Nanaimo-BC Singer-Songwriter Glen Foster Captures the Ease and Breeze of a Perfect Summer on ’60s-Tinged “Different Highway”
Warm days, wind in your hair, not a single care in the world. Nanaimo, BC-based singer-songwriter Glen Foster captures the ease and breeze of the perfect summer road trip with his new single “Different Highway” from his forthcoming album Unnatural Tendencies.
Using a 12-string electric guitar to imbue the song with a little bit o’ twang reminiscent of the Byrds’ Roger McGuinn or George Harrison on “Eight Days a Week,” Foster purposely sought a ’60s Summer of Love vibe on “Different Highway.”
That was me you saw for a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of your eye
You were standing in line with him waiting there When I went shuffling by
You looked so cute when I caught your glance Your ticket in your hand
I knew you were excited to see me again
Here on my one night stand
The song waxes introspective and philosophical on the musician’s life itself.
“The concept is that musicians may be on a different highway, but still chasing the same old dream,” Foster explains.
A veteran musician, Foster had worked on the song on and off for 20 years, and it draws inspiration from his own life on the road. “When you’re on the circuit, you end up coming back to the same cities, seeing the same faces. Hence the girl I refer to in Verse 1 who was ‘standing in line waiting there, ticket in her hand, excited to see me again…’”
The video features performance scenes interspersed with beautiful driving scenes on Vancouver Island, with Foster “behind the wheel, moving ahead…” as the song goes.
Glen Foster is a ‘do-it-all-himself” kind of guy. He writes his own songs, sings, plays multiple instruments, books his own gigs, and promotes and produces for his own record label and publishing company. He’s been an instrument repairman, salesman, teacher, and a music student with two silver medals from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Foster has been performing professionally for more than 40 years, and has released nine original albums of his own compositions, hence the title of Unnatural Tendencies – his tenth album.
Watch the video for “Different Highway” below and learn more about Glen via our mini-interview.
You’ve been here before, and welcome back! How’s the summer been for you so far?
Thanks, it’s good to have some new material to share. Since my Christmas album in 2021, I’ve been writing, rehearsing, and recording songs for my next album, and now we have four singles to release by the end of the year. I’ve been busy this summer with photo shoots, artwork, booking gigs, and everything involved in promoting the new recordings. But the most demanding thing has been producing videos for the four newest songs, which is one of the things I enjoy the most. That’s what I’ve been doing.
Tell us about the process of writing and recording “Different Highway”?
I started off by coming up with the intro guitar riff which repeats through the instrumental section and is played in harmony on the second guitar. I used an open-string motif that just sounded phenomenal on an electric twelve-string guitar, which became the main instrument on the recording. Lyrically I had been thinking about all the years of dedication that go into building a career, and then finding yourself playing in different places but still chasing the ‘same old dream’. As with most compositions you always want to write a good bridge if you can. Then during the recording sessions, I brought in some first-call players and singers to lay down the tracks, and there we had our next single.
You’re also a super collaborator with other musicians – what’s one thing an artist or group should do before working with you to be ready for the studio?
I can be a little ‘determined’ (you might say) when it comes to my own ideas about songwriting. So first of all I want someone who’s open-minded to what I’m suggesting but also bold enough to offer creative alternatives to make things really interesting. I love collaborating with imaginative instrumentalists who can take a chord progression and come up with a catchy melody for a hook that I might never dream of.
Without playing favourites, who’s a great person to be in the studio with that you’ve worked with?
I’m very fortunate to have worked with a number of excellent musicians over the years. I’d love to drop some names here but I’ll restrain myself. Rick Salt at Mountainview Studios in Nanaimo BC is a producer, engineer, technician, guitar/bass/mandolin playing musician with big ears and great ideas. He’s co-produced most of my recordings over the last 15 years and there’s nobody I’d rather work with.
You’re home on the weekend and want to play an album with your headphones on. What’s your go-to album to listen to?
Dark Side Of The Moon