days a week is considered a positive benefit? Because if it's not, I truly don't recall any other type of benefits! Seriously, I think that being able to be with your best friends, to do what you love the most in life and to personally grow from all the incredible experiences we're living should not be seen just as benefits... because that's truly being blessed!!!
What is the oddest comment you got about the band?
I think the oddest comments come with what we started calling "the beard issues". We had to answer oddest questions such as: "Are the beards a political statement?", "Are the beards a radical reaction to the unbearded social symbols leading the world right now?", "Are the beards a way to reaffirm your manly nature in a feminist environment?", "What would say to kids being too young to actually have beards, aren't you afraid to alienate unbearded fans?", "Are beards a catch for girls?", "Would you shave your beards for success, because no bearded band has had any hits in the last 20 years?"... and on and on... We are about to add a "Your Favorite Enemies' Beard Facts" on our press kit and website!! But the truth about beards is so simple;. some are good looking, others need beards!
Which character from the Star Wars would most likely be your fan?
I would say a cross over between Chewbacca's fur style, Hans Solo's mojo, R2-D2's geekness, Padmé's passion for social justice, Yoda's faith's and Optimus Prime intergalactic tire power (Optimus was supposed to play the role of C-3PO but his agent convinced him to play in the Transformers instead, the rest is history...)
How do you name your albums? The title of your EP has like... 15 words...
For us, every musical or artistic project has a soul, a true spiritual imprint. The name doesn't have to be long, cool or trendy. The name needs to be real! it needs to be felt through the creation process, it needs to be the reflection of the journey. It's the same thing when we are touring. When we were thinking about the upcoming China tour, it was important for us to let our Chinese friends feel the true nature of our relationship with them. It wasn't another tour, it wasn't another road trip, it wasn't another "experience". It's not some second hand rock stars touring in China. It's "The Rising Youth Of The Dragon's Land". It means something deeply important for us. It's our hearts towards China being humbly expressed in our own words, not some corporate advertisement trick. It's Your Favorite Enemies exposing their souls, it's Your Favorite Enemies saying: "thank you for receiving us as true friends of China", it's our hearts reaching out and it's your hearts reaching back. Because by receiving us as your friends, we will all become "The Rising Youth Of The Dragon's Land" and we are really honored to be welcomed with such warmness...
And speaking of soul... I'm sure you will love and appreciate the name of Your Favorite Enemies first official bootleg: "A Moment Of Screams and Whispers... As We're Turning Fog Into Daydreams". 12 words. I guess we came short this time! But it's inspiring, right? And if it's not, well, at least it's free! So go download your free copy at www.yourfavoriteenemies.com/bootleg ... oh and by the way, the tittle of our fist EP was "And If I Was To Die In The Morning... Would I Still Be Sleeping With You". I'm counting 16 words!
What is a hopeful tragedy?
HOPEFUL TRAGEDY: "The much rewarding feelings of owning your own independent record label, along with all the crazy working hours coming with the reality of being totally D.I.Y. driven" ... somedays are hopeful when others are totally tragic... lol...
What is it like to write the theme song for Final Fantasy?
It was a wonderful honor to be the first international artist to write the theme song for a legendary journey such as Final Fantasy and quite an incredible privilege, because we've always been hardcore fans of every Final Fantasy game. We probably spent more hours playing those games than attending school! Ben, Your Favorite Enemies bass player, is probably the craziest Final Fantasy fan I ever met. To say he is obsessed by the game is not only true, it's something we are worried about! So when we received the offer to write songs for the game, it was a natural association for us. The process was great, especially that we were able to actually give the soul of the game through the music. So that was a real opportunity for us not only to put our artistic imprint on one of the most important games of our generation, but to actually connect with people on another level, to lay down the soundtrack of a dream collectively lived all over the planet. It’s really a wonderful artistic experience for us. And to be honest, even if we are often solicited to write songs for video games, being fans of game still remains the only criteria for us to contribute. Otherwise, it’s only commerce and commerce doesn’t have soul. But as Ben would say; we love so many games that it’s never going to be a problem!
Will you sign with a major label some time in the future?
Our musical background is the Do It Yourself Hardcore scene. We grew up taking care of ourselves, and we've learned to work hard, destiny is not some Hollywood fairy tale. For us, art has never been at the service of commerce; it's the other way around. Art is defining and redefining elements of life and we are actually living in quite an exciting time right now! It's not about the nostalgia of what the 90's music scene had been... unknown bands signing to majors and becoming multi-millionaires over night. Those days are over. It's not about stardom or ambition now, it's about having a vision. Your Favorite Enemies' fans started communities all over the world and we decided to get involved with them, to be part of those communities. Your Favorite Enemies is more than a band, it's more than a movement, it's a family. So for us, the question is not if we will sign with a major label some time in the future. The question is "Could a major label be part of a family such as Your Favorite Enemies'?". We are not against corporations, we are anti bullshit being organized in a system based on screwing people dry. There is false righteousness in the independent music world as well, so independent labels are even worst than major labels. Some independent heroes have been total assholes with artists as well. There's no such thing as purity when you're dealing business. We believe there's a good and a bad way to deal business. We simply decided to deal in business based on our community values. Ambition is the enemy of vision, and everything we're doing is based on that community vision. We had the Chinese people in our hearts for a long time and visiting you is truly a blessing for us! It's not based on some business ambition!
What can't we miss at your gig?
Passion of being alive... Chaotic noises turned into sonic landscapes... The fact that there's no such thing as boundaries between the band and the people... Long hair moving in every direction... In other words, you can't miss that band letting go of everything, ready to die on stage because they believe it's worth dying for! There's no fear no more! Life creates life!!!
