Alternative, independent DIY artist Alex Henry Foster officially released his “The Power of the Heart” concept music video preceded by Visions Magazine (DE), PROG Magazine (UK) and Mowno premieres. Filmed and produced by Jessie Nottola, the dream-like video already has over 192,000 views via YouTube alone since it released May 22. 

Featuring the video during his Live From Echo Mountain Studio event, Foster and his band, The Long Shadows, also performed a live rendition of his Lou Reed “The Power of the Heart” cover lauded by Rolling Stone (FR), Louder, Visions (DE), BrooklynVegan, Soundvapors and more. This livestream event held in Foster’s home studio in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia was crossposted by over 20 Facebook pages (Prog, Visions, Mowno, Rock on Purpose, etc.) as well as by most of the venues and festivals where Foster will play in Europe this summer. Included with the livestream are two additional unreleased compositions and an exclusive interview with Foster, all of which can be seen on Foster’s Facebook page with more information at https://alexhenryfoster.com/the-power-of-the-heart-landing-page/.

“Noises became sounds, and musical arrangements evolved into some sort of spiritual uplift for me, turning it all into a celebration of what can’t be owned, measured or defined, a boundless and infinite transformative ascension that can only be experienced once shared and given away,” says Foster. “That is for me the true everlasting nature that is the power of the heart. Liberating in its contemplation. Compassionate in its acceptance. Transformative in its incarnation.”

Available now at digital and streaming outlets everywhere from Hopeful Tragedy Records, there is also a four-minute radio-ready mix and an eight-minute-27-second version of “The Power of the Heart” included with the single. There is further a lathe-cut vinyl, silkscreen-printed version that will release in September and is available to preorder now along with a collection of specially designed “The Power of the Heart” t-shirts, hoodie’s, silkscreen posters, totes and other items.

Playing “The Power of the Heart,” songs from his Billboard No. 1 selling album Windows in the Sky, and more new music and fan favorites while on tour, Foster and The Long Shadows return to Europe for a 27-city, 10-country Not All Wonders Have Been Lost tour, including select encore appearances in markets played in 2021. Prior to the events in each market, Foster and band will exclusively meet with Secret Family Cult Club members as well as provide them access to their sounchecks.

Alternative, independent DIY artist Alex Henry Foster releases his “The Power of the Heart” Lou Reed cover to critical acclaim. Available now at digital and streaming outlets everywhere from Hopeful Tragedy Records, there is also a four-minute radio-ready mix and an eight-minute-27-second version of “The Power of the Heart” included with the single. There is further a lathe-cut vinyl, silkscreen-printed version that will be available May 20 and will likely sell out within hours of its release.

“Rediscover Lou Reed’s song ‘The Power of the Heart,’ revisited by Alex Henry Foster…a dreamlike and intense cover…” lauds Rolling Stone (FR), as Louder calls the track “a stunning emotional tour-de-force” and “essential listening.” Visions (DE) believes that Foster’s interpretation of the song “is more accessible, but with a sense of drama and always the same touching depth as Reed’s original” while Soundvaporssays, “Out front is the soothing and distinctive voice of Alex Henry Foster. Standing behind him is the superb and powerful music. Together these two forces combine to give the listener an almost ethereal experience.”

Numerous Spotify playlists have also welcomed the release of “The Power of the Heart.” The Eh! List — by Exclaim! (“The best new songs from Canadian artists”), Indie Chill, Folk//Indie and many more have added the single. The Shoegaze/Dream-pop Flavor playlist curator says, “There’s this smooth and starry skies to the instrumentals that just pulls me in. All the noise here is just beautiful, it’s heartwarming, it’s familiar.”

Following the acclaim and playlist adds, Foster is set to release his “The Power of the Heart” concept music video May 22 along with a live performance of the song. More details on this livestream event can be found at https://alexhenryfoster.com/the-power-of-the-heart-landing-page/.

