Your Favorite Enemies - Open Your Eyes

Today, I'm promoting a band from Québec, my home province (do I hear a w00t w00t?). And, like many bands from the area, they have a bigger following outside the province. There is something about the music market in Montreal that makes it hard to get airplay if you are an alternative or indie band. Outside of a few university radio stations, we have to rely on 99.9 The Buzz (WBTZ) in Burlington Vermont for our alternative fix. At least, Quebec City has 98.1 CHOI RadioX as a promotion medium, and they actively promote local talent.

Today's post is from Your Favorite Enemies (YFE). How I first heard of this band has an interesting anecdote. YFE promote and sell their own music (2 EPs to date) through their own indie label, Hopeful Tragedy Records. One Saturday afternoon I was at home, doing whatever home stuff there was to do, when the doorbell rang. When I saw her standing there, fishing through her rucksack, I thought to myself, "Uh-oh, fund raiser!" And I am a sucker for donating, I'm sensing my dollars slipping from my pockets. The girl finally holds up a CD, neatly wrapped in cellophane. Now, I'm intrigued. She tells me about this local band trying to sell their CDs in order to prep for a big tour. Weeeeeellllllllll.... I am also a sucker for experimenting new music. So we talk about the band, I buy the EP (And If I Was To Die In the Morning… Would I Still Be Sleeping With You), and put it on I knew this band had a fighting chance!!! Eventually, my son bought me the second EP (Love is Promise Whispering Goodbye) as a Christmas present.

And they are doing very well outside of Quebec, touring with Simple Plan and other bands. They are also spokespeople for Amnesty International and set up an organization called Rock N Rights. But their biggest gamble became their biggest success! They coulnd't get prpomoted here, so they took their show on the road, Tokyo... They were warned that it would be their biggest mistake. Instead, they were a huge hit. How big? They have three songs published on the soundtrack of the newest Final Fantasy game offering Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Any finger biting happening back at home? Doh!

The song Open Your Eyes is on both EPs, a different rocking arrangement on the second with an acoustic version.

Your Favorite Enemies - Open Your Eyes