What was the strangest liquor you've tried? Ready for some Baijiu?
The strangest liquor we tried is something called the Lumberjack Head Cutter. It's a crazy strong alcohol created with maple syrup. The tradition says that the Devil appeared to lumberjacks during a very hard winter, they were starving, totally frozen, isolated in their wood camp due to several snow storms. In exchange for their souls, the Devil traded that alcohol. Only one of them refused the deal and he's known as the only lumberjack who made it back home in the spring time. The other lumberjacks have been haunting the woods ever since, ready to make the same type of deal with any lost and desperate travelers in order to have their souls released from the spell they are under. We obviously haven't traded our souls for the sip we had! I guess we've been saved by the fact that we're not really into drinking, due to the fact that some of team members had major alcohol problems in past. We are a family, standing tight for each other, especially knowing the price some of our people had to pay to sober up and to clean up. But if we don't have to trade our souls to taste some Baijiu, you can count us in for a few sips! But only if we are sharing that moment with you Miss Dai... or any other Beijinger representatives! It's a fair deal... especially that I'm not asking for your soul in return!
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Your Favorite Enemies has landed in Japan
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TOKYO (majirox news) – While many foreign musicians cancelled their shows in Japan, Canadian rock ba...TOKYO (majirox news) – While many foreign musicians cancelled their shows in Japan, Canadian rock band Your Favorite Enemies (YFE) is performing “Arisen from Despairs – A Morning of All Hope” this weekend in Osaka, Tokyo and Kyoto.
“I asked a lot of people if it was appropriate for us to do the shows since we wanted to honor the Japanese people,” said 30-year-old bandleader (vocals) Alex Foster. “Since we have a strong relationship with Japan, we were thinking of canceling our previously planned tour after Japan’s earthquake and tsunami on March 11.”
The group received so many emails urging them to empower the people with their music that they decided to tour.
“It’s not like we came to Japan to have a party,” he said. “We came to be with people. There is not much we can do. But if people need someone to talk, cry, and scream with, I wanted to say, ‘Hey, we’re here with you.’”
The group, which started in 2006, is known for its close relationship with Amnesty International and creating fan communities across the globe through social networking sites (SNS). More than 36,000 Japanese connect with them via MySpace, Facebook, email and Twitter.
“I spend almost every day connecting with people through SNS sites to be a part of what people are living,” Foster said. “SNS sites made us accessible to each other.”
Additionally, the group’s “Hope Project” for Japanese victims has received worldwide attention. It collected 50,000 post cards, including drawings from children and messages that were written in various languages and translated into Japanese. The band also made a large Japanese flag with “HOPE” printed on the sun that included many signatures.
“I was blown away by the huge response from all over the world,” Foster said. “People wanted to let the Japanese people know that they were not alone.”
The group went to a shelter Wednesday at Minami Sanriku in Miyagi prefecture, which was totally destroyed, delivering encouraging messages sent from across the globe.
Foster reflected on his experience. “I have been inspired by the courage and dignity of people and volunteers. I saw people rebuilding their lives and supporting each other although some of them lost their families and friends.”
The band, which manages all aspects of its activities through its own label, Hopeful Tragedy Records, and has its own recording studio with streaming audio, is especially impressed with the group’s Japanese fans.
“I was amazed how real and full of life they were,” Foster told Majirox News. “They are very different from what I was seeing in the entertainment industry at the time where everything was so plastic.”
Since Japanese fans spent a lot of time translating the band’s English site, YFE decided to set up a Japanese social networking page.
“We wanted to craft a community,” said Foster. “We learned there was a lot of loneliness and depression among young Japanese. We are not saving people, but we wanted to reach out and revitalize the sense of community Japan used to have so that people can find a reason to hold on.”
In fact, among all of the band’s SNS communities across the globe, Japan’s was the first to emerge.
The band first toured Japan in 2008, before even recording an album, and it gained more popularity by contributing theme songs to the best-selling Japanese video game series “Final Fantasy.” Some of the members visited Japan to meet with fans and to shoot an independent movie with no live show and no record PR involved.
The band aims to establish Hopeful Tragedy Records Japan by the end of 2011.
“It will be our official record company in Japan, and in a way, it is the result of the friendship we built over the years,” Foster said. “We will support artists we love in Japan as well.”
Song PV: http://youtu.be/4AVCjcc_WnM
About HOPE project: http://youtu.be/FFjGftlqrRU
Your Favorite Enemies will have shows in Tokyo May 28, and Kyoto May 29. Ticket information: http://www.yourfavoriteenemies.com/japan/tickets.html
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Postcards From All Over The Planet
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What did you feel and think when you looked at the city (Minami-Sanriku-cho area) today?
It was v...What did you feel and think when you looked at the city (Minami-Sanriku-cho area) today?
It was very difficult to think or to feel… I was paralyzed and had a hard time to breathe. It felt like time stopped for a few seconds. Tears were quietly falling down my cheeks, and I was hardly able to move. Even if I had already seen the images on the news, even if the scenery was strangely familiar, becoming a part of those images and becoming a live figure of the scenery was really humbling to me. I can’t understand the nature of such profound pain associated with the recent tragedy. But somehow, as I was walking through the remains of the city, looking at the peaceful sky and feeling the kindness of the wind, I had a deep sensation of hope blooming in my heart, and those feelings were even stronger when I met the volunteers and the survivors. I knew, deep in my heart, that the loss of loved ones would be honored by a redefined celebration of life…
What’s your thought for the hope project since you started?
