Jon Foreman: "This is What Luck Smells Like" (New Huffington Post Column)

For up to date (most of the time) news and original opinions before they hit the update, follow us on Twitter!

Also, be sure to tune in next Monday, January 10, to ESPN's broadcast of the BCS National Championship game to watch the world premiere of Switchfoot new music video for "We Are One Tonight." The game airs starting 8:30 PM EST.

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The ever eloquent Jon Foreman has posted yet another Huffington Post Column. Be sure to read it here.

Here's an excerpt:

My mind wanders... I watched Braveheart the other day to gear up for a show in Scotland: good ol' William Wallace. Now there's a man's man: a fighter and a lover -- at least the Hollywood version. And yet, I'm pretty sure personal hygiene was not high up on his priority list. In fact, William Wallace probably smelled roughly like this. I close my eyes and take a deep breath... Ah, the enchanting scent of revolution, the bewitching aroma of freedom. We go to museums and pay big money to see the sights, why not smell the smells? I imagine that a lot of my heroes probably smelled like this. Maybe I'm on the wrong side of the coin here? Maybe my frequent bathing habits, (okay, relatively frequent bathing habits) have been keeping me from greatness!? I'm not sure my wife would agree with my backwards thinking on this one.

Full Article.

Jon Foreman sang/recorded on Brooke Fraser's upcoming record

For up to date (most of the time) news and original opinions before they hit the update, follow us on Twitter!

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As reported awhile back, Jon Foreman co-wrote and recorded a song with Brooke Fraser called "Betty" for the latter's upcoming record. At the time, we were unsure whether Jon's vocals would make an appearance on the record, but now we know that he will sing on the song! Check out the latest studio update/preview video from Fraser's channel:



^If you haven't checked out Brooke Fraser's music yet, please do!

BrookeFraser.com

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Speaking of good ol' Jon, check out his latest Huffington Post essay, about watermelons and gardens. You won't be disappointed, and will be challenged, as always!

LINK.

Thoughts on the upcoming OneRepublic Tour

Been hearing a lot of reactions over the news that Switchfoot will be going out on tour with OneRepublic. Some are confused (styles are different?), angry (another opening tour??), and some are ecstatic. Here are some of my thoughts on this:

I'm all for the band gaining new fans. I love Switchfoot, and if I can share them with as many people as possible, I don't mind. Touring isn't always going to be about pleasing the old regular fams; it's also about getting the word out and gaining new fans too. If this tour will help in that aspect, and possibly set up a bigger headlining tour in the summer or fall, SWEET.

OneRepublic is HUGE –– they'll definitely attract the younger Top 40 demographic; this should reacquaint Switchfoot with the mainstream audience quite well. So far, the rock crowd has been appealed to in promotion, with "Mess of Me" at radio and "The Sound" on the Blackberry commercials. Maybe this is the band's way of letting the pop world know, "Hey, we're still here!" Maybe they'll release "Your Love Is a Song" to radio to coincide with this tour? Maybe?

So, if you don't like the other band enough, or are not happy that Switchfoot is opening for a bigger act (again), then you don't have to go. The Hello Hurricane tour is still going strong, so be sure to go ahead and get on out there! Otherwise, there's always next time. :]

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Hearitfirst.com has some more exclusive Switchfoot interview videos where they talk about the album and "Sing It Out." Check 'em out. It's a great watch/listen.

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Switchfoot apparently has a new tribute album! Target.com has this listing. Go there to listen to previews... I'm very very tempted to grab this. Sounds really good.

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IN THE NEWS

NewsOK.com has an article about Switchfoot. Check it out:

Their plan for the tour — which began Sunday in San Diego, their hometown, and reaches the Diamond Ballroom in Oklahoma City on Monday — is to play "Hello Hurricane” in its entirety, followed by fan favorites from previous records. Foreman said the home audience liked the heaping helping of new tunes just fine.

"We had no idea what to expect,” Foreman said. "We’ve never done anything like this. In the more than six records that we’ve put out, we’ve never actually played the entire record from Track 1 to Track 12. So, it was a new experience for us. It was really quite moving.”

Foreman saw fans responding as enthusiastically to the anthemic "This Is the Sound” ("This is the sound from the discontented mouths of a haunted nation!”) and the Bono/Edgy-sounding "Needle and Haystack Life” as they did to the hits ("Dare You to Move,” "Meant to Live”).

