The Back-Burner: Aerosmith Outtakes & Demos

Exclusive to AerosmithBackBurner: Trace Foster, the charismatic guitar tech, seasoned guitarist, songwriter, and founder of Close Enemies, gave the AerosmithBackBurner an insider’s look at the band poised to shake up the rock world ahead of their Boston 2025 show. A trusted and familiar figure in the Aerosmith camp for years, Trace has always been a skilled musician, but now he’s stepping into the spotlight with a powerhouse lineup that includes Aerosmith’s legendary bassist Tom Hamilton. In this candid interview, Trace shares the story of the band’s formation, their creative process, and the excitement of bringing their powerful sound to life on stage.

Close Enemies was born as a creative outlet for rock veterans looking to push boundaries and explore new artistic terrain. Alongside Trace and Tom, the band features industry luminaries Peter Stroud, Tony Brock, and Chasen Hampton. Together, they’ve crafted a sound that fuses the raw energy of classic rock with a modern edge, aiming to redefine the genre. As they gear up for their debut album and tour, Trace opens up about the band’s journey, their shared vision, and his own transition from being a behind-the-scenes force to leading the charge on stage.

The interview that follows offers a rare and exclusive glimpse into Trace’s perspective—his passion for music, the creative magic behind Close Enemies, and what it means to work alongside rock legends in this new chapter of his career. This is your all-access pass to the story of Close Enemies and their rise as rock’s next big act:

AerosmithBackBurner: Trace, you’ve had a long career as a guitar tech. How does it feel to step out of that role and play alongside rock legends?
Trace: I pinch myself every day. Lol. I do realize it’s a huge honor to play with these guys, and I am up to the task!

AerosmithBackBurner: Now that you’re on stage, do you have a guitar tech of your own, or do you prefer to handle those technical details yourself?
Trace: Right now, we are just sharing a guitar tech. I put myself last because I can take care of myself. At our Nashville show, I had Aidan Mullin take care of me and Tom. He was Tom’s tech for a few years. It was weird but very cool.

AerosmithBackBurner: You’ve played with many musicians throughout your career. Where does being part of Close Enemies rank among your experiences?
Trace: This is the best because it’s our music, and it’s who we are and what we do. This is such a great band. I wouldn’t want to play with anyone else.

AerosmithBackBurner: How are you managing the transition from Aerosmith’s technical world to performing in a group with members from legendary acts?
Trace: It’s a pretty easy switch, but I still do help Tom take his bass off during rehearsals. Lol. Some habits are hard to break. Lol.

AerosmithBackBurner: Have any other Aerosmith members provided input or considered joining you on stage for a jam?
Trace: Brad Whitford and keyboardist/vocalist Buck Johnson were at our show in Nashville. We haven’t gotten to the point where we are bringing people up yet, but I’m sure we will.

AerosmithBackBurner: You’ve worked with Aerosmith for years and even joined the Joe Perry Project on stage in 2010 for “Wooden Ships.” How have these experiences led you to become a member of Close Enemies, and do you still have to pinch yourself when playing next to Tom?
Trace: Like I said, I do pinch myself. I really do. My favorite saying is, “The 15-year-old me wouldn’t believe me if I went back in time and told him what the future would bring.” Even in my tech career, I have played with most of the bands I worked with. I fill in for band members in rehearsals, and I am there if they would need me on stage, like Joe asking me to join him on stage every night to play during his 2010 tour. I have filled in for Joe and Brad at Aerosmith rehearsals. I knew the whole Aerosmith show because you just never know. So when it came time to ask Tom to play together in this band, he knew I could play, and he was very excited about it.

Band Origins

AerosmithBackBurner: How did Close Enemies come together, and what motivated its formation considering all members are at different stages in their personal lives and careers?
Trace: I actually started this band. I had been working with a guy named Gary Stier. Gary was singing, and he and I were writing songs together. I called Peter Stroud, and after he said yes, he was in, we put together a band and began working together. But when Tom told me he had more to say musically outside Aerosmith and that he wished he could have more creative input, a light bulb went off over my head. I called Peter immediately and said, “I found our bass player.” We talked and decided we would disband what we were doing and start again with Tom. It was funny because Tom said he would think about it. He said, “Send me some songs, and I’ll let you know.” He called me right after I sent them and said he was in. Lol. He loved the songs we had so far.

AerosmithBackBurner: Do you have a timeline of how everything unfolded from the band’s creation to now?
Trace: I just looked at a photo from the very first time that Tom, Tony, Peter, and myself played together. It is dated January 11th, 2023. When we do our show in Boston on January 10th, 2025, it will have taken us two years to get from the first day to stage. VERY COOL. Here’s a timeline of key milestones for the band:

• June 2021: I started writing with Gary Stier.
• September 2021: Peter Stroud joined.
• February 10th, 2022: The band, minus Tony Brock and Tom, started writing and recording in Nashville. The drummer at the time was Daxx Nielsen of Cheap Trick, and Robert Kearns (Sheryl Crow, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cry of Love) played bass.
• November 2022: I told Tom I would put together a band and come to Boston to work on his songs.
• January 10th, 2023: Tom Hamilton, Tony Brock, Peter Stroud, and I played together for the first time. American Idol winner Caleb Johnson was also present but tested positive for Covid the night before, so he couldn’t sing with us. He only recorded vocals for one song while isolated in the live room. That’s the only thing we ever did with Caleb—maybe one day that song will make it out of the closet.
• February 2023: I asked Tom if he would be interested in joining our unnamed band and incorporating his songs into ours. After a few hours of listening to our songs, he said yes. Peter and I called Tony Brock to ask if he’d join as well since Tom loved playing with him, and Tony agreed.
• March 2023: We started getting together every couple of months in Atlanta, GA, writing songs and recording. We did this for about a year.
• October 2024: We played our first show in Nashville.
• January 10th, 2025: We’ll play our Boston show, marking two years since our first rehearsal.