I started the Hope Project as a way to give an opportunity for people all over the word to add a personal spark to the uplifting spirit needed for life to be a firing element in the people arising… But I soon realized that the survivrors and the Japanese people’s courage became an empowering wind for everyone. We all became part of the movement. And everyone involved in the Hope Project (survivors, volunteers, initiators, supporters) has seen their courage reconstructed and redifined…
What kind of impact do you want to make for the people ( who had earthquake) with this project ?
I humbly want the victims to know they are not alone, and that millions of people are inspired by their courage…
Can you introduce yourself?
To be truly honest, who I am ain’t really important. With everything I’ve witnessed today, I feel like my heart has been born again, enlightened by so much courage and dignity… It’s like the first day of a new life for me. Hope is the true nature of the people I met today. They are the incarnation of the values I want for my own life. Their hopeful spirits gave the bright colors to the magnificent sky and the healing wind I’ve witnessed today. And every time I will see such magnificence, I will pray for the people of Minami-Sanriku-cho, thankful for the man I became after meeting them. I can’t wait to visit again. As for today, I will tell everyone that they are the embodiment of hope and that I am empowered. The rest of it is a potential overshadow on the true important people - the people who decided to believe in life - the volunteers, the people from all over the world who had their heart moved enough to write a message, draw a hopeful symbol or simply write their name to let people know they are not alone.
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Your Favorite Enemies - Interview
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Canadian band Your Favorite Enemies take time out of their busy tour schedule to have a quick chat w...Canadian band Your Favorite Enemies take time out of their busy tour schedule to have a quick chat with S24/7. Check them out at MIDI Shanghai on Sunday!
Right from the outset you guys have done every aspect of the what you do yourselves, right? Did you always have a clear idea of what you were doing?
Not at all, everything started so fast. We had to get organized pretty quick and I guess that has been the key to what came next. We didn't have the time to double guess our decisions, to think twice about the nature of our choices, and just didn't have time to be self-conscious about it all. Insecurities, doubts and fears being out of the way, I guess it's been a blessing to be able to build by instinct, according to who we are instead of aligned to what we should be and do.
Not many truly independent bands achieve the success you have - what's your secret?
"Success" could be a dirty and tricky word. For us, the notion of success is to be true to ourselves and loyal to each other. And to be honest, the secret is in the beards. Everyone loves men with beards. You should grow one yourself; you'll see, we're changing the world, one facial hair at a time ;)
How has your support for various causes driven the music you make?
Music is intrinsically linked with who we are and what we believe in. That's why it's been so important for us to stay true to ourselves and to remember the reasons we still jump on stage. Life creates life. Every night, whatever number of people in the crowd, we've got the fabulous privilege to create a little spark of life together. And when it's enough of a spark, dream and hope will bloom into a real fire. That's what we've been experiencing from the very beginning of our Chinese tour; life!!!
So is the music the main concern, or the message you're trying to get across through that medium?
The moment we live with the people is the main concern.
You have your own label, Hopeful Tragedy Records - are you now bringing other bands/artists through as well?
Quite surprisingly, every time we fell in love with a band, we managed helping them start their own label and to get in charge of their own story. If we would have signed some of them, we would be pretty rich by now!
But you know, the true fulfilment for us is to know that everywhere we play, bands are being formed right after by people who attended one of our show. They became their own voices. And that's fantastic!
You describe your new album as "a fantastic imaginary voyage" - can you tell us about it?
We've been living this journey like in a bullet train so far. We decided to take the time to creatively recall all those faces, all those places, all those sceneries and colors. As we were laying down the foundation of the record, we realized how much transformations occurred in every single one of us. We're not only able to feel that voyage, but we're actually able to be that sonic migration, and that natural motion leads us to places we never thought were possibly reachable within the realm of our own understanding. Well, that's a lot of words to say we really let go of everything that may have been a possible hold back... and for us, that album is truly worth dying for...
What do you think is it about your music - or the kids who like it - that makes you so popular in Japan?
Again, it's truly about our commitment to live the moment, to be with them, to touch them, and to be touched as well. That's why when we play festivals, we always do everything we can to play in smaller clubs as well, in cities no other bands have any interest in performing at. Our Chinese tour is a great example. It's a crazy tour we embarked on, but so far it's been a true awakening of life. Japan for me, as for China now, has been a love affair, a place I now call home. Love is lived in different ways in every place we visit; it's all about the people!!!
"REAL music is based on the emergency to create, and from that creation, life is created and transformation is emerging"… that's what you strive for - which other bands right now are doing the same?
I don't know... I still listen to the bands that got me into music in the first place. I'm not in the usual cool band name dropping. Have you been strived by a band recently? I mean, really? Not a little buzz love, but a real mind-blowing experience that lead you to redefine your life? if you had, I'm happy for you. I wish I had. But I'm still awaiting my next musical knock down...
You've also been involved in various other projects, film etc?
Yes. We've been very fortunate to have the opportunity to work on different projects we were truly fans of and really keen to be involved with. The Final Fantasy project is a good example. We grew up being Final Fantasy fanatics, so to be a part of the legacy has been a true blessing for every single one of us. Being involved in movie soundtracks of directors we admire, writing with artists we are fans of, as much as actively support or initiate different humanitarian projects... this is a wonderful privilege.
So this is your first China tour - how are you liking it?
It's been a real empowering tour so far. Witnessing life arising every night, sharing about our dreams, hope and faith. We couldn't have imagined such meaningful, powerful and defining moments. It's a communion of differences becoming one voice every night. Every single night. We're being lifted up by a wave of people embodying their vision of tomorrow right before our eyes. It's truly one of the most incredible human experiences we have ever felt.
Are you finding out a bit more about Chinese acts? Any from MIDI that you'll be making a special effort to see?
