Hey,

I hope you’re doing well…! I’m back in my HQ office in La Belle Province of Quebec under a beautiful Sunday afternoon sunshine and I’m writing this missive following what has been one of our most inspiring and memorable six-week passages in the mystical city of Tangier, Morocco.

What I like about our always-busy lives and tight schedule – as Alex and I pretty much live on the road, especially since May 15 – is that we left Tangier at 6 pm last Wednesday afternoon on our way to the Casablanca Airport for our 1 am flight that same evening. Our 1 am flight was heading to Frankfurt, Germany, for a 5 am landing and connecting flight to Montreal leaving at 10 am and landing at 12 pm local time in Montreal on that very same never-ending Thursday!

Can’t really complain as, first of all, we’re so blessed to have the opportunity to travel across the Atlantic and second, we’re the ones who booked the flights. But nevertheless, we arrived at the HQ later that same Thursday afternoon in order to drop off the musical instruments we had brought to Tangier, and guess what was impatiently waiting for us?! I’m sure you got it right: a welcome back party with pretty much all of our close friends!!! Very smart! But quite nice and such a great way to already feel at home after sixteen weeks on the road.

Alex was very exhausted as he’s been sick very often during our time in Tangier. I think that, following our 10-week European tour, the adrenaline drop and the very unique pace of the city of Tangier kinda got his body to completely shut down and forced him to embrace life still to the fullest, but at a completely different pace, rhythm, and speed. He left the welcome back home party before 9 pm (which means it was pretty much 2 am for our inner clocks). I followed not so long after as I wanted to watch what was left of the Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees game that night! I haven’t been disappointed, despite being quite exhausted!

I’m sharing this traveling story with you since what’s important to understand is we came back to Montreal only for a very few days (3), as we’re heading back to Hamburg, Germany, being invited to participate in the Reeperbahn Music Conference, and using this journey to ship all The Club packages across Europe and the UK. Which means that I have a lot – and by a lot, I really mean A LOT – of personalized audio messages to record for each and every member of The Club! Alex is pretty much in the same position as me as we’re also using this trip to ship the orders for his new project A Measure of Shape and Sounds prior to its next Friday, September 20, release! My guess is we’ll both rest on the plane on our way to Germany on Monday night! Again, I can’t complain, since this is all a self-imposed way of managing this self-imposed beautiful culture of ours, this unique, beautiful, inspiring connection we all share and have been building over the years! But maybe we can manage things with a little more doigté next year… Right?!

Friday morning, 2 days after our return at the HQ, came in way quicker than hoped for, as it always does! Alex had a few doctor appointments, a new normal for him, as a bunch of tests are waiting for him every few weeks to make sure everything is going well and his medication manages his recovery properly, especially around a lifestyle such as ours. We’re so blessed and thankful that Alex still has the capabilities to live his life as he always dreamed it would be. Even if the pace slowed down a lot, it’s still pretty far from a common way of living life.

Doctor: Mr. Foster? 

Alex: Yes Doctor! 

Doctor: You clearly need to lie down for a few days, and to fully recharge your battery. 

Alex: Well, uh… OK. But, if I may, I have loads of audio messages to record, which are quite easy and nice to do, before I leave for Hamburg next Monday. 

Doctor: Hamburg? Monday? What’s waiting for you there? 

Alex: Well… I’m going to ship my new musical project to my European friends who ordered it since its presale started back in August. 

Doctor: You know, you’re pushing your limits a little too hard here, gentleman. 

Alex: Well… I’m especially going there to clear my head, to rest, to stay away from the noise, and to be able to simply get inspired as I’m working on a new album. Hamburg is a city I really like, and I only intend to walk, stop in small cafes, write things down, visit museums, walk some more, and have dinner with my business partner Jeff who is attending a music conference. 

Doctor: Mmmmh. Ok. How many hours of sleep? 

Alex: I can’t go to bed late anymore, and there won’t be any parties for me while I’m there. Nothing excessive, only refreshing my mind, body, and spirit as much as I possibly can. 

Doctor: You have to. Otherwise, things will only get harder and harder for you, and no medication can replace proper nights of sleep. 

Alex: I totally get it, Doctor. Thank you. 

Doctor: What was the other thing you mentioned you had to do? 

Alex: Personalized audio messages for everyone who ordered my musical project. It’s a wonderful culture I started a long while ago, and especially during COVID, since people were quite lonely, I felt we all needed this human connection and it’s something really important to me. 

Doctor: I strongly suggest you figure out a different way to do it this time if you want to visit Hamburg. You truly need to rest completely today, tomorrow, and Sunday. 

Alex: Really?! You know that I’m recording those sitting on a chair in a recording studio. It’s like zero physical effort. 

