My Reaction following Alex’s latest Substack’s posts!
Jul 01, 2025
Hey,
I hope you’re doing well! July 1st already! This is incredible! Half of 2025 is behind us, 25 weekly missives of 50 have been sent out, and here I am, sitting at my desk on this very promising Monday afternoon right before we start our studio session of the day! The vibe here is an absolute wonder filled by a decade-long awaited spirit, to say the least! What a great way to start what’s left of this incredible year where freedom truly is shining within our walls.
Since today is Canada Day, I decided to listen to my favorite Canadian artist, Leonard Cohen, for the occasion!
I hope you had the opportunity to watch Alex’s latest video on Substack as I’ve never seen him being in such a beautiful and inspiring place in his heart and mind. He became emotional on a few occasions, himself being touched and moved by his own story, his own journey — I was so proud, I was so relieved, I was so much lighter, and especially grateful watching my best friend proudly embracing who he truly is and what he’s truly looking for in life!
We left Tangier last March 5 following what has been one of the longest journeys to Tangier since we started coming here back in 2016. We arrived here with our hearts filled with hope and what I thought was a real desire from everyone to welcome this idea of “intimacy” that I had the blessing to share with the rest of the band before we left, as Alex invited us to share thoughts and expectations about the trip, and it became some kind of canvas for all, and music would be its bridge towards you.
We instead came back to Montreal on March 5th with very little music in our pockets, a very ill Alex who was also very anxious to go to the hospital the following two days for a series of tests as he hadn't been well at all since we left, anxiety mixed with his health condition, and also, if not mainly, knowing his home in Virginia has been underwater for weeks, and half of it, if not more, had been destroyed. Some of us became much closer during these past four months, while some others are so far apart it’s almost as if they hadn't made a single step forward since we left. But the reality is something else: they simply decided to walk in another direction than the one they told us they would.
Alex is the kind of man who will stop everything he does, and I really mean everything, in order to “save” those who are not doing well or are simply not aligned with the sacred “treaty” we committed to, in some ways, around what it means to be in a band. This is precisely what happened throughout the decade of Your Favorite Enemies, and now, this is what was about to happen again, with the same band members, in The Long Shadows, until people who really love Alex, who really love you, who really and truly stand for and share this idea and spirit of what it means to be us, simply, told Alex that the time had come to move on toward what Alex Henry Foster & The Long Shadows truly means and stands for and that it truly was fine if we were not all aligned toward the project.
Love and friendship both have several deep and fascinating facets. They grow, transform, and sometimes diverge, not because they’ve lost their meaning, but because they’ve fulfilled a part of a journey. What we shared together as bandmates, as friends, as creative souls was real, intense, and profoundly meaningful. And just like any relationship built on trust and passion, it required vulnerability, effort, and belief in one another.
But as seasons change, so do people. Sometimes, growing also means growing apart not in bitterness, not in conflict, but in the quiet realization that we are each called in different directions. That doesn't erase the love, nor the memories, nor the beautiful connection we had with each other and with all of you who supported us through every moment. This world is already filled with too much hatred, division, and violence walls built between people, not just physically but emotionally. It’s easy to let those forces dictate the way we react when things feel broken or uncertain. But we didn’t want that. We never wanted to add to the noise or fall into bitterness.
Instead, we chose to pause not out of defeat, but out of care. Out of respect for the love we once shared, and out of hope that maybe, someday, a new path might emerge. One that would allow us to meet again, not only as artists, but as human beings, with open hearts. We wanted this to remain a family-driven, human conversation, honest, grounded, and gentle. Because even if things don’t resume, even if this chapter stays closed forever, true friendship doesn’t have to end. It simply takes on another shape. It becomes something softer, quieter, but just as real.
To all of you who’ve been part of this journey, we see you, we appreciate you, and we carry you with us. Thank you for walking alongside us with so much faith and love. It’s through your love, friendship and daily presence in our lives over the years that Alex has been able to connect with himself, to have faith in humanity and to allow his own self to live, to thrive, and to dream again! I’ve never been so proud of Alex following this video! To me, as I told Alex myself, there was that night at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, where it all started for him, and here now, where that same spirit is back as the driving force of this musical journey!
We’re now back in Tangier where music will be the driving force leading us toward those places we never thought even existed. Where it all started for Alex, and for us as well, The Long Shadows. Life is so rich, let’s embrace it to the fullest as if today was the last!
Again, thank you so much and love you even more!
Let’s be great to one another!
Your friend and chief operator,
Jeff
The Posts I Talk About
Health/Band/Tangier Update - As Of Now