Of course. That's the beauty of touring, and the only way, in my opinion, to get to know the soul of a country; through it's an artistic community. We became really good and close friends with members of Chinese bands. And honestly, from the bottom of my heart, if I had to name one without mentioning the others, I know I will have to the pay our next band community dinner bill. And trust me, you don't want to get caught with the food bill of angry musicians on the road!!! I love you all guys! I said it... so the bill of our next dinner together is on you!!!
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Chengdu Zebra Festival 2011: Edison Chen celebrates comeback, plus all the headliners
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[...]
The festival's most controversial act might be Your Favorite Enemies, an indie-rock sextet fr...[...]
The festival's most controversial act might be Your Favorite Enemies, an indie-rock sextet from Canada whose frontman is involved with "Write For Rights" and other human-rights movements. He is not only a notorious spokesperson for Amnesty International, but the band is also regularly invited to play at AI's anniversary celebrations. While highly acclaimed in the West (1st place in the U.K.'s "Battle of the Bands" and word of approval by Beach Boy drummer Nelson Brag), the band's strongest fan base commercially seems to be in Japan, thanks to Your Favorite Enemies' involvement on the chart-topping soundtrack of video game Dissidia: Final Fantasy.
[...]
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Artist of the Week: Your Favorite Enemies
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This week's Billboard Pro Featured Artist is Your Favorite Enemies, the Montreal-based rock band who...This week's Billboard Pro Featured Artist is Your Favorite Enemies, the Montreal-based rock band whose humanitarian efforts and willingness to respond to an international audience have helped them develop a fan base whose MySpace activity has kept them ranking high on Billboard's Uncharted chart for 14 weeks running. (This week, they come in at No. 8.)
Formed in 2006, Your Favorite Enemies' online success was a "happy accident," according to frontman Alex Foster. Within a year, their online buzz led them to tour Europe.
"We had to get organized pretty [quickly]," he explains of the sudden response from the online listeners. "Suddenly, people wanted more music, so we said, 'Let's do an EP,' and then we needed all our friends to help with shipping, and then we had to [actually] build a website. It was crazy."
Foster says that the addition of multilingual translations of the band's home site (done by willing friends and supporters) was one move that helped them reach a wider audience.
Your Favorite Enemies have been touring in China since April, which Foster says has been a long time coming. The band had had plans to tour China in 2008, but when a 8.0-magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan, they had to postpone until this spring. Turning down invitations to play the country's major music festivals, Foster says that YFE chose instead to tour relatively smaller Chinese cities, some of whom had never seen a foreign band play live.
"It's very humbling, to see people waiting like that, just for a little spark," he says.
Next week, Your Favorite Enemies will head to Japan, where they will play three shows in Tokyo, as part of the Hope Project, the band's own outreach initiative to benefit survivors of the March 11 earthquake.
Foster says that YFE's members, who are well-known to fans as outspoken supporters of Amnesty International, wanted to do something meaningful in the wake of the catastrophe, but weren't sure that raising money was enough. So they did some research and, as Foster tells it, found that what was lacking from relief efforts was simple: “They needed hope.”
Under the Hope Project banner, Your Favorite Enemies asked fans to write postcards and other messages of empathy and encouragement from fans. In a combined effort with the Red Cross, Foster says that the response was overwhelming--so many fans replied to the call that the band's website crashed repeatedly in the days following the project's inauguration.
Rather than chasing the highest-paid gig, Foster explains that the choices Your Favorite Enemies has made as a band have been guided by a combination of the band's personal convictions and what their fans ask of them.
"Instead of being that new toy, that people will throw away overnight, we really want to give the people what they want," he says.
To contribute to the Hope Project, click here: www.yourfavoriteenemies.com/hope
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Uncharted Territory: Big K.R.I.T. Debuts, Your Favorite Enemies Help Japan
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Your Favorite Enemies comes in at No. 11, climbing five places from last week. The Montreal-b...[...]
Your Favorite Enemies comes in at No. 11, climbing five places from last week. The Montreal-based sextet has been doing their part in organizing efforts for victims of the March 11 earthquake in Japan by launching, in partnership with the Red Cross, an initiative called the Hope Project, which will deliver fans' postcards of empathy and encouragement to survivors of the catastrophe and will culminate with a benefit concert in Tokyo on May 25. The band also has a China tour lined up for the month leading up to the benefit.
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Finally, Uncharted sends off progressive metal band Obscura in style, as the German quartet makes its debut on this week's Heatseekers chart at No. 11. Released March 29, Obscura's new album Omnivium is their third full-length release. Obscura kicks off their European tour April 29 in Wurzburg, Germany.
To discover new music and get a head start on following the careers of these emerging artists, find the rest of this week's chart on Billboard.com or in Billboard Magazine, and check in with Uncharted Territory every week for more.
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Your Favorite Enemies @ CMW 2009
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Bovine Sex Club - Toronto, ON on Mar 12 2009
Sheena Lyonnais (CHARTattack)
Background/Compositio...Bovine Sex Club - Toronto, ON on Mar 12 2009
Sheena Lyonnais (CHARTattack)
Background/Composition:
These five guys and one gal from Montreal formed this solid rock/metal band in 2006 and founded their own label, Hopeful Tragedy Records, a year later to produce their own EP. And If I Was To Die In The Morning... Would I Still Be Sleeping With You went on to sell over 30,000 copies between their homeland and Japan, which isn't surprising in the least. With sets like this one, Your Favorite Enemies are likely to also become your favourite band.
Grade: 92
Comment:
Your Favorite Enemies are the entire package. Anticipation set in even before they set foot onstage when a slew of fans in orange jail jumpsuits that said "Rock N Rights" on the back began flooding the front of the club. The jumpsuits served as an homage to the group's passion for human rights and their fans' dedication to the band. I was expecting anarchy, but instead got a band so in touch with their audience and abilities, it was impossible to tell this wasn't a hometown show.
Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required
skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.
Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really
Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: G
Pronunciation: G
Stage Presence: E
Stage Banter: G
Image: E
Appearance: E
Use Of Stage: E
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Vocalist Alex Foster assaulted and crawled around the Bovine stage and bar like an animal, while the rest of the band rocked out with undeniable energy and conviction. Their songs were so articulate it came as a surprise to hear their uber-thick Quebec accents between songs. Keyboardist and backing vocalist Miss Isabel is a phenomenal touch, but she was the most reserved person on stage. It would have been nice to see her leave the safe place from behind her keys to join in on the full-frontal rock 'n' roll action.
Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: E
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: G
Work Habits: E
Organization: E
Audience Participation: E
Sound: E
Composition: E
Songs: E
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Your Favorite Enemies' ability to break up songs by incorporating soft melodies and ambience shows the true calibre of their songwriting. Careful thought is put into the construction of their songs and sets in order to draw attention to various aspects from the lyrical content to the eeriness of the icy parts. This band deserved to have every member called out for the audience so names could be put to the skills in a true old school fashion. Perhaps Foster can consider doing this next time.
Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: G
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: E
Sexiness: G
Haircut: E
Indie Rock Footwear: G
Nods To Disposible Fashion: G
Cool Equipment: E
Level Of Inebriation: S
Actual Ability: E
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Guitarists Jeff Beaulieu and Sef both have superior shredding talents and maximum metal hair. Their headbanging was incredible to watch as their hair seemed to be everywhere and take up half the tiny stage. These combined traits in addition to everything else helped make Your Favorite Enemies the perfect Bovine band and a group to watch in 2009.
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Your Favorite Enemies in Final Fantasy
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The band from Varennes writes the soundtrack for this worldwide success
A young band from Quebec ...The band from Varennes writes the soundtrack for this worldwide success
A young band from Quebec will have the chance to have their music heard by millions of people over the coming months. Your Favorite Enemies wrote the soundtrack for the new Final Fantasy; one of the most popular video games in the world.
PHILIPPE RENAULT
Le Journal de Montréal
The alternative rock band from Varennes wrote the whole of the soundtrack from the 13th chapter of the game, which will be released in North America next summer.
“We wrote three songs for it, one of which is for the main theme. The others will play depending on the situation”, guitarist Jeff Beaulieu excitedly explains.
Final Fantasy XIII was released in Japan last month, and the impact is already evident. The game was released on December 18th and the soundtrack, December 24th. The reaction on our Japanese internet page is incredible. The game sold a million copies and the soundtrack is in the iTunes top 50.
“We are already in great demand to tour over there” he continues.
This imposing deal was negotiated by the band itself, without the help of an agent, during a recent trip to the land of the Rising Sun.
“We toured Japan with Simple Plan last year and something crazy happened for us. We also gave our own show in Tokyo. The game’s representatives came to see us and we negotiated everything ourselves. It is important for us to maintain this independent aspect”, Jeff recalls.
Promising Beginnings
This new experience adds to a series of happy events which have occurred over two years. Everything began by winning an important music competition on an English radio station. The band would then, among other things, tour Europe and Asia as well as taking part in last year’s Heavy Mtl. Your Favorite Enemies also self-produced two EPs, which sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide, without the help of a record company or distributor.
The sextet, led by the voices of Alex Foster and Miss Isabel, are currently working on their first full album, to be released next autumn.
“We are in negotiations with a European label. We aim to have an international launch”, the guitarist adds.
- The first chapter of Final Fantasy was created by the Japanese game designer Hironobu Sakagu.
- Since then, the game’s 12 chapters have sold more than 85 million copies worldwide.
- Final Fantasy was brought to the big screen in 2001, but received mixed reviews.
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Enemies Make Friends
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BILLBOARD.BIZ BULLETIN - April 4 2008
Montreal’s Your Favourite Enemies, one of the country’s mos...BILLBOARD.BIZ BULLETIN - April 4 2008
Montreal’s Your Favourite Enemies, one of the country’s most hotly tipped unsigned bands, say they are in negotiations with a large American indie label following shows last month at South by Southwest in Austin. The band is also heading to Japan to support fellow Montrealers Simple Plan at five shows, says Jeff Beaulieu, guitarist and currently manager of the group.
The six-piece group takes dueling distorted guitars and matches them with the vocals of singers Miss Isabel and Alex Foster to come up with a sound not that far removed from the commercial goth rock of Evanescence. While many may not immediately recognize the band, the group has been steadily building a sizable underground following across North America and Europe. Without a record deal, the band says it has sold upwards of 30,000 copies of its 2007 EP “And If I Was to Die in the Morning . . . Would I Still Be Sleeping With You?” (Hopeful Tragedy Records), largely at shows and through its MySpace site. The band is planning a June release for a stopgap, eight-song EP, “Thousand Lights for a Million Souls,” and plans to tour Europe in the summer, where it is booked by the Helter Skelter agency. The Agency Group handles North American bookings.
The new record will again be selfreleased, though Beaulieu says a deal with the unnamed U.S. indie is possible, as long as it can be done without compromising the band’s grass-roots leanings. “For us, this is more than just about the music,” he says. “This group is a family, and we don’t want to give that up for just any deal.”