Doctor: I understand, Alex, and can hear how dear and important this is to you, but you clearly need to rest a little more than usual here, as you’ve been sick a lot while in Tangier, and your body needs to get itself together. And trust me, your fans will be more grateful to know you’re healthy, that you’re taking good care of yourself, and that you’ll be close to them for much longer than the opposite. 

Alex: $%^&$#(&^%$#@ 

Doctor: I know, I know. But this is serious, Alex. 

Alex: #%$^&$#@

Doctor: Jeff, could you please come in? 

Jeff: Of course. What’s going on? 

Doctor: Since both of you are heading to Hamburg on Monday, I want to make sure that both of you understand that Alex needs to completely rest prior to leaving, which means, no audio, no nothing but lying in bed, walking his 10,000 daily steps, and minimum life stuff. No work! This is very important!!! Otherwise, no Hamburg! 

Jeff: Yes, sir. 

Alex: $%^&*%$#@ - 

Doctor: I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t hear you. 

Alex: Yes, sir. You have my word.

As we came back from Alex’s doctor's appointment, I had to rush into my office as I had some work to do for the upcoming US tour and then headed into the studio to record my hundreds of audio messages. As I entered the studio, to my greatest stupefaction, Alex was literally sitting there with Ben, who was about to press the record button! I was like “What?!?!?!?!”

Jeff: Brother, you can’t be here doing that. What are you doing?! 

Alex: The doctor didn’t buy the record, so he won’t know I’m doing those audio recordings. 

Jeff: You have a point there, but… Don’t you think it would be wise to listen to him?! 

Alex: Sometimes. 

Jeff: Listen to me. You’ve been sick while we were in Tangier, we’re heading to Hamburg, we have a US tour in a few weeks, and then I’m pretty sure we’ll be heading back somewhere far after the tour to finalize the work we started! So, please, go get some rest. 

Alex: $#$%%^&%^%$#@

Jeff: Ben…! Why don’t you say something?! 

Ben: Alex, maybe Jeff’s right. I know these recordings mean a lot to you but think about the greater picture. You have to rest, man! 

Alex: Alright, guys! I have an idea! I’ll record three messages, one in French, one in English, and the last one with Momoka translating to Japanese and it will be the same for everyone. I guess this is a wonderful compromise between what is so dear to my heart and what the doctor said! It’s a win for everyone: me, the doctor, and most importantly, our friends who have so generously supported us for so long! I just can’t send those packages without at least explaining why, this time, things are a little different than they usually are.

Jeff: Love it! 

Ben: Right on!

As you’re reading this, we hopefully landed in Hamburg, and Alex and I have already shipped your orders! Alex did record a few words for you, rested like never before, and will be chasing peace, ideas, and vibes for the upcoming US tour and also for the new music we started to work on while we were in Tangier…! Hopefully, his health will be completely restored, as well as his soul , as we’ll come back from this yearly trip in one of our favorite cities!

New Video - Cinematic Insight

As a member of The Club, it’s my huge pleasure to share this video with you exclusively, prior to its Friday release! 

About the Song

"The song gravitates around the conceptual notion of intimate and reflective meditations. It evokes a certain form of musing sobriety, if not a contemplative composure, towards the perception we have of ourselves as opposed to what we need to believe we have become with time passing by. Based on the idea that, on various degrees, we’re all part projection, idealization, deception and illusion in regards to our distinctive conditions, it offers an introspective invitation to outgrow our pretension, denial and make-believe through a current of honesty, acceptance, and let go." - Alex

About the Video

"The song’s visual is centered on the highly symbolic nature of smoke as an essential component associated with spirituality, regardless of religious concepts, cultural philosophies, or societal values. It’s a universal element to whatever ancient or modern rituals there are, and as such was used to assemble a collage of multiple imageries evoking that form of impermanence, from birth to life, death, and renaissance and whatever might define what lies in between for every individual. It’s a passage through time and its corresponding essence." - Alex

A Measure of Shape and Sounds

Also, as Alex and I are very generous and really love to share on such an exclusive level, it’s my huge pleasure to share the entire album exclusively, prior to its Friday release! 

Please, keep this for yourself since publicly sharing this exclusivity would kinda keep us from doing it again in the future! I completely trust you, but you know, I kinda had to write it down! :) 

Enjoy this beautiful project as much as you like! 

Listen to the Album

Let’s be great to one another! 

Your Host and Friend, 
Jeff 

PS: Since I’m leaving for Hamburg tomorrow, I’ve been listening to my favorite Beatles song on repeat: Tomorrow Never Knows from the Revolver album! Here’s the story behind this musical choice.