AerosmithBackBurner: Is there a deeper meaning behind the band name ‘Close Enemies’? Why did you choose it?
Trace: It’s from The Godfather movie. The line was, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” We just thought it was a great line. Peter’s wife Lynn suggested it, and we all loved it.

AerosmithBackBurner: What does Close Enemies mean to its members emotionally, especially for Tom, playing in a new band outside of Aerosmith for the first time?
Trace: Let me tell you, I am sure this is the same for all of us—it’s like a new beginning. We have all had amazing careers, but for some reason, this one really feels good. We are all really good friends and enjoy the music and playing with each other. When I look over at Tom and he has a huge grin, and I look back at Tony and he’s smiling, it says it all. We play so great together, we really do. We already feed off of each other. That takes years sometimes, but we are there already. So we said from the beginning that if we weren’t having fun, we didn’t want to do this.

Songwriting and Credits

AerosmithBackBurner: Who came up with the riffs and music for your tracks? Was the songwriting a collaborative effort, or were songs written individually and then adapted to the band’s sound?
Trace: Both ways. We write together but off an idea one of us has. The crazy thing is, we are all songwriters. This is a band where all the members write great songs. We start with an idea and build from there. We can usually flesh out a song in a day and the next day move on to another one. Peter and I play completely different, our parts fit so good together. I’m more of a country finger picker type guitarist and Peter is a straight up Rock God. Lol. We don’t step on each other and we don’t really have to discuss who does what solos. We just know by the style of the song who does what.

Perfect example: I had an idea that I presented to the band that I was very proud of. The song is called “Rain” and is on the first record. I thought I had the idea of where it should go, but once we all started working on it, the song went to a different place and another level. It is way better than I could have hoped for. Important! There are no egos in this band, none at all. So for us, it’s easy to try an idea someone else may have. Another one of my favorite sayings is, “There are no wrong ideas, just better ones.” If you don’t allow yourself to step outside your bubble, you may miss out on what songwriters call gold. Gary Stier, who was the original singer for the project, stayed on and has been writing with us. Gary is an incredible writer and lyricist with a great sense of melody and adds another level of great songwriting.

AerosmithBackBurner: Did Tom contribute any songs originally intended for Aerosmith but not used? Will he have a larger songwriting role moving forward?
Trace: Okay, yes. Tom has one song he brought in that will be on the first album. The song is called “More Than I Could Ever Need.” It’s a great song. Not sure if that song would have been presented to Aerosmith, but once we Close Enemied it, we all fell in love with it and it’s ours. We already had about half the album once Tom joined, so yes, he will have a much bigger role on the next album and the next one and the next one and so on. We have more songs than we need right now. Like I said, we are all writers, so we have a handful of extra songs that we are not using for the album. Not because they’re no good, we just don’t have the space. We actually made the conscious effort to stop writing. We just had too much. Not a lot of bands can say that. We all chose what songs we wanted on the record and we all had a little different list. So we talked it through and chose what we thought worked better together. The other songs will probably make the second record, but who knows.

Recording Process

AerosmithBackBurner: What was the recording process like for Close Enemies? Did you have a few rehearsals before entering the studio, or was it more of a remote collaboration over time and across different studios?
Trace: Both. The basic tracks were recorded live, and then we went into Peter Frampton’s studio in Nashville, and Tony recut the drums. Most of Peter’s and my guitar tracks are live, except for the solos, which we did in our own studios and flew them in.

Music Style and Genre

AerosmithBackBurner: How would you describe your music genre, and how would you like Close Enemies to be classified?
Trace: We are classic, kick-ass rock and roll with a little bit of pop rock thrown in for good measure. I guess somewhere between Aerosmith and Cheap Trick would be a good description.

Album Release

AerosmithBackBurner: When can fans expect the album to be released?
Trace: We are looking at an early 2025 release for our single “Sound of a Train.” Then we will release a single a month for a few months just to keep up the excitement. After that, we will release the whole thing. It seems to be the way to do it nowadays.

Future Shows and Collaborations

AerosmithBackBurner: Will Close Enemies be touring in the U.S. and beyond? Do you have any plans for future music or collaborations?
Trace: Yes, shows are being added as we speak, with announcements in the next few days. We hope to tour all over the place. We will tour as much as our schedules will allow. Collaborations may come at a later date. I know we would take that into consideration, but for the moment, it’s all about Close Enemies.

A Rock Revolution in the Making

Through Trace Foster’s perspective, we gain an in-depth look at Close Enemies’ journey, from its origins as his brainchild to a fully-fledged band uniting rock veterans with decades of experience. From the creative spark that brought Tom Hamilton onboard to the band’s electrifying chemistry in the studio and on stage, Close Enemies promises to deliver a powerful and fresh rock sound that both classic and modern rock fans will love. Stay tuned for their upcoming releases and don’t miss the chance to see them live—Close Enemies is just getting started!