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Online Exclusive: Five Canadian Acts Burning Their Way To International Stardom
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February 26, 2008 - Global
By Robert Thompson, Toronto
Your Favourite Enemies
Hometown: Montrea...February 26, 2008 - Global
By Robert Thompson, Toronto
Your Favourite Enemies
Hometown: Montreal
Latest Release: "And If I Was to Die in the Morning . . . Would I Still Be Sleeping With You," June 1, 2007
Label: unsigned
Management: none
A true underground success story, Your Favourite Enemies have eschewed the traditions of the music industry. Instead of signing with a label or employing a manager, the band has used the Internet, its explosive live show and its bond with its fans to sell thousands of records without utilizing standard distribution channels. With a sound that combines elements of metal and gothic rock, and a focus on charismatic vocalists Alex Foster and Miss Isabel, Your Favourite Enemies sold nearly 40,000 copies of their EP, "And If I Was to Die in the Morning . . . Would I Still Be Sleeping With You," without the help of an independent label. Instead, the band has embraced the street team promotional concept and extensively utilized online video blogs and message boards to bring its songs to potential fans. An album, tentatively titled "Love Is a Promise," produced by Steve Thompson (Korn, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Jet) is expected in coming months.
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i0055cabe5256398adeed682cfbd70432
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YOUR FAVORITE ENEMIES Des favoris planétaires
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Petite exception cette semaine, parlons vedettes internationales! Il sera en fait question du groupe...Petite exception cette semaine, parlons vedettes internationales! Il sera en fait question du groupe Your Favorite Enemies, qui, après avoir fait courir les foules aux quatre coins de la planète, s’apprête à provoquer le même engouement dans sa propre cour: le Québec!
Plusieurs Montréalais ont découvert le groupe basé à Varennes lors du tout récent Festival Heavy MTL (il faut cependant avouer que leur rockalternatif cadrait plus ou moins avec le métal lourd à l’honneur).
D’autres l’ont entendu l’année dernière lors du Vans Warped Tour.
Mais tout ça, ce n’est rien en regard du succès international que connaît le sextette. Alex Foster (voix),Miss Isabel (voix et claviers), Jeff Beaulieu (guitare),Sef (guitare), Ben Lemelin (basse) et Charles Allicy (batterie) reviennent d’ailleurs tout juste d’une fructueuse tournée asiatique et indonésienne. Ils ont même donné une performance à l’une des émissions les plus écoutées en Indonésie.
On parle de 25 millions de téléspectateurs! Cela s’ajoute à une tournée européenne comme tête d’affiche il y a quelques mois, ce qu’ils répéteront sous peu.
Des communautés de fans se sont également formées dans une dizaine de pays et des visiteurs de partout dans le monde n’hésitent pas à se déplacer à Varennes dans le seul but de les rencontrer.
Ah! oui, j’oubliais, ils ne possèdent pas encore d’album distribué. En fait, ils ont lancé l’année dernière un mini-album de cinq chansons, And If I Was to Die in the Morning… Would I Still Be Sleeping With You, en vente uniquement dans leur site Internet.
Près de 40 000 exemplaires se sont envolés!
POUR FAIRE PATIENTER
Devant l’engouement grandissant pour les compositions du groupe, qui s’est tout d’abord fait un nom en remportant un important concours d’une radio britannique en 2007, YFE vient de lancer son second EP, Love is a Promise Whispering Goodbye, une fois de plus disponible en exclusivité au www.yourfavoriteenemies.com.
Une façon de faire patienter les fans en attendant la première véritable sortie, attendue à l’automne.
Les grandes maisons de disques sont à leurs pieds, tandis que le renommé réalisateur Steve Thompson (Metallica, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, David Bowie, Rolling Stones, Korn) se déplace régulièrement des États- Unis pour travailler avec la jeune formation.
Le rock plutôt propre ne révolutionne rien, mais les compos sont solides et feront certainement beaucoup de bruit au cours des prochains mois et années. Un avis partagé par le magazine Billboard, qui a nommé YFE parmi les cinq groupes à surveiller en 2008.
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Your Favorite Enemies - Ami public numero un
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Your Favorite Enemies
Number One Public Friend
Last October 2nd, Y.F.E was giving its first conc...Your Favorite Enemies
Number One Public Friend
Last October 2nd, Y.F.E was giving its first concert in France, at the Point Ephemere in Paris. A moment the six musicians from Quebec had been waiting for a long time.
BY: FELIX LEJEUNE | PHOTO: TRIP FONTAINE
Y.F.E crossed the ocean for the first time. A symbolic act for them and for us: "To come to Europe before going to the U.S.A is a way for us to keep the bond that unites us to our fans who have been supporting us for more than a year", explains the singer Alex Foster with a visible enthusiasm. Even more that the band was almost on familiar grounds: "We had exchanged so much on the Net that arriving here, we had no apprehensions. And to see people waiting for us in front of the venue at 10 in the morning, to welcome us in your country with such simplicity really moved us. This kind of relationship transforms us as individuals and enriches us as artists." Miss Isabel confirms: "No matter where we went in Europe, we knew people. We felt a little at home everywhere." It was the case in Paris because, even if the venue was not full from wall to wall, the audience was unmistakably sold to the cause of the musicians from Quebec, who, in return, gave their all for their set. Around fifty people even stayed two hours after the concert to discuss with each other and, of course, with the artists who also gladly took pictures. A new proof that Your Favorite Enemies, it's not only music.
(myspace.com/yourfavoriteenemies)
DISCO: AUTOPRODUCED
Le 2 octobre dernier, Y.F. E donnait son tout premier concert en France, au Point Ephemere de Paris. Un moment que les six Quebecois attendaient depuis longtemps.
