
By: Steffon Olsen
In July of 2014, a group of guys came together to form a band. It was just something they were going to do for fun, outside of work and school. However, these guys soon realized that their band could be so much more than just a hobby. After only two and a half years, this band called Foreign Figures has just finished a national tour and is getting ready to record their second album.
Manager and Creative Director, Lance Lowry describes Foreign Figures as the musical baby of Imagine Dragons, Coldplay, and One Republic— all very unique and iconic bands. It is possible that Foreign Figures could be the next Imagine Dragons, Coldplay, or One Republic. Their passion and dedication to their music surpasses all expectations, and they have a clear vision for their future. “Our dream is to play on the freakin’ moon!” says Eric Michaels, lead vocalist. These young men have literally set the stars and sky as their limit. “We’re always going to be evolving,” says Eric. They are always looking for new ways to write or different sounds they can add to their music. That is going to be a huge part of their new EP that will be released in 2017. All of the guys want to focus on world sounds by using subtle influences, like the African drums in “Come Alive,” or the Japanese influence on “Paradigm.” Seth Dunshee, lead bassist talks about how these aren’t typical “rock band” instruments, but Foreign Figures doesn’t want to be a typical rock band. They want to write more songs besides the ones that could be featured on the radio or licensed for a film. “We want to be able to write whatever comes into our heads,” says Seth.

The biggest driving force behind their music is being able to connect to their audience. Each member of the band talks about how much the dedication of their fans means to them. “We want to do what our favorite bands have done for us,” Seth explains. Eric adds that he wants their songs to become the fans’ songs; he hopes that his lyrics will help listeners feel understood and that there is someone who recognizes their struggles. “Everyone has their own demons,” he says, “I’ve been helped most in my life through music,” and so Eric wants his music to be able to do the same for as many people who will listen. Lead guitarist, Jonny Tanner, says that he and the band will try to ask themselves, “am I loving my audience?” and, “am I showing the audience how much I care about them?” Steve Michaels, Eric’s brother and drummer for Foreign Figures, describes a recent experience that he had with a fan: “She approached us and said that she listens to music in her room a lot and writes down the names of the songs she likes the most. She told us, with tears in her eyes, that our music touched her heart and impacted her more than any other music she has ever heard before. She said it with so much sincerity and passion and you could feel how much she meant it.” The band members are all overwhelmed at the amount of people they have reached in Provo. Each of them talk about how they used to beg their friends and family to come see their concerts, but now all they have to do is post on social media to sell out a venue.
One of their most recent shows was in front of more than 10,000 people at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City where they opened for Lukas Graham. This year they have also had the chance to share the stage with American Authors and X-Ambassadors. Foreign Figures has been lucky enough to have most of these opportunities come knocking on their door, but they know that won’t happen forever. One of their biggest goals for 2017 is to connect with more people in the industry so they can continue to build their fan base and reach people with their music. They would love to have the opportunity to open for more bands as well as collaborate. Seth says that they would also be very interested in commissioning songs for movies or T.V. He thinks it would be a great way to develop their song writing skills as a band, and Lance points out that Foreign Figures is also a “one-stop shop” since they write, record, and produce all of their music themselves.
Foreign Figures is a completely independent band. They are lucky enough to have a guitarist that is also an audio engineer. Seth brags that Jonny is likely the best audio engineer in Utah, and Lance calls him a genius and “Jack of all trades.” Jonny has been a studio engineer for six years, and he was the one who mixed and mastered Foreign Figures’ debut album, Paradigm. Every single member of their team brings a different skill or talent to their business. Jonny and Seth both compare Foreign Figures to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because of the unique mindset each band member brings to the table. Steve says that the business side of the band is really invigorating, and he really likes being in charge of things like booking. Seth is really awesome at the social media side of things, so he is able to bounce ideas off of Lance, who is in charge of branding. The band members all mention how Lance has been a great addition to the team because he is able to direct their creativity.
Lance Lowry is an entrepreneur who started his own video production company. He has known Eric and Steve since high school, but first got involved in working with Foreign Figures by helping them produce two of their music videos. Eventually, the band convinced Lance to manage them and he has been a part of the team since June. Lance’s knowledge of business and entrepreneurship has been a huge asset to Foreign Figures. He calls the guys “artrepreneurs” because they are artists who are turning their art and creativity into a business. The entire band is also very grateful for Lance’s networking skills; he speaks to people at the shows, makes connections, and gathers feedback so the band can focus on putting on a great show.