"It’s always fun to play new songs, but usually you spread them out over the course of an evening of music where you’re playing songs that everyone’s familiar with, along the way,” Foreman said.

Read the rest here.

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The Great Falls Tribune posted a glowing review of "Hello Hurricane."

It is my belief that any song, or album, should not be judged according to the first impression it leaves, but on how many times you are forced to hit the replay button and how long it sticks in your head.

The latest Switchfoot CD, "Hello Hurricane," is a perfect example. On the first run-through it seems to be only a good album — not a great one. And to be perfectly honest, on some of the most beautiful songs ("Your Love is a Song," for instance), the initial impression is that lead singer Jon Foreman had a mild case of laryngitis while recording. But for some reason you play it again ... and again ... and then you're humming it for the rest of the day, and maybe singing it when no one's around. That's a great album.

^SO true. Read the rest of it here

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CHARTS

"Mess of Me" holds strong at No. 27 on the Alternative charts. It continues to increase in spins, and things are looking good for a long, successful chart run –– IF we hold up our end of the bargain and request it at our local radio stations. Please make sure to do that! It's definitely working. Details below.

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VOTING

Don't forget to take the time to vote! Also, remember, remember, remember to request "Mess of Me" on your local rock stations! Our work will pay dividends. "Hello Hurricane" has already debuted and made a mark on the Billboard charts. It's now our job to make this a very long and fruitful album cycle for the band! The way to do that is to help with radio and voting. Thanks friends for your time. :)


- WRRV

- 98.7 (Los Angeles) Badass 8 WE WERE NO. 3 LAST NIGHT! We need to continue to put pressure on and get higher! The station is starting to spin the song more... VOTE.

- 91x (San Diego) Christy Taylor's REALLY BIG Countdown Keep requesting each day to keep it on the countdown! We were no. 1 last night. YES!

- RadioU's Top Ten Most Wanted. We still have the top spot! Well done! Let's keep it that way!

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Again, go here to see a list of stations already playing "Mess of Me" and phone numbers to call in and request the song with!! This is our time to shine, friends!

Vote LIKE MADMEN(WOMEN)!; + New "Hello Hurricane" Interviews

VOTING

Alright folks. This has been really weighing on my mind. As we prepare to dive into a brand new era of Switchfoot, I've been thinking lately about how this blog, We're Awakening, first started. I created this blog way back in June 2007, to help promote "Awakening" and send it to the masses, thinking the sheer might of the Switchfoot fan base would propel it to the top charts everywhere. As we all know, that single never really took off, for a number of reasons and to no fault of the fams.

Things were a bit discouraging for me once I came to this realization that efforts to promote Switchfoot were going to be futile. Sony was not going to be giving "Awakening" the help it needed in order to make it the smash single we all know it should have been, no matter how much time and effort we threw into this thing.

As the summer started to dwindle down and we began to hear news that Switchfoot had begun working on a new record, that they had cut ties with Sony, and that "Head Over Heels (In This Life)" was going to be tapped as next Christian-only single by Sparrow, I began to consider shutting down the site. After all, there seemed to be no point in moving on, now that the site's purpose had run out. But after much thought, I realized that this thing could be carried on with a new direction, for the love of the music, all while preserving the promotional spirit that started the blog in the first place.

Fast forward to 2009. We are a little over two weeks away from having the seventh Switchfoot album drop in our laps (or mailboxes). It's getting to that time when excitement and anticipation builds to a near frenzy... so... what better way to channel all that nervous energy than to throw ourselves into voting/promoting the heck out of Switchfoot? We've got Atlantic behind us this time; they've gotten Switchfoot onto everything from ESPN college football games to Star Magazine to Entertainment Weekly to Game 1 of the ALCS baseball playoffs –– not to mention the fact that "Mess of Me" is steadily climbing the rock charts.

So, what am I trying to say with this long-winded letter of sorts? I don't really know... but I do ask, that you help Switchfoot out in as best a way as you can, by going to these links and voting for Switchfoot. We have seen time and again the power that word-of-mouth can play in promoting something, so besides giving your voice here by clicking things on your computer, go out and tell your friends about the upcoming album. Burn them a copy of "Mess of Me" or put the mp3 on their iTunes. Post the video all over Twitter, Facebook, etc. Do whatever it takes to help Switchfoot out. That's what we're here for guys and gals.