Par : Felix Lejeune / Photo : Trip Fontaine
Y.F.E a traverse l'ocean pour la premiere fois. Un acte symbolique pour eux comme pour nous : " Venir en Europe avant d'aller aux U.S. A. est une maniere de maintenir le lien qui nous unit avec nos fans qui nous soutiennent depuis plus d'un an", explique le chanteur Alex Foster avec un enthousiasme non dissimule. D'autant plus que le groupe etait presque en terrain connu : " On a tellement echange sur le Net qu'en arrivant ici, on n'avait aucune apprehension. Et voir des gens nous attendre devant la salle a dix heures du matin, pour nous souhaiter la bienvenue dans votre pays en toute simplicite nous a beaucoup touches. Ce genre de relation nous transforme en tant que personnes, et nous enrichit en tant qu'artiste. " Miss Isabel confirme : " Peu importe ou nous sommes alles en Europe, on connaissait des gens. On se sentait un peu a la maison partout." Ce fut le meme cas a Paris, car meme si la salle n'etait pas remplie a ras bord, le public etait incontestablement acquis a la cause des Quebecois, qui se sont, en retour, impliques a fond dans leur set. Une cinquantaine de personnes sont meme restees deux heures apres la fin du concert, pour discuter entre eux, et, bien entendu, avec les artistes, qui se sont egalement pretes avec plaisir au jeu des photos souvenir. Une nouvelle preuve que Your Favorite Enemies, ce n'est vraiment pas que de la musique.
(myspace.com/yourfavoriteenemies)
DISCO : AUTOPRODUIT
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Internet & Precious
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Quebecois sextet that emerged through MySpace, Your Favorite Enemies has known a huge buzz these las...Quebecois sextet that emerged through MySpace, Your Favorite Enemies has known a huge buzz these last few months. So here is a band to follow really closely.
By: Felix Lejeune| Photo: DR
A real phenomenon. In three months, Your Favorite Enemies has sold twenty thousand copies of the EP, “And If I Was To Die In The Morning… Would I Still Be Sleeping With You”, sold via their online store: “It’s really hard to size up people’s reaction and the first sales day, we had so many orders that we thought it was a system error,” recalls the singer Alex Foster. Following this more than positive greeting, the band even postponed the release of their first album until spring 2008: “For us, it was a way of keeping the EP alive, but also to favour concerts and to meet with people,” explains the frontman. A growing community, Your Favorite Enemies has now more than ten street-teams throughout the world. A showcase enabling the band to get their message across with more intensity. Moreover, the singer has recently made a trip to Japan to “pay tribute to the people who started it all and give them back a little of what they gave us.” The band is now getting ready to cross the ocean for their first tour in our lands. The tour will go through England, Germany, the Netherlands and France, on October 2nd at the Point Éphémère, in Paris. A meeting we won’t miss. (www.myspace.com/yourfavoriteenemies) DISCO: HOPEFUL TRAGEDY RECORDS/SELF-PRODUCTION
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Your Favorite Enemies
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The Canadian rock band Your Favorite Enemies asks for attention for human rights and Amnesty Interna...The Canadian rock band Your Favorite Enemies asks for attention for human rights and Amnesty International everywhere they go. On October 3rd the band plays in Den Haag. Your Favorite Enemies has been working with Amnesty in Canada for years.
During his troubled youth the singer and songwriter Alex Foster comes in touch with a Neo-Nazi organisation. In search for love and unity he joins and eventually becomes a leader in the organisation. After five years Foster quits: the price he has to pay for unity is too high. Now he talks about his past in schools. “For years I had to keep my past a secret. About eight years ago I did some charity work for Amnesty and that’s when I told one of the Amnesty-workers about it. He asked me if I wanted to do something with it, because he thought it was a special story. Because of Amnesty International I have the chance to share my experiences with the kids, and to make Amnesty known. Lots of kids have positive reactions, and some even started their own Amnesty-group.”
Not only the kids, but also the parents react positive on his story. “I probably tell the same thing as the parents of many of those kids, but only I have an electric guitar in my hand, and that works.” Your Favorite Enemies tries to ask for attention for human rights as much as possible, not only in schools but also during concerts, through their website and in interviews.
“Amnesty is very important to me. In every interview I find a way to talk about Amnesty, because it really is a part of me. Our music isn’t that much about human rights. Our songs are personal. We aren’t a band that takes action on the streets. We don’t make songs about human rights itself, but about our personal feelings against racism for example.”
At the time this interview was held the band was working on their first European tour. October 3rd it’s time for their first Dutch performance in Den Haag. “I am very excited about it” says Foster. “Through our website we have a lot of personal contact with our members. There is a big group of Dutch fans, and it is fantastic to be able to meet them and to make them conscience of all the good work that Amnesty does.”
Anita Wijnands
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Your Favorite Enemies On A Great Scale
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A simple glance at the road covered by Your Favorite Enemies in the last two years is enough to thin...A simple glance at the road covered by Your Favorite Enemies in the last two years is enough to think that the Montreal sextet is entirely made of marketing geniuses.
“There are record labels who want to pay us to show them what we did to get here! exclaims Alex Foster, the singer of the band. The short story of Your Favorite Enemies might have started more than 8 years ago, but it’s in 2005 – and after two name changes (The Riddlers and In This Life) – that the band took off for real.
After signing with Luthala Management, one of the most important management company in the country, Alex and his gang began working on their first album with producer Steve Thompson (Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Madonna). However, it is their activities outside of every corporative molds that caught the eye of the record industry giants.
Same time last year, the six musicians were discovering the MySpace phenomena. As we speak, the band has thousands of fans from all over the world: from Washington to Tokyo, going through Berlin and Toronto.
“We started it all a little naively, confesses Alex. The only thing that we told ourselves was that we’d answer every person who’d take the time to write us. All we wanted was to build bridges between our fans, because in our time, people tend to do their things isolated from each other.” Therefore, it is in a community spirit that the rockers threw themselves in this Internet adventure. Doing everything that had to be done to answer their fervent admirers in their native tongue, they saw their fan base grow day after day.
