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Alex Henry Foster sits down with Randal Wark of Montreal Rocks to talk about The Fragile Beauty (Of New Morning Hopes), his first studio album since Windows in the Sky and his first since emergency heart surgery in 2023. Seven years after their last conversation, in a dressing room before a sold-out Montreal show, Foster opens up about the gap between being alive and living. He talks about making peace with the Your Favorite Enemies years, the Tangier bookstore and the Mahmoud Darwish book that sparked the record, and the friends in Tangier who shaped it. He also explains why “Calling Out!” was the hardest song to finish, why he doesn’t see himself as an entertainer, and what makes his upcoming Morocco shows so personal, including the Taragalte Festival in the desert and the world premiere of his Kimiyo film in Tangier. Plus: a few of his best (and strangest) fan conversations, including one in a Manchester bathroom. The Fragile Beauty (Of New Morning Hopes) is out now on Hopeful Tragedy Records. It is the first of five interconnected albums, written and recorded in Virginia, Morocco and Canada. 🎧 Listen: https://bfan.link/ahf-tfbonmh 0:00 Seven years since our last conversation 1:13 A note to his younger self 3:48 Growing up, books and the difference between alive and living 7:13 Making peace with the Your Favorite Enemies years 12:11 The meaning of his "Now" tattoo 15:36 Tangier and creating places for people to gather 22:00 The Tangier bookstore that sparked the album 25:11 Beauty in the people we walk past 29:25 Faith, and recording in Montreal, Virginia and Tangier 32:15 Why "Calling Out!" was the hardest song to finish 34:41 How Tangier changed the way he sees people 40:19 Remembering an artist friend 45:41 Fan connections and the best bathroom conversation 51:41 What success really means 53:14 Why small venues matter most 56:42 The Montreal show moves to spring 1:00:01 Taragalte, Tangier and the Kimiyo premiere 1:03:34 Closing DEFYING GRAVITY TOUR 31/10 M’Hamid El Ghizlane, Morocco, Taragalte Festival 08/11 Aït Benhaddou, Morocco, Taman’Art Space 10/11 Rabat, Morocco, Café de la Renaissance 11/11 Casablanca, Morocco, Backstage 13/11 Tangier, Morocco, Dobatek 14/11 Tangier, Morocco, Riad Sultan 24/11 Rüsselsheim, Germany, Das Rind 26/11 Munich, Germany, Kranhalle 28/11 Aarau, Switzerland, Kiff 01/12 Hamburg, Germany, Nochtspeicher 03/12 Berlin, Germany, Mikropol 05/12 Poznań, Poland, Blue Note 06/12 Warsaw, Poland, Hybrydy 07/12 Prague, Czech Republic, Café V Lese 08/12 Düsseldorf, Germany, Ratinger Hof 09/12 Nijmegen, Netherlands, Merleyn 11/12 Zoetermeer, Netherlands, Cultuurpodium Boerderij 12/12 Paris, France, Nouveau Casino Montreal: the November 19 show has been rescheduled to spring 2027. Date to come. Read more on Montreal Rocks: [link to article] #AlexHenryFoster #TheFragileBeauty #MontrealRocks
Alex Henry Foster on Heart Surgery, Tangier and The Fragile Beauty
Montreal trio Les Shirley talk to Montreal Rocks' Annette Aghazarian about Hail Mary, their third album, released 25 September 2026. Raphaëlle Chouinard, Sarah Dion and Lisandre Bourdages discuss writing about 30 songs for the record and finding that the 12 they kept all dealt with feminism and patriarchy. They explain why all three of them sing the choruses, and how "Same Old" was inspired by the trial of Gisèle Pelicot. They also talk about recording with producer Graham Walsh, the first album they feel matches their live show. The band also tell the story of how the Foo Fighters invited them to open at the Verdun Auditorium in 2023 through a message on Bandcamp, and remember the late Montreal photographer Susan Moss. Les Shirley launch Hail Mary on 13 November at Le Pantoum in Quebec City and on 19 November at Théâtre Plaza in Montreal, as part of M for Montreal. A Quebec tour follows from January to April 2027. Read the full interview: [ARTICLE URL] Interview: Annette Aghazarian Montreal Rocks covers music news, interviews, live reviews and concert listings from Montreal and beyond. montrealrocks.ca
Les Shirley on Hail Mary, Foo Fighters and Femme Rage | Montreal Rocks Interview
Riley Pinkerton, the Rat Queen of Castle Rat, talks with Montreal Rocks ahead of the band's Summon the Beasts tour, which reaches Theatre Beanfield in Montreal on Monday, 19 October, with Unto Others and Wraith Knight. Pinkerton explains how she builds the unicorn, dragon, serpent and wizard mask for the stage show with a fabricator friend, and why she wrote The Bestiary one creature at a time before working out the story that connects them. She also talks about adding a second stage performer so two characters can appear in the final battle, a possible Castle Rat comic book, fan art and Rat Queen tattoos, the band's new VIP soundcheck sessions, and protecting her voice on a long tour. Castle Rat's albums Into the Realm (2024) and The Bestiary (2025) are out on King Volume Records. Read the full interview: https://montrealrocks.ca/castle-rat-builds-a-bigger-realm/ Montreal Rocks covers live music, new releases and interviews from Montreal and beyond. Website: https://montrealrocks.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/montreal_rocks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MontrealRocksCa X: https://x.com/mtl_rocks #CastleRat #DoomMetal #MontrealRocks
Castle Rat Interview: Riley Pinkerton on The Bestiary and Building Stage Beasts
Jilian Medford, the musician behind IAN SWEET, joins Montreal Rocks to discuss her fifth album, Shiverstruck, and learning to recognize her own patterns without beating herself up. We talk about the honesty and humour behind Jilian, rediscovering the freedom of her earliest recordings, returning to Los Angeles, and how teaching music to young children helps her stay present. Medford also shares the unsettling coincidence between her 987 video and a recent car accident, plus the story behind her album-release show at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater. Subscribe to Montreal Rocks for more artist interviews, live music coverage, and new music discoveries.