Switchfoot's music has given me SO MUCH and saved my life. I can only begin to somewhat repay them with these few little words typed on a screen every day or so; to only begin to somewhat repay them for the little votes I log every time I log on. How much has Switchfoot given you? How much are you willing to give back?

VOTE.

- Job

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Hehe. Sorry friends for that long diatribe. I felt like saying something, so I did. :)

Anways, like I said, let's get voting!

Links:

- 98.7 (Los Angeles) Badass 8

- 91x (San Diego) Christy Taylor's REALLY BIG Countdown

- RadioU's Top Ten Most Wanted. We have regained the top spot! Well done! Let's keep it that way!

- We need to get "Mess of Me" on to KROQ, in order to get this single off the ground. Go HERE to request it! Keep it up friends! Don't slow down, WE NEED THIS.

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Go here to see a list of stations already playing "Mess of Me" and phone numbers to call in and request the song with!

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Now, here are some interviews for your perusal. Thanks LOBH for these tips.

First, here's an interview with Jon Foreman from TitleTrakk.com, conducted by our friend Susie.

TT: That leads into my next question. With all of that freedom, you really didn’t have anyone looking over your shoulder, you’ve got all the time in the world, you’ve got freedom to make your own decisions. Was that more liberating or was it more paralyzing?

Jon: It’s both you know. Every blessing is a curse and that was certainly a blessing and a curse in itself. To be completely boundless in everything means that we have to kind of invent our own boundaries, you know? I think that was ultimately a healthy process to have to go through. At the time there were some dark moments when we were trying to figure out what we wanted to do. Because for us it felt like a new beginning. It felt like a brand new record, brand new studio, brand new era of Switchfoot. So what do you want to do for the next 10 years of your life? And there’s five incredibly creative people all in a room with all sorts of ideas that may or may not line up. And 80+ songs that we are kind of sifting through trying to figure out which ones are gold and which ones are silver. And which ones are crap (laughs). I think it was definitely a process and I think we emerged on the other side much stronger as a band and much more sure of who we are. But there were moments along the way that felt a little bit more hopeless.

Read the rest of this GREAT interview here



And, a second interview, this time with Tim Foreman, with Disarray Magazine.

4. Are you excited about going out on this mini tour, what venues/cities are you looking forward to the most?

Tim: It’s going to be a real challenge for us, what we’ve done is set it up where we play Hello Hurricane from start to finish all 12 tracks in order and we’ve never done anything like that before. That’s definitely going to take some practice, and what we’re currently doing right now in our studio here in San Diego. At the same time we’re looking for new challenges and one we’re looking forward to.

Read the rest of this one here.


^Both great, insightful interviews. I enjoyed reading them both –– lots of insightful quotes about the new record.

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Charts

"Mess of Me" holds at No. 38 on the Alternative charts.

Jon Foreman writes an essay for the Huffington Post; "Hello Hurricane" full previews

Jon Foreman tweeted yesterday about this new essay he wrote for the Huffington Post, shedding some humorous light on things.

- I normally write songs, so writing an essay of sorts was trickier than I would have thought- brought me back to schooool!

then:

- Here's a short essay called "Goodness Precedes Greatness" on The Huffington Post - http://bit.ly/L4wLC -check it

So, without further ado, here is an excerpt from his brilliantly written essay.

I write songs for a living, which is to say that writing songs helps me to live. The song becomes a place where melody and tempo can cover some truly volatile topics. God, women, politics, sex, hatred, disillusionment- a song or a story can be a deeper vessel and more forgiving than most conversations. Poetry can get under the skin without your permission, and music can offer perspective or hope that might have been hidden before. And so the song becomes a vehicle to cover some serious ground.

These days I have a hard time writing a song that feels bright or hopeful. The unemployment rate is edging up even further and spending is down. Foreclosures are way up and stocks are down. Our headlines are full of war, natural disaster, and corruption. So I go looking for songs of hope and stories that remind me of the incredible privilege of living another day. I suppose I'm looking for a hero of sorts. Someone who rises above the situation and does something incredible.

Read the rest of the essay here

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For those who have been asking questions about the new pre-order of "Hello Hurricane" on iTunes, here's a quick FAQ of sorts.

