I Had to Ask Alex Henry Foster This Question

I’m in my office right now, taking an instant to keep the incredibly intense emotions I have just experienced during the “Snowflakes in July” live stream alive for just a little longer... What a day it’s been! It’s hard for me to actually understand what I have just experienced, as much as it is very difficult to believe we have already gone through the entire Upper Room rendition of Alex’s “Windows in the Sky” album, a journey during which every song was almost a sort of pilgrimage for us. It’s hard to explain, at least right now.

Generally, when we finish performing live, I’m always very enthusiastic and passionate about what just happened, my adrenaline and the spirit of the moment being at their paroxysm. We always take time to “celebrate” with the entire team once everything is done, and even if we’re all exhausted, physically and emotionally, it has always been important for us to contemplate the essence of what we went through, to seize the nature of what had just happened. It's especially important now, as this live was somehow a little different for us. I wouldn't say more signifiant or more special than the others, but different in every possible way.

In fact, I was a little concerned about Alex over the last couple of days, as he was quieter than usual, a little more in his “zone”… And since every live performance is unique, I was wondering where that meditative state of mind would guide us all. I wasn’t worried about the live so to speak, but I wanted to be atoned with Alex's perspective on it all, not as a responsibility but as a way to answer his invitation to create something unique through the communal connection we have, as a band and as individuals welcomed to be the emotional beings that we truly are. This is always the challenge... And when Alex tells you that the only emotional implications are to “be honest to yourself, follow your instinct and dwell into it, don’t try to emulate my feelings, it would ruin the whole thing”… I think you got a little idea that it’s not a place to fake your way through!

So hearing Alex scream from the bottom of his heart and lungs, going from “Sorrows, you lied to me” up to “I will conquer darkness and make it shine” was such a display of total abandonment that it was challenging for me to focus on my bass lines. 

I started remembering the very first time I heard these lyrics in the song “The Love That Moves (The End Is Beginning)” and how astonished I was… How powerful those words are. How inspiring. How engaging. It is such a positive invitation to rise, to shine, and to get above and beyond every possible obstacle, even and especially those we don’t comprehend or acknowledge in our life.

We don’t know how we will react and handle some of the situations life seems to often unfairly throw at us - like this actual crisis we’re all facing - and it is why I was truly amazed by this will to live, “to conquer death and make it shine”… A commitment, more than a mantra, to keep going beyond the walls we erect to protect ourselves from life, in a way... It is not easy to expose ourselves, it is quite frightening, actually. But, I do want to conquer my own darknesses, and no matter what it may take for me to make it shine, I want to commit to it. That’s what today’s live stream has been about for me in a way.

Over the years, we faced a lot of darkness and deep valleys, but today, the words “and I will make it shine” were not only words of faith, they were not only something hoped for, or a simple reminder, but they came to light! A hymn of some sort, that can only flourish even more than it ever did before. That’s why today, having the chance to be right behind Alex when we play those Upper Room Studio live sessions, I felt that no matter how long the road ahead of us still is, I deeply believe that this July 26th 2020 will resonate forever within my heart and soul.

Well, as this specific chapter of our lives that first saw the light in Tokyo, where we launched “Windows in the Sky” back in November 2018, up to this actual moment in time comes to a close, I’ve never felt something that colorful, eloquent nor as meaningful coming to life in front of my own eyes. Proof that, as Alex said, “life creates life”… And more than ever we all want to embrace the present instant knowing that whatever is ahead for us will shine…

“We all want to feel alive”!

MY INTERVIEW WITH ALEX

Here’s my interview with Alex, a little after he ended up speaking with Stephanie earlier today! I also wanted to know how he felt at this very specific moment in time, being at the very end of what seems to be like a new beginning. Here are a few clues: “Virginia, forest, writing, reading… new album” ;)

Thanks for making this journey something very inspiring...! Imperfect but honest! I’ll be in touch again soon as we’ll unveil the Snowflakes in July EP cover! You will of course see it before everyone else! 

Stay safe and fully alive! 

Your host and friend, 
Jeff