Their live show is what Foreign Figures prides themselves in the most. Lance is very confident in the show that the band puts on. “We know that when people see the live show they’ll be converted,” he says. The band has been very focused on branding themselves as a live act. At their last concert in Orem, they took a huge amount of live footage that they are going to use to produce live videos. Seth talks about how the live concert is where the band members take a lot more liberties with the songs than they have written— Jonny even plays different solos than the recorded ones on the album. Eric describes the live show as a rollercoaster. There are quiet, intimate moments with Eric at the piano, and then the next minute they are playing an upbeat radio song. He talks about how he and the other band members are all over the place. “I feel like I have a different side that comes out on stage,” Eric says. The entire band is very proud of their stage presence. Each of the four guys used to be the front man of his own band. Because of this, they each have their own captivating energy that they bring to their concerts. Lance says that another cool thing is that every member of the band is someone’s favorite; you can hear each of their names being chanted from the crowd at a live show.
Eric, the lead singer grew up being classically trained on the piano. His mom was also a fan of the Carpenters and Nat King Cole, who influence his more soulful side. Eric’s dad was a rocker and introduced him to Journey, who really inspires him as well. The first time he remembers feeling music on an emotional level, however, is when he was watching a movie and the song “Clocks,” by Coldplay started playing. Eric describes how he felt something magical come over him, and he immediately went home to look up the song and learn it. Soon after, Eric became interested in singing, so he started taking voice lessons. As he started performing, he received such a warm welcome from his audiences, which motivated him to keep pursuing music. He said that he never really thought about music as a professional career while he was growing up, but it kept calling to him.
Steve and Eric did everything together growing up. His fondest memories are of training for the wrestling team with both of his brothers. Steve is amazed at the hard work Eric has done to get to this point in his career. “I will tell you,” he says, “Eric didn’t become as good as he is by natural talent or luck, this kid worked harder than anyone else to earn it. I like to call him ‘the machine.’ When he puts his mind to something, he never stops!” Steve also started learning music at a young age. He remembers how he would really connect with the beat and rhythm of the music he listened to. When he was eleven, he started learning how to play the drums. Neil Peart really inspired him to take his drumming to the next level, so Steve continued his drum career alongside guitarist Jake Workman while they were in high school. Steve was also the lead singer of that band, so he was able to develop more of his musical abilities.
Seth Dunshee, the bassist for Foreign Figures, is also amazingly talented. He first started playing in bands because he wanted to be a cool rock star, but he realized that he had a knack for the guitar once he started playing. Seth never took formal lessons, and taught himself the notes and the chords on the guitar. Then, when the original bassist of Foreign Figures left the band, Seth stepped in and learned the bass. He says he is so much more comfortable playing the bass than he ever was playing guitar, and he would probably say no if the band asked him to play guitar again.
The guitar parts are left up to Jonny Tanner, or Jonny T. He actually started playing the guitar in jazz band when he was in middle school and high school, but he also grew up around classic rock bands like Journey and Boston. Those bands have influenced him quite a bit as well as The Edge from U2. Like The Edge, Jonny wants his guitar playing to support the lead vocalist and help the song shine rather than himself. Jonny also has a degree in audio engineering, so he is also the one who produces the band’s music. He recorded, edited, mixed, and mastered the entire Paradigm album; however, for the new album that Foreign Figures is working on, he will pass the editing and recording onto another engineer, and once the songs are cut, he will mix and master them.
The band is really excited for what the future has in store. They have been working very hard on their upcoming EP, and they are hoping to plan Spring, Summer, and Fall tours for 2017. “We’re not doing this because it’s convenient,” Seth says, “This is what we are going to be doing for the rest of our lives.” Eric adds, “We’re not rich, and I might never be rich but I am okay with that because it is all about the passion.”
If you want to collaborate with Foreign Figures, reach out through social media or email management@foreignfigures.com. If you want to see them live reach out at booking@foreignfigures.com and/or, watch for tour dates in your area by following them on Facebook, YouTube, twitter @4INFIGURES, or Instagram @foreignfiguresofficial. Their next show will be in Midway, UT at Midway Town Hall on February 3, 2017 from 8pm to 9pm.