Q. "The Sound" music video? Does that mean it's going to be the second single?

A. Well, as far as we know, that isn't going to be a music video, but rather one of those Live at Spot X in-studio performance videos. As such, this will not be an official indication that "The Sound" will be the second single – yet.

Q. Will these extras show up on the Collector's Edition that I've already pre-ordered?

A. No. Management says that the acoustic versions of "Mess of Me" and "Always," as well as the song "Stitches," are exclusive to iTunes only. As far as whether or not that will all still be there when pre-sales end, we will have to see. I'd say the safest bet is to grab it as soon as you can.

Q. So "Stitches" is from the "Eastern Hymns for Western Shores EP?"

A. That is correct, my friends. :)



(Hope that helps, P.S.)

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Thanks to LOBH, we have a screen capture of the Rolling Stone blurb:



^exciting huh?

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Speaking of screen caps, Catherine! from the official message boards posted a picture of another Switchfoot blurb in STAR magazine. I found the review they gave "Hello Hurricane" rather humorous.



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Again, thanks to LOBH, here's your chance to finally preview every single song from the new album!

Go check out the Purashop store to listen in!

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"Mess of Me" has jumped up two spots on the Alternative charts, parking at No. 43 this weekend! keep up the requesting and calling. It's definitely making a difference!

"Mess of Me" Chart News breakdown for October 16, 2009

(o) = same; no change
(+) = increase
(-) = decrease

Format: ALTERNATIVE

S021 [Sirius Satellite Radio] 18 (o)
WBRU [Providence] 17 (+3)
XTRA [San Diego] 14 (+1)
WWCD [Grove City] 12 (+1)
WZNE [Rochester] 12 (-1)
KBZT [San Diego] 12 (o)
WEND [Charlotte] 11 (+1)
KFMA [Tucson] 9 (o)
WRRV [Newburgh] 9 (+9)
WEQX [Albany, NY] 7 (o)
KEDJ [Phoenix] 6 (-1)
WJSE [Atlantic City]
WGRD [New York]
WRFF [Philadelphia]
WVIC [Lansing]
CIMX [Detroit]
WLUM [Milwaukee]
WNNX [Atlanta]
KYSR [Los Angeles]
WBSX [Hazleton]
KCXX [Riverside]
KMYZ [Tulsa]
KXRK [Provo]
WARQ [Columbia]
KNDD [Seattle]
WTZR [Elizabethton]
WROX [Hampton Roads]

Format: ACTIVE ROCK

WYBB [Charleston] 10 (+1)
WBSX [Wilkes-Barre] 8 (+8)
WRXW [Jackson] 8 (o)
WXQR 7 (o)
WBUZ [Nashville] 7 (o)
WLZX [Springfield] 7 (o)
WQXA [Harrisburg] 7 (o)
KZZQ [Salt Lake City]
WIYY [Baltimore]
WIIL [Chicago]
KFRQ [McAllen]
WRIF [Detroit]

TRIPLE-A (ADULT ALBUM ALTERNATIVE)

WRXP [New York] 8 (o)

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VOTING

Again, keep those those swift voting fingers fresh, because we need to stay strong voting for Switchfoot! We need to keep this ball rolling!

- Go vote for "Mess of Me" on RadioU's Top Ten Most Wanted here. It is currently at 38.2%, still the majority of the votes, but again we can't let that momentum slide. Make sure you vote every day!

- KROQ (Los Angeles) is one of the most influential rock stations in the country. When they add a song, several other stations across the country take notice and follow suit. We need to get "Mess of Me" on there, in order to get this single off the ground. Go HERE to request it! Keep it up friends! Don't slow down, WE NEED THIS.


-

Go here to see a list of stations already playing "Mess of Me" and phone numbers to call in and request the song with! It really does work, trust me. I tried yesterday afternoon, and 91x played it shortly after I called in! Punish the phones, but keep it respectful folks –– don't overdo it!



We'll post more voting opportunities as they come up, so keep checking back every day.

FootColumn: *Be generous with Compliments and Stingy with Critisism*

Hey all you fellow Switchfoot fans. I would like to introduce myself. My name is Bleah Briann and I am the newest author for...well this blog. :)

I've been blogging since January first of this year but just recently did I get a spot to be a columnist on this blog. So anywho, I will be giving you my personal opinion on anything Switchfoot related, and since its only appropriate for whats been going around lately, I'll give you my report on the new single, Mess of Me.