Perhaps Reed’s most underrated song, “The Power of the Heart” was also a favorite of creative pioneer Laurie Anderson who was his longtime partner and wife until his death in 2013. Foster, who brings his own signature, dense sonic texture to the song, recorded “The Power of the Heart” in part at his Virginia studio, where he currently resides, along with a grandiose orchestration captured live in his Quebec-based The Upper Room Studio.

“I’ve been a fan of Lou Reed’s music ever since I found that strange-sounding LP titled Transformer in the prime section of my father’s vinyl collection when I was a kid,” shares Foster. “It took me years, streaming into the bleakest turbulences of my own inner voyage, to envision the prospect of making a monument of sincerity such as ‘The Power of the Heart’ mine.”

Last month, Foster and his band worldwide livestreamed all new music during the Live From Echo Mountain Studio event from Foster’s studio in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The event benefited Music Saves UA and featured the song “All the Violence in the World,” which was offered as part of a direct-to-vinyl lathe-cut, collectors limited edition LP of the livestream to Foster’s SFCC The Club members. These vinyl LP’s sold out in less than three hours after being offered.

Playing the new music and fan favorites while on tour, Alex Henry Foster & The Long Shadows return to Europe for a 27-city, 10-country Not All Wonders Have Been Losttour, including select encore appearances in markets played in 2021.

Alternative, independent DIY artist Alex Henry Foster and his band The Long Shadows will worldwide livestream all new music via his website and Facebook during the Live From Echo Mountain Studio event Saturday, April 23 beginning at 5:00 pm ET. The first time streaming from his studio in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Foster’s pre-recorded concert will benefit Music Saves UA, a Rolling Stone-featured non-profit fundraising project created to provide immediate humanitarian help to those who need it most right now in Ukraine.

All the new songs debuted during the livestream, including featured track “All the Violence in the World,” will be direct-to-vinyl lathe-cut and offered as a collectors limited edition LP first to Foster’s SFCC The Club members starting today (April 20) and then to everyone on April 22. All proceeds from this edition, along with other merchandise created around this event, will benefit Music Saves UA.

“We will be teaming up with our dear friends from the Music Saves UA organization in order to contribute to their humanitarian help and relief efforts towards the Ukrainian people’s most urgent needs,” says Foster. “Being united for human rights for all and the dignity of every individual does not only make a real difference in someone’s life, it is also a way to stand against all forms of tyranny, whatever it may be and wherever it may take place.”

Along with his website and Facebook, this meaningful and unique Live From Echo Mountain Studio livestream will be simultaneously seen on several partnering outlets’ Facebook pages, including Prog Magazine (UK), Visions Magazine (DE), MOWNO(FR), MyRock (FR) and Post Rock Community.

Following his livestream, Foster is set to honor the legacy of Lou Reed, bringing his own signature, dense sonic texture to a cover version of “The Power of the Heart” releasing May 6 to digital and streaming outlets everywhere from Hopeful Tragedy Records. The Prog Magazine-featured song was recorded at his Virginia studio along with a grandiose orchestration captured live in his Quebec-based The Upper Room Studio. Along with a four-minute radio-ready mix, there is an eight-minute-27-second version of “The Power of the Heart” included with the single and a lathe-cut vinyl, silkscreen-printed, signed and numbered limited-edition version.

Playing the new music and fan favorites while on tour, Alex Henry Foster & the Long Shadows return to Europe for a 27-city, 10-country Not All Wonders Have Been Losttour, including select encore appearances in markets played in 2021.

For all the latest Alex Henry Foster tour, music news and more, go to http://alexhenryfoster.com/, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and Hopeful Tragedy Records Store.

About Alex Henry Foster:

Rolling Stone, Paste, American Songwriter-featured Alex Henry Foster (AHF) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, author, producer and composer from Montreal and currently living in Virginia. He is perhaps best known as the frontman of Juno Awards nominee and Post-Rock / Noise band Your Favorite Enemies (YFE). In 2018, Foster launched his debut solo album Windows in the Sky, which hit No. 1 multiple times on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, staying in the Top 40 on the chart for a full year after its release. Last year, he released the live triple-vinyl / double-CD and concert film Standing Under Bright Lights amidst international critical and commercial acclaim and featuring the singles “The Son of Hannah,” “Winter Is Coming In” and “Summertime Departures / Sometimes I Dream.”

