Glen Foster Group

"There's a city in flames, a flag on fire, the streets are occupied. Nations rage, war is waged, and access is denied." So begins the title track off The Reckoning, a new album from local singer/songwriter Glen Foster that he will debut at The Vault on Saturday.
One might be forgiven for thinking Foster refers nostalgically to some past era of political strife -- the late '60s perhaps -- but the song's 'reckoning' is about the exposure of the financial scandal perpetrated by U.S. banks that lead to the '08 stock market collapse.
Vietnam-era folk music used to be saturated in the political climate of the times, said Foster. He laments that though political expression has continued to flourish in environments like the Occupy movement, popular music hasn't followed suit.
"There's a lot of focus on dance and the rhythmic aspect of pop music that has extremely thin lyrical content, to put it mildly," said Foster with a chuckle. "It's a focus instead of the typical 'I love you, baby' love songs."
It is part of what has formed the basis of Foster's decision to stay independent throughout his 30-plus years of music-making.
"There's nobody dictating that you have to go on the road, or that you have to play certain venues, or record in certain places," said Foster. "No one dictating your sound and making you somebody you're not comfortable being," he added.
After studying jazz, Chet Atkins-style guitar and Hawaiian and classical guitar, in part at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Foster took to the road and made a living as a traveling musician for 10 years.
Though he says musically his sound is "all over the place" in terms of genre, he considers Bob Dylan and Neil Young to be formative influences.
He has opened for Sammy Hagar, Dr. Hook, Jose Feliciano, Valdy and Jesse Winchester, to name a few.
In the early '80s, tired of a life on the road, Foster settled down and spent the next ten years teaching at Ferguson Music.
Though he remains creatively 'single,' Foster's albums often feature local performers like blues guitarist David Gogo, blues harmonica player Gerry Barnum, and vocalists The Turtle Doves. He also produces recordings for other artists and operates his own indie record label and publishing company called Rescue Records.
The Reckoning is Foster's fourth CD, and was recorded in Nanaimo with producer Rick Salt. His CD release party is at the Vault, 499 Wallace Street, on Saturday (May 4) from 7 to 9 p.m.. Tickets are $12 and there will be CDs available to purchase.
Julie Chadwick, The Star
Published: Friday, May 03, 2013
- Harbour City Star 2013

"There's a city in flames, a flag on fire, the streets are occupied. Nations rage, war is waged, and access is denied." So begins the title track off The Reckoning, a new album from local singer/songwriter Glen Foster that he will debut at The Vault on Saturday.
One might be forgiven for thinking Foster refers nostalgically to some past era of political strife -- the late '60s perhaps -- but the song's 'reckoning' is about the exposure of the financial scandal perpetrated by U.S. banks that lead to the '08 stock market collapse.
Vietnam-era folk music used to be saturated in the political climate of the times, said Foster. He laments that though political expression has continued to flourish in environments like the Occupy movement, popular music hasn't followed suit.
"There's a lot of focus on dance and the rhythmic aspect of pop music that has extremely thin lyrical content, to put it mildly," said Foster with a chuckle. "It's a focus instead of the typical 'I love you, baby' love songs."
It is part of what has formed the basis of Foster's decision to stay independent throughout his 30-plus years of music-making.
"There's nobody dictating that you have to go on the road, or that you have to play certain venues, or record in certain places," said Foster. "No one dictating your sound and making you somebody you're not comfortable being," he added.
After studying jazz, Chet Atkins-style guitar and Hawaiian and classical guitar, in part at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Foster took to the road and made a living as a traveling musician for 10 years.
Though he says musically his sound is "all over the place" in terms of genre, he considers Bob Dylan and Neil Young to be formative influences.
He has opened for Sammy Hagar, Dr. Hook, Jose Feliciano, Valdy and Jesse Winchester, to name a few.
In the early '80s, tired of a life on the road, Foster settled down and spent the next ten years teaching at Ferguson Music.
Though he remains creatively 'single,' Foster's albums often feature local performers like blues guitarist David Gogo, blues harmonica player Gerry Barnum, and vocalists The Turtle Doves. He also produces recordings for other artists and operates his own indie record label and publishing company called Rescue Records.
The Reckoning is Foster's fourth CD, and was recorded in Nanaimo with producer Rick Salt. His CD release party is at the Vault, 499 Wallace Street, on Saturday (May 4) from 7 to 9 p.m.. Tickets are $12 and there will be CDs available to purchase.
Julie Chadwick, The Star
Published: Friday, May 03, 2013
- Harbour City Star 2013