When I heard "Mess of Me," I was taken back, but I shouldn't have been surprised. Switchfoot is different from any other band I've been able to find, by that I mean, their lyrics. They're certainly not scared to tell people what they really think, how they really feel, or their opinion on the condition of the world today. I find that completely refreshing. And MOM spoke so true to me. Yeah its different, maybe a little bit more on the rock side of Switchfoot, something we don't see all too often. But that's who they are. Are we really going to ask them to put themselves in a box because we don't want them to change? I think that would be selfish of us, and I personally want to see every angle of that band. So back to what I think of the song...I think its phenomenal, and I think that anyone who says otherwise needs to go listen to it again.

The heart of these people are so sincere. Here's what I'm going to leave you with today. Just take a look on how Jon Foremans heart was touched by the suffering of others:

We arrived home in San Diego early this morning, back from a run of shows up the coast with Switchfoot. The sun is setting over the pacific and my hair is still wet from an evening surf. In the distance I can hear the whistle of the Amtrak from LA heading south. I'm grateful to be home, grateful to have a place to live, grateful to have been given another breath alive on this planet. But today my thoughts are divided, split between two worlds. As the sun sets over California it begins to rise over Darfur. The same sun. The same planet. Can it be possible that right now, two and a half million people are waking up in camps and refugee camps having been driven from their homes by violent means? Under the same sun, could it be true that almost half a million people have died of starvation, violence, and disease over the past six years in Darfur? Is this true?! And if this is true, why has the media remained almost completely silent on the issue? Why has our government maintained it's current stance of inaction? When presidential hopeful Obama was running for office he stated that "We can't ignore the genocide in Darfur. The international community can't turn a blind eye when children are being slaughtered and women are being raped. We have to do everything in our power to make it stop. We have to act. Now." Nothing has happened. And yet the sun is still rising over Darfur. And the sun still rises over me. And the sun still rises over capital hill... the same sun. Today we celebrate mother's day with our moms and grandmothers. My thoughts drift overseas to the mother who is just now waking up, wondering whether she'll be able to give her children anything to eat. Tomorrow I begin a three day fast for Darfur. Why fast? Because quite frankly, I can't think of a better idea. I reckon the best way to enter into the suffering of a group of people halfway around the world is to start with the basics. These folks are fasting without alternative, for three days I will fast with them.

Isn't that amazing? Like I said these people aren't just singers, they aren't just a great band. They're people, people like you and me. People with hearts...

Switchfoot rocks hometown at the Del Mar Fair (exclusive perspective...?)

WOW. What a day. I'm sitting here at the foot of my bed, writing my thoughts on the Switchfoot show I just returned from. I would have to say, in the four Switchfoot shows I have been to, this is probably the one that stirred the most emotion, the one that brought about the most transcendence of the absolute joy to be found in playing music for a band of five dudes from Southern California.

Personally, this was probably the closest I've ever been to the stage; literally 10 feet or so away, and the energy emanating from the stage was definitely contagious. Switchfoot, sensing the difference in atmosphere that comes with a hometown show, put on a great, albeit stunted hour and-a-half performance.

From the time Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" started to play over the loudspeakers to the last epic chorus of "Dare You to Move," the band held the audience's complete and undivided attention. There were a few times during the set when the band themselves became the spectators, drinking in the whole scene: hundreds of people, singing along to their tunes, at the fair they went to growing up. In no one was this more evident than in the frontman Jon Foreman himself, who oftentimes closed his eyes during an interlude of a song; breathing in the moment, trying to grasp it and hang on to it for a little while. There was more truth in the words "Let's slow the evening down... slow it down... slow it down..." tonight than usual.

"I'm just taking it all in," he gushes. "Over there are the roller coasters, and the sun setting." His traditional jaunt out into the crowd is heartfelt, clasping hands with a quiet joy, probably spotting an old friend or two in the crowd amongst the sea of faces. His gaze directly into a fan's eyes seem to be a moment of piercing, a soul-searching glance that speaks a thousand words more than "this is your life, are you who you want to be?" can. That is the kind of connection this band can make with its audience.

There was a moment of my own where the "fan" interaction became more of a "fam" interaction, if you will. Jon spotted me, a lone fan in the crowd singing along word-for-word to the song "Hello Hurricane," a new tune that hadn't been played yet in this town outside of the walls of the band's studio. We met eyes, and he pointed towards me with a big smile while singing the words to a song that I've come to love again. A moment in time, frozen in that space. I guess I won't really forget that...