Using his music and lyrics to bring something greater than ourselves, and sharing from personal experiences about depression, dreams, grief and hope, Foster is a former street gang member who has become a fierce human rights advocate. He has teamed with Amnesty International for several campaigns, established the non-profit group Rock N Rights in 2004 and created The Hope Project following the Japanese Tsunami of 2011.

A recurrent contributor to the Canadian Musician Magazine, among others, he also published the book A Journey Beyond Ourselves in 2017, is the co-owner of Hopeful Tragedy Records along with his bandmate Jeff Beaulieu, is co-founder of The Upper Room Studio and is the founder of the conceptual creative group The Fabrik. A baseball fanatic and a counterculture kook, Foster also has two dogs and likes to simply be called Alex.

Alternative, independent DIY artist Alex Henry Foster honors the legacy of Lou Reed, releasing a cover version of “The Power of the Heart” May 6 to digital and streaming outlets everywhere from Hopeful Tragedy Records. Along with a four-minute radio-ready mix, there is an eight-minute-27-second version of “The Power of the Heart” included with the single. There is also a lathe-cut vinyl, silkscreen-printed, signed and numbered limited-edition version.

Perhaps Reed’s most underrated song, “The Power of the Heart” was also a favorite of creative pioneer Laurie Anderson who was his longtime partner and wife until his death in 2013. Bringing his own signature, dense sonic texture to the song, Foster recorded “The Power of the Heart” in part at his Virginia studio, where he currently resides, along with a grandiose orchestration captured live in his Quebec-based The Upper Room Studio.

“I’ve been a fan of Lou Reed’s music ever since I found that strange-sounding LP titled Transformer in the prime section of my father’s vinyl collection when I was a kid,” shares Foster. “It took me years, streaming into the bleakest turbulences of my own inner voyage, to envision the prospect of making a monument of sincerity such as ‘The Power of the Heart’ mine.

“Being liberated from the anguish to be seen for who I am is the reason why I didn’t feel the pressure to mimic Reed’s incarnation of the song. Nor was I constrained by the burden of having to emulate his intimate intent,” continues Foster. “Musical arrangements evolved into some sort of spiritual uplift for me, turning it all into a celebration of what can’t be owned, measured or defined; a boundless and infinite transformative ascension that can only be experienced once shared and given away.

“That is for me the true everlasting nature that is the power of the heart,” summarizes Foster. “Liberating in its contemplation. Compassionate in its acceptance. Transformative in its incarnation.”

Playing the new music and fan favorites while on tour, Alex Henry Foster & the Long Shadows return to Europe for a 27-city, 10-country Not All Wonders Have Been Lost tour, including select encore appearances in markets played in 2021.

Around last year’s tour, PROG Magazine (Manchester, UK) noted that Foster has “a solid bond with his followers by opening up on the topics of depression, loneliness and mental illness, but mostly, by inviting them to care for others, to hope for a brighter day and to keep on dreaming.”

Trójka Radio (Warsaw, PL) adds, “Swans, Radiohead or Nick Cave? What if we could combine the results of their sounds? Then we would have Alex Henry Foster…One of the best concerts in my life.”

Slam Alternative Music Magazine (Budapest, HU) says, “… there is almost no lost translation of the burdensome feelings from the charismatic artist to a captivated audience and the display of musical intensity culminates in a perfectly orchestrated symbiosis of emotional experience and an overwhelming concert experience” as Rock&Folk Radio (Paris, FR) shares, “We are welcoming a Canadian artist who has literally filled up the Élysée-Montmartre.”

For all the latest Alex Henry Foster tour, music news and more, go to http://alexhenryfoster.com/, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and Hopeful Tragedy Records Store.

