‘For us it is not just about the music, our band is way more than that’ Jeff Beaulieu tells us. ‘Music is powerful; it brings thousands of people together in stadiums. It doesn’t matter about colors, about differences, about religions; you can just be altogether singing songs and that’s the power music has. For us we just want to bring more than Mick Jagger said “It’s only rock and roll”.’

YFE are not swayed by money or fame, they have virtually cut out all the corporate middlemen. Anyone who is from the ‘business’ will be carefully vetted to ensure they are not going to take advantage or try to change the band in any way. What you have left is purely a relationship between the group and their fans who they call family. Building up vast communities through social networking sites has played an essential part of YFE’s success. The group make it their priority to communicate with all those who join the YFE community, answering every single message they receive. ‘It’s not “hey this is a marketing idea, lets answer the people and they are gonna like the band for that”. It really is the heart and soul of who we are as individuals and as a band.’ Beaulieu explains. 

As the community grows the workload increases, luckily there are plenty of willing volunteers at hand to help: ‘It’s not only on MySpace; there is a lot to manage. Some people have even quit school / university and just said “hey I’m gonna help you guys.” We are all starting at 9am until 2am every day’ Beaulieu discloses.

You are obviously very close to your fans and welcome them into your world, literally. There are many bands who say that their fans are like family, but in YFE’s case this really does seem to be the case.  Do you worry that there will be a time when your popularity will prevent you from being so close? ‘Of course, of course’ he admits, ‘it’s going to be very weird but I don’t think the way we are close to the people will change, it’s just going to be different. We will be on tour and playing bigger venues but we will be able to hang out after the shows. Also, technology is always changing so there will be different ways to communicate!’

 

As a band you are an inspiration to many people – who or what inspires you? ‘Well, that’s a very good question. There are a lot of people who inspire me in a way like Bono from U2. But, to be honest the fact that we are here altogether, people supporting each other and sharing the same goal is an inspiration - that is the only possibility for us to keep this big train going.’

 

Your Favorite Enemies are not only passionate about making music they also work alongside Amnesty International promoting human rights. In 2003 Beaulieu and lead vocalist Foster founded the Rock N Rights movement to raise awareness towards issues such as racism, arm control and violence against women. Foster even received death threats from international Neo-Nazi organizations. Things are not so intense now but have you ever worried for your safety when you are on-stage, being so exposed? ‘Yes of course, you know when you stand up for something people will stand up against that thing’ says Beaulieu. ‘For us we do not focus on that, we have compassion for the people who have come to see us, they are our main focus.’

Another project the YFE camp is working on is coded ‘Little Sister’. Beaulieu explains more about this scheme: ‘There are no more role models here in our society, you know people in the public eye. Many athletes are on dope, politicians are all liars; it’s hard to relate to something true, something real; something genuine. We want to offer a place where those who have been raped and sexually abused can share thoughts and talk. When you are a victim you sometimes feel guilt, so the fact that it is via email messages / internet I would say, would make it easier for the victims to open up because it is not like face to face or on the phone.’

The idea stemmed from their fans opening up to members of the group, responding to blogs that the band had posted. ‘Some people are opening up for the first time in their lives talking about their situation. For us it’s a real privilege and a real responsibility.’ So, you are almost like counsellors to them? ‘It’s not like being professionals, or psychologist, or therapists, it is just being an ear, being a heart, being a friend’ Beaulieu reveals. ‘Just for them to know that there is someone there caring is very important. Therapists cannot relate to them but because of our background, of where we are from, we are not shy to open up. I have been on drugs, like seriously in the streets and Alex has been in gangs – everybody knows about that. It is our way to tell them that “Hey I’m just like you, and I was just a fucked up kid at one point and I changed”’. Do you ever get emotionally involved? ‘Of course’  he admits, ‘some people tell me things that I didn’t expect, at times I cry, or get mad or pissed off because I cannot extendmyself and sometimes it just takes me from the inside and I need to bring that out’ he reveals. ‘It is really a human thing, it’s real, it’s there and I am not just like a robot. We really do care for the people.’

 

In 2007 the self-produced debut EP ‘And If I Was To Die In The Morning...Would I Still Be Sleeping With You’ was released on Hopeful Tragedy Records – a label created by the band. This disc was distributed world-wide for a flat fee of $10 and was a huge success, shifting thousands of copies. It’s follow up 2008’s ‘Love Is A Promise Whispering Goodbye’ has so far exceeded 60,000 in sales. The latter features acoustic renditions of tracks found on the first EP alongside new tracks. The songs are empowering yet catchy and whether you want to listen to the surface music or delve deeper into the lyrical aspects, it is entirely up to you the listener; either way it is effortless to connect to the music of Your Favorite Enemies. The band has been working in the studio since last October: ‘It’s going really well, we have rented a very old house in the country’ informs Beaulieu, ‘it has been very inspiring for all of us to be together. We bring that passion for the people and our music; cry if we want to, scream if we need to, whatever we feel - music is feelings, its emotion. It has been a great experience!’  Does the album have a title yet? ‘Not yet, we are not there yet - I’m sorry!’ he laughs. ‘We would love to see it released this upcoming fall, but I think it may be spring 2010. We do not have any producers, we are doing it ourselves,’ the guitarist continues:  ‘It is hard to find a producer who understands the heart of the group. Sometimes it is difficult because you do not have any exterior ears to hear stuff so what we do is we invite friends and what we ask them “is that cool or not?” However, the six of us are very honest with each other and when we have a song we know it, there is something going on there and hey that song is over.’

 

The new material is widely anticipated and for their fan-base it will not come soon enough. Your Favorite Enemies are a talented bunch of unpretentious and incredible individuals – we could all learn a lot from them. Who needs friends when you have enemies like these?!

 

‘Love Is A Promise Whispering Goodbye’ is available on iTunes now