Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (https://petesrocknewsandviews.com)
PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?
AEF: As a band, we are a metal band, with progressive, ambient, and industrial elements. As an artist, I see myself more as a guitarist than a vocalist, and more of a performer and composer than a band member,
PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc.
AEF: I grew up in St. Albert, Albert, a suburb of Edmonton. My friend group in my early teens was all really into music, specifically Grunge, Metal, Industrial, and Alternative. We all bonded over the music, and many of us picked up instruments so that we could play the songs we liked. From there I started writing music and recording it on a shitty old tape player, which turned into an ep, then a band, and then 5 bands later, AEF began.
PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What do you like to write about in your songs?
AEF: I used to sing a lot about social issues, things I was pissed off about that I experienced usually second-hand through friends, family, or people around me. This album is different, it is completely about the last few years of my life. I have been struggling a lot with some very serious mental issues, so it deals a lot with Suicide, dissociating from reality, drug use, and depression.
PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?
AEF: They are simple. I want to travel the world, play to great crowds, and have people connect with my art, both through my performances and my recordings.
PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?
AEF: A few years ago, I received a personal invite to travel to India to perform as the international headliner for a massive festival called Alcheringa. I still can’t believe that happened, it was massive honour, especially for an Indie Artist.
PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new artists emerging from bedrooms
in the day of the home studio. How is that going?
AEF: Like shit. Social media is a mess, mainstream media is a fuckshow, and readership across all other platforms is at an all-time low. We have actually decided to pull the plug on our social accounts after this album release and go back to word of mouth. It’ll work or not, but the current trajectory is bad for all involved.
PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?
AEF: We are doing a handful of secret invite-only shows to support our release. Right now, we are more concerned with reconnecting with our fans and rebuilding our music community post-covid than we are about looking big or flexing our successes. I personally book a lot of our shows, both locally and internationally.
PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?
AEF: I have mixed feelings. On the user side, Spotify is great, I use it. I love having every album ever at my fingertips, it’s literally a dream come true. However, the obvious downside is that no one can make any real money there unless you are at the absolute top of the charts, or are making it as a streamer, which would take away from our time as musicians. Even worse, I think we are moving into a brand new realm with NFTs, which in my opinion as of now, will only further the gap between the haves and have-nots in the music community. Never mind the bullshit that is AI-generated music and synthetic voices. We’ve had it hard over the years with music going digital, but the next generation of musicians will have it even harder unless we see a huge change.
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
AEF: Happy Birthday. I’ll take the forever paycheck and fund every project I’ve ever dreamed about.
PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?
AEF: I mean, aside from what I said above, the idea that music has no inherent monetary worth. When you were broken up with, what provided solace? When a loved one died, what did you play at their funeral? Yet we feel as though we are 
owed music. Music is so deeply entrenched in humanity, that some think we may have sung before spoke, but we treat our musicians as hobbyists.
PD: So, what are you working on at the moment?
AEF: We have finished our album, and it’s on the line for release, so we’re shooting music videos to support it. We are shooting an album-length short film, cut into viewable songs that we intend to release in full after the singles are all out. We are lightly talking about making that version different from the core album, but we are still in the brainstorming stages.
PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online?
AEF: The best way to reach out to us right now would be via our youtube channel, or via allelsefails@outlook.com , don’t bother with Facebook or Instagram, we are staying off of those accounts as much as possible these days.
All Else Fails links:
Band/Artist location – Edmonton, Alberta Canada
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