ALEX HENRY FOSTER HONOURS LOU REED WITH A COVER VERSION OF THE POWER OF THE HEART
SET FOR RELEASE MAY 6 ON ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS
AND LIMITED EDITION LATHE CUT VINYL
ALEX HENRY FOSTER & THE LONG SHADOWS
ON TOUR ACROSS THE UK AND EUROPE THIS SUMMER
TORONTO, ON – April 12, 2022 - Ahead of his upcoming UK and Europe summer Not All Wonders Have Been Lost tour, Montreal musician, Alex Henry Foster, is set to release The Power of the Heart - a cover version of one of Lou Reed's most underrated songs, yet a favourite for Laurie Anderson.
Set for release on on May 6th, the four-minute radio edit of the single will also be accompanied by an eight-and-a-half minute version and music video. Faithful to his signature dense sonic texture with a grandiose orchestration recorded live in his church studio, The Upper Room Studio, Foster will also offer the song on limited-edition lathe-cut vinyl, individually printed and silkscreen-printed one-by-one, signed and numbered. Foster will also give a special live streamed performance of the song following its release.
After mentioning that Reed's authentic endeavour has always been one of his core inspiration, Foster says:
"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. Self-acceptance in an age of make-believes is what allows someone to find themselves, and it’s once emancipated from the self-preservative escapism that one can navigate amongst the vestiges of their existence, which in turn leads one to simply be, as an individual and originator.
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. If my initial appropriation of the song stood as a homage to Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson’s love and respective creative expression, it would grow beyond its conceptualized embodiment as I began to enfranchise myself through it. It is in that moment that it wasn’t a revision process anymore but the result of a total abandonment designed by my own instinctive drift and surrendering.
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. 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."
Read more about Foster's connection to Lou Reed and The Power of the Heart here.
In other non-Reed-related news, Foster will be giving a special live streamed performance on Saturday, April 23 to help raise funds for Ukraine relief aid. The 'All The Violence in the World' broadcast will benefit Music Saves UA, with viewers able to make donations directly to the organization, while all proceeds from a direct-to-vinyl recording of the performance to be donated as well. Audiences can tune in on the 23rd here.
Stay tuned for more to come soon from Alex Henry Foster, and get ready for his stirring rendition of The Power of the Heart on May 6th!
DOWNLOAD - single artwork | DOWNLOAD - press photo
DOWNLOAD - Ukraine relief event poster