Alternative, post-rock’s Alex Henry Foster impacts album sales charts worldwide with his live triple-vinyl / double-CD and concert film Standing Under Bright Lights following its release April 16. In its first week available at digital and streaming outlets everywhere from Hopeful Tragedy Records, the recording hit No. 4 in Canada (No. 1 iTunes Top Albums), debuted at No. 6 in Australia and reached No. 13 in the UK. The album also landed at No. 18 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists and No. 31 on its Current Album Sales charts while fans also quickly depleted the vinyl collector’s boxes available at his label’s store.

From Montreal and now residing in the highlands of Virginia, Foster’s full production, 11-piece band concert Standing Under Bright Lights was recorded live in front of a sold out Club Soda (July 2019) while Foster headlined the Montreal International Jazz Festival. The concert was named one of the top five events not to be missed by Canada’s national TV/Radio broadcaster CBC. Originally set to release October 8, 2020, which would have been his late father’s birthday, Foster decided to utilize the extra time the worldwide pandemic would give him to produce the recording and concert film.

With Rolling Stone labeling the album’s lead single, “The Son of Hannah,” “simply fascinating,” and the Montreal Gazette hearing “a remarkable buzz around the world with his challenging alternative rock,” Foster’s Standing Under Bright Lights has garnered acclaim across the globe. Along with an NRT Now “Next Big Thing” podcast interview, Foster has been recently featured by Prog Magazine, ICI Premiere (CBC), Louder Than War, BrooklynVegan, Between The Grooves, PAN M 360, FYI Music News, TVK, Rebel Noise, All Rock, Mr. Vinyl and many more.

Along with lead singles “The Son of Hannah” and “Winter Is Coming In” that have received hundreds of thousands of plays across numerous playlists, Standing Under Bright Lights features every song from Foster’s debut solo album, Windows in the Sky, which hit No. 1 multiple times on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, staying in the Top 40 on the chart for a full year after its release. The songs from this celebrated album were re-invented for the live recording as the band performed along with a movie projection produced by Foster. Almost 2 hours and 30 minutes long, the concert at which Standing Under Bright Lights was recorded is now considered among the best concerts throughout the 40 years of the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

Playing the new music and fan favorites on tour, Foster and his band are preparing to tour internationally with 23 dates in Europe set to begin next month, pandemic allowing.

Alternative phenom Alex Henry Foster releases today (March. 12) the second video/single, “Winter Is Coming In,” from his live triple-vinyl / double-CD and concert film Standing Under Bright Lights that is set to release April 16 and available to preorder now from Hopeful Tragedy Records. The project was recorded live in front of a sold out Club Soda (July 2019) while Foster headlined the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

Filled with an intense, sprechstimme-driven opening followed by hopeful-expressed lyrics sung amidst a wash of instrumentation that melt into a quiet, peaceful resonance, Foster wrote “Winter Is Coming In” after wrestling with his own broken childhood, abuses of which he has been a victim, functional depression and thoughts of taking his own life.

“The amount of time I must have spent musing, contemplating, struggling and raging for that song…I was obsessed with ‘authenticity,’ the measure of consciousness it requires to be honest, the nature of redemption, the meaning of being free, contrition, confession, the difference between hope and truth,” Foster shares. He realized the key to the song “wasn’t about understanding the concept of confession and faith…it was allowing those words to loudly carry a burden I was usually holding in the loneliest of all silences…”

The song’s companion video is featured this week by by Louder Than War, Rebel Noise and Glide Magazine, which calls the track “a vivacious take that is transcending with cryptic electricity that spirals and unravels serendipitously.” The magazine also labels Foster a “creative force” that “has helped transcend post-rock into a realm of prog possibilities encompassing the world where Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree meet Godspeed You! Black Emperor.”

“Winter Is Coming In” follows Foster’s release of lead single “The Son of Hannah,” which was featured by American Songwriter and labeled “simply fascinating” by a Rolling Stone playlist. It also gathered video premiers by both BrooklynVegan and Prog Magazine. “The Son of Hannah” was further featured on multiple Spotify Playlists, including Loudwire’s “Weekly Wire-This Week’s Best Songs,” “Best Of Rock” (along with Foo Fighters, Five Finger Death Punch, Adelitas Way, Breaking Benjamin and more), plus Post Rock, Dark Folk, Progressive, Noise Rock, Sad songs for hopeful nights and others.

