The most wonderful exclusive given to the SFCC members are all the insights and secrets revealed by Jeff, the host of The Club, through his newsletters also known as cult missives. Through those, you will know what’s going on in the studio, what’s the process behind every project, what we went through personally and as a band in every step of our creative journey. It’s like being a little spy wherever we go and in everything we craft. They’re sent every week on Tuesdays!
Just for you, here’s the latest Cult Missive sent to the members. Have a good read!
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Hey,
I hope you’re all doing as great as I do or more, as we just came back from touring the old continent for over 10 weeks now! I know it’s been a little while since my last communication with you all by message, as I was not only playing bass with Alex and the Long Shadows every night, but also managing several details of the tour, and, on top of it all, I drove for more than 16,000km in 8 weeks, which means around 285km a day! I’ve been sharing a few pictures and videos on Instagram, thanks to Stephanie, the tour photographer, for helping me out a lot on this, as I would have had a real hard time being connected with you all otherwise.
Alex is already back down in his lovely mountains of Virginia, and I’m now back in my office in this church near Montreal… Such a radical change of vibe after being on the road since the end of May. It’s 9:45pm on Wednesday, August 17, and I’m listening to the Nomadland’s original soundtrack as I’m trying to figure out where I am in time and space following so many unforgettable moments all emotionally rich and inspiring, deeply rooted in this simple but oh so powerful idea of connecting, sharing, exchanging, talking, hugging, smiling, laughing, crying, hoping this would simply never stop…!
Alex and I kept talking about how, every time we had the chance to see some of you come into the venues earlier than everyone else for the soundchecks, we could always feel the same excitement, this very pure and childish kind of shyness, knowing we’re all being part of some unique moments where the usual concert convention is not part of it yet…! We loved it so much, to a point where we didn’t mind trying new songs and stop playing them right in the middle to start all over again as we were all so lost in it! This is something we would’ve never done before, but this was the very intimate and trustworthy vibe and culture we created all together…! It was imperative for me to take some time to thank you all more than 16,000 times and more for making this tour something that went above and beyond my deepest expectations on every level.
Each and every night, as I was driving the band back to the hotel, we were all eager to hear Alex talk about those moments shared with you all at the merch booth after the concert. And each and every time, what Alex was saying gave us wings to reach the following city no matter the heat, the number of hours slept, how tiny or noisy the hotel room has been through the night… All we had in mind was to reach you again to connect and create more stories together!
For him, this is the only thing that truly matters, this human connection, exchange, raw conversations about personal stuff, about different seasons of our lives, about what truly unites us all, about the true fact that night after night, we were as one, no strangers were in those venues, only us! Not All Wonders Have Been Lost… And this is for real as we have so much to share from what happened between foggy Glasgow to shiny Paris, from rainy Orange Blossom Special to fascinating Fusion Festival without forgetting this late evening in Amsterdam and, of course, our first time in Czech Republic. I could write a book about how much this tour has simply been life-changing! We’re still walking on clouds even though we’re completely exhausted… and I have to say, I miss those soundchecks a lot already!
WHAT’S COMING UP
1. Membership Packages
My friends! It’s this time of the year where, in the upcoming days, it will be the right time for me to share with you the wonders of this year’s Old School & New School packages! This is a moment Alex and I truly cherish, which is why we’ve been waiting a few more weeks to introduce this to you! Stay tuned, this will be coming quite fast!
2. Contest
There are rumors – well, almost a certainty – that Alex wants to give away one of his very precious instruments to a very lucky member! I’ll send further details about this quite soon! Just to give you a hint, I heard it was small and quite noisy! I also know the color, but if I tell you, you might know what it is a little too quickly! 🙂
3. New Music
We’re about to head back into the studio, since these past few months truly inspired us on several levels, and we’re already on a very special musical project! We’ll be gathering all together again very shortly, and I’ll manage to keep you well-updated and as close to us as possible during those recording sessions weeks.
4. Mobile App
Yes…! You read that right! We’re finalizing a mobile app exclusively for The Club members that will facilitate our conversations and bring us all closer to one another via notifications, live music, pictures, exclusive content, and vinyls for SFCC members only! 🙂 We’ve been working on this project since late 2020, I truly can’t wait to share it with you all very soon! 🙂
5. Anecdotes
I thought it could be cool for me to share real short stories from the road, from the studio or else as Alex and I are always really connected even if we’re not always in the same country! This idea came as we spent a few days at a friend’s hotel in the alps, friends who are very dear to us, named Eric and Ana, who are now family. They welcomed the entire band and crew for four days and literally treated us like Queens and Kings coming from afar…! We spent countless hours around the table, sharing short stories of our lives, some personal and others as members of Your Favorite Enemies, but most of them about what makes us who we are and celebrated as we were talking; friendship!
I thought it would be nice for me to share some of those with you all, as we’re very fortunate to travel the world and meet very inspiring people, leading us to bond in unique ways, a bond that always starts by sharing short stories this crazy life has had to offer up to now, and trust me, we do have a lot that are quite entertaining…!
THANK YOU AGAIN
I truly can’t wait to see you all again or for the first time! We’re now entering in a more creative phase with the whole band together, but we’ll have loads of moments together as the process will be evolving!
I’ll be in touch very soon to share the new theme for the upcoming year and send you postcards! Truly can’t wait!!!
Your Host & Friend
Jeff