The show continued on, with great appearances from Sara Watkins (Violin and pretty singing Voice), Keith Tutt (the Cello), and local legend Karl Denson (Saxaphone). It definitely felt like a family band was out there on the stage.

"Mess of Me" and "Hello Hurricane," the two new "babies" of the group continue to get progressively better each time I hear them live. "Awakening" and "Meant to Live" = the best crowd energy the entire evening. Both songs saw the most fist-pumping and jumping, and the ensuing cheers for "one more song" were deafening. And again, a great set was concluded with the timeless classic, encore-staple, "Dare You to Move."

It was a great show with friends, new and old. I came with my roommate from college, and a few other good friends, and ran into a pleasant surprise as well. At the merch table, I finally got to meet, in the flesh, some of you amazing boardie-folk from the Switchfoot world. Katers, Rose, Nicole, and the others I didn't really get to find out who you are, glad to finally see you friends! :)

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Setlist:

Meant to Live (intro) / Oh! Gravity.
Stars
Gone / Crazy
This Is Your Life
American Dream
This Is Home (feat. Sara Watkins and Keith Tutt)
Only Hope (feat. Sara Watkins, Keith Tutt, and Karl Denson)
Mess of Me
Dirty Second Hands
We Are One Tonight/C'mon C'mon
Hello Hurricane
On Fire
Awakening
Meant to Live

Encore
Dare You to Move (feat. Sara Watkins and Keith Tutt)

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Here are some pictures I took that sorta kinda turned out ok... :]:












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Twitter posts from Switchfoot about the show:

- Just arrived at the fair, beautiful weather for tonight's show and bro-am tomorrow.

- Tonight's show was special. Thanks San Diego. Also a big thanks to Karl denson, Kieth tutt, and @saraWatkins for joining us. So great!

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Bro-Am is tomorrow! Or technically, later today... haha.

HAVE A GREAT TIME, anyone who is going. Be sure to check out live updates here:

http://twitter.com/switchfootbroam

I will probably be gone all day tomorrow, so don't expect to much of a recap here. Just sayin'. :)

THANKS for reading that, if you did. Sorry it got a little long... :]

Switchfoot taking over San Diego this weekend; and personal notes

Hi everyone. Just as a little "uniqueness" sort of thing, i thought I'd repost what I wrote in this thread of the Official Switchfoot Message Boards about the three newest songs we've heard from "Hello Hurricane" so far. I'm thinking of writing a more thorough and comprehensive review on these songs plus "Yet" and "Vice Verses," but not sure yet. Should I? Anyways, I digress. Here they are, and thanks for reading my rambling:

"Hello Hurricane" is the poppiest and "safest" bet at radio. Judging by the fact that they've never gone with any risky singles in the past (Oh! Gravity. being an exception), I'd be interested and would support the idea of going with something different for radio, at least for the lead single. But I definitely want to hear this on the radio. It's just screaming for airplay. The lyrics are accessible and hopeful, easy to recognize, and the music has that upbeat quality that would make the song a summery hit. HAHA. they should release it during hurricane season.

"Bullet Soul" sounds pretty amazing. I can totally see that gracing the Modern Rock stations, and possibly spilling into Hot AC. Remember, that's how "Meant to Live" did it. But not sure Top 40 would embrace anything from Switchfoot anymore, unless they went pop-hop. haha. But I've had the riff of this song stuck in my head for the past three days, and the chorus too. It's a grabber, alright.

"Mess of Me," I thought at first would've been a solid radio shot, but it's sounding pretty repetitive after awhile. Maybe a a solid third single, after Bullet and Hurricane.

Am I crazy? Feel free to join the discussion here. :]

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Seriously, epiphanyofhope on Youtube is amazing. Here's more footage from the Lancaster show, courtesy of epiphany. Check out there rest here http://www.youtube.com/epiphanyofhope

Switchfoot channels a bit of U2 in this "American Dream" video



^The Edge-esque atmospherics on the guitars. The Bono-esque speech to America. Really reminds one of "The Joshua Tree" era.

And here's probably the best quality video of "Bullet Soul" yet on Youtube.