It’s to thank their fans for their support that the members of Your Favorite Enemies decided to produce, record and distribute themselves an EP titled And If I Was to Die in the Morning Would I Still be Sleeping With You. Since its launch in June, the album has sold more than 10,000 copies.
Montreal towards the world
With shows scheduled in England, France and Germany in the course of the next few months, Your Favorite Enemies has just added its name to the ever-growing list of Montreal bands becoming popular abroad.In the eyes of Alex Foster, the cultural wealth and diversity of Montreal, Quebec’s metropolis, would explain why the Patrick Watson, Malajube and Arcade Fire of this world distinguish themselves as much outside the country.
“The Montreal scene is so eclectic, explains Alex. In England, people are fascinated by what is happening here. They ask themselves how we succeed in living in harmony with all these different cultural differences that rub elbows with each other.”
“But the Montreal scene has always flourished, Alex carries on. The bands that have been playing here have always been in advance on the popular music genres. And since the bands that express themselves in English never really had a support as strong as the one given to those who express themselves in French, from subventions and the medias, the musicians might have focused more on the music for what it is instead of trying to fit into a more commercial mold made for the French market. Because we know that here, for years, the consecration for a Quebec artist, was to establish himself in France.”
Beyond the music
The members of Your Favorite Enemies have always been involved in humanitarian causes. Ex social worker, the singer of the band, Alex Foster, has, for that matter, given several conferences in schools everywhere in Quebec to promote open-mindedness. Today, he pursues his work with Amnesty International. “We tell ourselves that once our music will have faded, we’ll have left our trace in other ways”, indicates Alex.
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Your Favorite Enemies Will Be On The Vans Warped Tour
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Before crossing the Atlantic to undertake a European Tour that will lead it to Manchester, London, B...Before crossing the Atlantic to undertake a European Tour that will lead it to Manchester, London, Berlin, Cologne, Paris and Den Haag, the Montreal rock alternative formation Your Favorite Enemies will be on the Vans Warped Tour, the great annual meeting for hardcore, ska and punk fans scheduled on Sunday at the Parc Jean-Drapeau on Ste-Hélène Island. Launched at the beginning of June and independently produced, the YFE EP, a collage of five original songs, has already sold at 10 000 copies. An outcome more than encouraging for the members of the formation, who are preparing a tour in Japan.
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Bonds On The Web
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Rarely has a music group generated as much buzz before having even one album under their belt, as it...Rarely has a music group generated as much buzz before having even one album under their belt, as it is the case with Quebec band Your Favorite Enemies, who experience an international success, for the most part thanks to the magic of the Internet.
Philippe Renault
Le journal de Montreal
prenault@journalmtl.com
After turning a lot of heads, first on Myspace, then by winning an important popularity contest in a UK radio station last March, the craze does not cease to grow. Offers from major record labels pour in, fan communities have been formed in a dozen countries, on top of which the band, who starts a European tour in September, have already 30 000 friends on Myspace. Alex Foster, Miss Isabel, Sef Lemelin, Jeff Beaulieu, Ben Lemelin, Charles Allicy even succeeded in attracting in their region of Varennes, the renowned producer Steve Thompson, who has worked with Metallica, Simple Plan, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, David Bowie and the Rolling Stones, to record their first album, that should come out next September.
A FRUITFUL FIRST TRY
Moreover, the young rock alternative formation has had the chance to get the feel of the music market by launching a five songs EP on June 1st. Without any promotion or support from distributors or record labels, close to 10 000 copies were sold in only a month.“We’d never expected that it would take such proportions!” said Jeff.
“The people in the industry were saying that we’d fail. A lot of record labels put pressure on us to sign with them, saying that, if we failed, it would be the proof that we were just a buzz. Strangely, these same people now ask us what’s our marketing strategy, but we don’t have a marketing strategy!” tells Alex.
AFFORDABLE COST
As a matter of fact, this initiative to do all by themselves has only one goal: to sell at an affordable cost, no matter where the buyer is on the planet. “We had calculated with labels that, the Japanese would have had to pay $42 for each 5 songs EP. We wanted to sell it everywhere at the cost of $10 Canadian. It’s our way of saying thank you. Our goal is not to make money since we make about $1 for each EP, that we give to the organism To Write Love On Her Arms”, carries on Alex, who is also spokesperson for Amnesty International.
As for it’s full-length album, the band will rely on big players in the music industry for the marketing, but it is out of the question to sign anything before the recording is over, in order to keep their total musical independence.
SOLID BONDS
Beyond the music, the success of Your Favorite Enemies lies, for the most part, on the ability of the band in establishing solid bonds with their fans. “The fans are a part of the communities all over the world, and each member of the band takes care of them personally. Japan has been the first community to appear and it’s me who takes care of it. We developed relations and they share with us their preoccupations. It becomes a refuge to express themselves”, explains the singer, Alex Foster. This bond is so strong that Yoshimi Odaira and Ryunosuke Sudou, two fans from the land of the Rising Sun, have travelled to Varennes recently and stayed in the house of the band members for a week.
“When I listened to the band for the first time, I was impressed. And contrary to the others, they don’t do that for promotion. They care about people. I was surprised to receive long and personalized messages from them. They bring hope. I now want to make it possible for others in Japan who suffer from solitude to experience what I felt while listening to them. They can help them. What’s more, their music is good!” utters Yoshimi Odaira, who even took advantage of her stay in Quebec to have the band’s name tattooed.
To discover Your Favorite Enemies, go to www.yourfavoriteenemies.com
supersonic
Where Did We Loose Each Other