Recently featured by Montreal Rocks and named as one of Sound Vapors’ top 5 all-time favorite interviews,” Foster is from Montreal and now resides in the highlands of Virginia. His full production, 11-piece band concert, Standing Under Bright Lights, was named one of the top five events not to be missed by Canada’s national TV/Radio broadcaster CBC. Originally set to release October 8, 2020, which would have been his late father’s birthday, Foster decided to utilize the extra time the worldwide pandemic would give him to produce the recording and concert film.

Along with “The Son of Hannah” and “Winter Is Coming In,” Standing Under Bright Lights features every song from Foster’s debut solo album, Windows in the Sky, which hit No. 1 multiple times on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, staying in the Top 40 on the chart for a full year after its release. The songs from this celebrated album were re-invented for the live recording as the band performed along with a movie projection produced by Foster. Almost 2 hours and 30 minutes long, the concert at which Standing Under Bright Lightswas recorded is now considered among the best concerts throughout the 40 years of the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

Following the release of the album, Foster and his band are preparing to tour internationally with 23 dates in Europe set to begin in May, pandemic allowing.

Alternative phenom Alex Henry Foster (AHF) releases today (Feb. 12) the first video, “The Son of Hannah,” from his live triple-vinyl / double-CD and concert film Standing Under Bright Lights that is set to release April 16 and is available to preorder now from Hopeful Tragedy Records.

Premiered yesterday by both BrooklynVegan and Prog Magazine, “The Son of Hannah” video was recorded live in front of a sold out Club Soda (July 2019) while AHF headlined the Montreal International Jazz Festival. The concert was named one of the top five events not to be missed by Canada’s national TV/Radio broadcaster CBC.

Premiering the Standing Under Bright Lights lead single last week, American Songwriter reveals that “‘The Son of Hannah’ is an intimate reflection on keeping faith in moments of great despair…Propelled by a deeper turmoil, Foster maneuvers from his delicately sinister oration into something more captivatingly honest, and raw, sorely declaring He left me with nothing / No words, no direction to set myself in / But he gave me everything I’ve ever needed…Taught me to feed a spirit of my own / To carry my voice beyond morning views / And to leave the past behind.”

“The Son of Hannah” is also featured on multiple Spotify Playlists, including Loudwire’s “Weekly Wire-This Week’s Best Songs,” “Best Of Rock” (along with Foo Fighters, Five Finger Death Punch, Adelitas Way, Breaking Benjamin and more), plus Post Rock, Dark Folk, Progressive, Noise Rock, Sad songs for hopeful nights and others.

From Montreal and now residing in the highlands of Virginia, Foster’s full production, 11-piece band concert, Standing Under Bright Lights, was originally set to release October 8, 2020, which would have been his late father’s birthday. Instead, Foster decided to utilize the extra time the worldwide pandemic would give him to produce the recording and concert film.

The resulting project features “The Son of Hannah” along with every song from AHF’s debut solo album, Windows in the Sky, which hit No. 1 multiple times on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, staying in the Top 40 on the chart for a full year after its release. The songs from this celebrated album were re-invented for the live recording as the band performed along with a movie projection produced by Foster. Almost 2 hours and 30 minutes long, the concert at which Standing Under Bright Lights was recorded is now considered among the best concerts throughout the 40 years of the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

Following the release of the album, Foster and his band are preparing to tour internationally with 23 dates in Europe set to begin in May, pandemic allowing.

The full Standing Under Bright Lights track listing follows:
1) The Son of Hannah
2) The Pain That Bonds (The Beginning Is the End)
3) Winter Is Coming In
4) Shadows of Our Evening Tides
5) The Hunter (By the Seaside Window)
6) Snowflakes in July
7) Summertime Departures
8) Lavender Sky
9) The Love That Moves (The End Is Beginning)