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Switchfoot tweeted about some radio interviews and performances they will be doing for some local San Diego TV and radio stations. Here's all the details:

Official Tweet: Hear SF: performances & interviews: Thurs 7:45 am STAR 94.1 http://www.jeffandjer.com Fri 7:45 am 91 X 8:30 am XETV 6

Be sure to tune in if you are in the area, and if you can wake up on time. haha!

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Switchfoot also sent out a new email about the Bro-Am this weekend and the Del Mar Fair show they'll be playing the day before.

Dear Amigos -

The weekend has arrived. We are playing a very special hometown show THIS Friday June 26th at the Del Mar Fair in Del Mar, California. Click here for show and ticket info.

And, the 5th Annual Switchfoot Bro-Am is this Saturday June 27th. This is a FREE beach event open to the public with a surf contest, concert, and vendors, featuring performances by Tristan Prettyman, Timmy Curran, The New Archaic, The Howls, Jane Carrey Band, Indivision, and Switchfoot's Jon Foreman and friends.

Full details:
What: 5th Annual Switchfoot Bro-Am
When: Saturday, June 27, 2009
Where: Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, CA
Surf contest: 7am-3:30pm
Concert: 11am-5pm
Website: http://www.switchfoot.com/bro-am/

And, make sure you join us for the Bro-Am after-party hosted by Switchfoot with Fiction Family, Stripes & Lines, Alex Woodard, and Molly Jenson, Saturday, June 27, 8PM @ The Belly Up Tavern. Click here for ticket info.


The Bro-Am was created to give back to the San Diego community while also benefiting a local children's charity through funds raised at an auction night event, as well as from vendors on the beach day-of, sponsorships, and an after-party at the Belly Up Tavern.

We are delighted to announce that this year's event will again benefit the San Diego and Oceanside branches of StandUp For Kids, a national nonprofit volunteer outreach organization that started right here in San Diego and is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of at-risk,homeless, and street kids. (www.standupforkids.org)

As always, thanks for listening, and hope we see you this weekend.

- Tim, Chad, Jon, Jerome and Drew

http://www.switchfoot.com/bro-am/

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And lastly, on a more personal note, my friends are giving me one of their extra tickets to the Del Mar show, so I'm pretty excited. Thanks guys!

But I'll try to get some pictures, videos, etc. to share with all my friends out here on the interweb as well. ;)

FootColumn: Part 4 in an analysis of past singles and what that could mean for this new album

“This Is Home”

“It’s a new day, it’s a new time.” Switchfoot had now become independent, and had also formed their own record label called lowercase people records. Jon Foreman was releasing solo EP’s and working with Credential Recordings to put them out mainly to, but not exclusively, the Christian scene.

But there was one thing that came along, rather unexpectedly, as the band was getting ready to spread its wings and fly into uncharted indie territory. Disney came calling, looking for a song to lead the soundtrack to their latest Narnia movie. Switchfoot submitted several songs, and what resulted was the pop rock anthem, “This Is Home,” which was chosen to be the lead single for the soundtrack of the movie.

At the time, it was said that Switchfoot’s management company, Red Light Management would be partnering with Disney’s Hollywood Records to promote the single to Triple-A radio formats. Hollywood Records had recently produced a monster mainstream smash hit, the Plain White T’s “Hey There Delilah.” They were also the label that were in charge of the Jonas Brothers’ record releases. They were no strangers to the mainstream radio biz.

But what happened next was utterly disappointing. The single flopped miserably, with very few stations even remotely showing interest in the single. Again, Switchfoot’s “foundation format” (as I like to call it), Modern Rock, showed absolutely no interest, and only three stations on the Hot AC format span it for any period of time. Top 40 didn’t even acknowledge its existence. This simply terrible effort from one of today’s largest, most successful record labels, is almost inexcusable. Disney did a terrible promotional job across the board for their Narnia film, and the movie itself flopped miserably both domestically and internationally. The single got another impact to radio later in the year, with Sony releasing it to Triple-A in anticipation of Switchfoot’s greatest hits record, The Best Yet. But we’ve all seen how pointless that all was.

In my opinion, this band deserves to be one of the biggest bands in the world. They have written some remarkable songs that would’ve propelled them to superstar status, or at least a recognizable name across the industry. Instead, poor label decisions and laziness have left them as a smaller, independent band – and it couldn’t have turned out better. The band is happier than ever in making music, and they’re able to do whatever they want, including releasing FOUR ALBUMS of material, one after the other. These are great times for the band, and I think they are entering a new period of even greater success than they have even achieved up to this point.