IAN SWEET on Shiverstruck, Self-Doubt & Finding Joy
Josh Johnson joins Montreal Rocks ahead of four Comedy Band Camp shows at L’Olympia in Montreal. He explains how the tour grew from the summer camp experience he never had, how its troop system is helping audience members make friends, and why music is essential to the world he is building around the comedy. We also discuss his HBO special Symphony, what gives comedy replay value, moving from writer to rotating host on The Daily Show, the musicians inspiring him and why he always makes time for Montreal’s museums and comic book shops. Josh Johnson’s Comedy Band Camp at L’Olympia: Friday, September 4, 2026 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday, September 5, 2026 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Tickets: [TICKET LINK] Read the Montreal Rocks feature: [ARTICLE LINK] Which comedy special can you watch repeatedly? Let us know in the comments, and subscribe to Montreal Rocks for more interviews. #JoshJohnson #ComedyBandCamp #TheDailyShow
Josh Johnson Interview: The Comedy Band Camp He Never Had
Montreal-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Allison Russell joins Montreal Rocks for a wide-ranging conversation about her new album In the Hour of Chaos. Russell talks about building the record as “a mixtape for a musical I haven’t written yet,” the importance of real-world community in a time of political backslide, the joy of collaboration, and why the album is filled with shared voices, including a children’s choir. In the Hour of Chaos is out July 10 via Fantasy Records. Subscribe for more Montreal Rocks interviews, concert coverage, and music features.
Allison Russell Interview: “A Mixtape for a Musical I Haven’t Written Yet”
Clips from Amenra's acoustic set at Lee's Palace, Toronto, during Prepare the Ground festival, May 30, 2026. The full setlist was: Les lieux solitaires / Razoreater / Diaken / The Dying of Light / Wear My Crown / Kathleen (Townes Van Zandt cover) / De evenmens / To Go On.: And Live With. Out / Song to the Siren (Tim Buckley cover) / A Solitary Reign Prepare the Ground is an annual heavy music and arts festival held across multiple venues in Toronto's Annex neighbourhood. Full review of the 2026 edition at montrealrocks.ca.
Amenra — Acoustic Set | Prepare the Ground 2026, Toronto
Canadian progressive rock duo Crown Lands (Kevin Comeau + Cody Bowles) join Montreal Rocks to talk about their ambitious new album Apocalypse (released May 2026), including the 19-minute title track, the band’s evolving concept-lore, and why they’ve stopped chasing radio rules. We also get into one of the biggest rock conversation-starters right now: Angine de Poitrine going viral, and what that moment says about listeners being ready again for weird, ambitious, progressive music. Topics include: Building Apocalypse as a full album-side journey Rush / Pink Floyd DNA and long-form songwriting Studio control, production, and experimentation Costumes, characters, and the expanded live lineup Montreal + Quebec City, and why they want to play here more Subscribe for more Montreal Rocks interviews, reviews, and music features.
Crown Lands Interview: Apocalypse, 19-Minute Prog Epics + The Angine de Poitrine Moment
Randal Wark sits down with Billy Sherwood, current bassist of prog rock pioneers Yes, ahead of the release of their 24th studio album Aurora (June 12, 2026). They cover: Growing up in Las Vegas with a jazz musician father and Milton Berle as a godfather How a friend's advice to pick up a bass in a garage changed everything Learning Chris Squire's bass lines note for note — and then becoming his successor What Aurora is, how it came together, and whether it's really a trilogy Why prog is having a moment again in an age of AI-generated music Discovering Quebec duo Angine de Poitrine on Instagram Reels Touring the UK playing Fragile front to back Read the full written interview at Montreal Rocks: https://montrealrocks.ca/interview-billy-sherwood-yes/
Billy Sherwood of YES on Aurora, Chris Squire's Legacy, and the Return of Prog