In the next segment, we’ll discuss what I personally hope happens with the next single and the album Hello Hurricane as a whole. Or maybe I should re-phrase that. We’ll discuss what I WOULD do if I was in charge at ATO Records/Red Light Management. Should be fun. ;)

FootColumn #3: Part 2 in an analysis of past singles and what that could mean for this new album

In the last segment, we explored the success of “The Beautiful Letdown” in-depth, analyzing the multi-format chart runs of Switchfoot’s biggest singles to date, “Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move.” In this section, we’ll analyze what went right and wrong for the follow-up record, “Nothing Is Sound.”

“Nothing Is Sound” was a brilliant album (and in my opinion, Switchfoot’s greatest work), that was tragically marred by two main factors:

The Copy Protection fiasco
Lack of proper singles decisions

Initially, Switchfoot had shot a music video for their possible lead single, “Happy Is a Yuppie Word.” It was beautifully shot, and the haunting images provide delicious eye-candy for the beholder. But for whatever reason, the video failed to inspire label executives enough to release the song as a single. I suppose the somewhat depressing mood of the lyrics, as well as the song’s overall downbeat nature wasn’t going to hit well at radio, nor would it attract the kind of first-week sales Sony would want to cop after the double-platinum success of “The Beautiful Letdown.” So instead, a new video was shot for the incredibly accessible “Stars,” which became the new lead single for the album.

"Stars" first began charting during the week of July 15, 2005, which put it just about two months before "Nothing Is Sound" came out. The reception at first was solid, with the single peaking at No. 16 on Modern Rock, No. 37 on Top 40, and No. 68 on the Hot 100, but it dropped off soon after that, adding to a wave of bad publicity brought on by the Sony-mandated copy protection discs the album was printed on. At this point, the general public’s view of Switchfoot had probably soured, not only because they couldn’t get the songs onto their iPod, but also because the album overall was significantly darker than “The Beautiful Letdown” and the teenybopper fans had begun to move on to the next “flavor of the week.”

In an attempt to “rescue” the album, Columbia released the pop anthem “We Are One Tonight,” the most “un-rock” song on the album, as a single. This can be seen as an attempt to win back the Top 40 crowd with an infectious sing-along, but whatever the reason, Modern Rock rejected “We Are One Tonight” and so did the video channels. This can be attributed to the lack of real motivation on the part of the label, but there are some other factors involved here.

As we have seen up to this point, Switchfoot’s primary calling-card is that they are a rock band. Columbia/Sony failed to at least build a rock “foundation” for the single. And as we will see when we examine the next few singles, this method simply doesn’t work. Switchfoot isn’t a Top 40-sounding band. Marketing them specifically as such is NOT going to work; it didn’t work in the case of “We Are One Tonight,” and it won’t work for future releases unless Switchfoot goes hip-hop on us. And that, we have been assured, will not be the case.

Despite selling 100,000+ copies in its first week, and being certified Gold within a month of shelf time, “Nothing Is Sound’s” further success was marred by a promotional nightmare on the part of the same label, Columbia/Sony, that brought Switchfoot into double-platinum success, just one album before. In the next segment, we’ll examine the situation that surrounded “Oh! Gravity.” and Switchfoot’s decision to go leave the major label scene and strike out on their own as an independent band.

FootColumn #2: "We were meant to move..." Part 1 in an analysis of past singles and what that could mean for this new album

We finally know the approximate release date, and title for the upcoming Switchfoot record. Naturally, our thoughts turn to the possibility of a brand new single on the horizon and a new promotional campaign amongst the fans.. The “single” has really been one of the reasons Switchfoot’s career is where it’s at right now. As I begin part 1 of this series, we will look into the methods Columbia/Sony (the old Sony) took in marketing their singles for “The Beautiful Letdown,” and how effective they were in netting a larger audience.

When “Meant to Live” was first released back in 2003 as a single, no one (not even the label) really expected that it would ride the type of success that it did. The song helped propel “The Beautiful Letdown” to platinum status, but it wasn’t an overnight success by any means. By the time 2004 had come around, however, anybody who listened to radio or watched MTV had heard the song.

Analyzing the Billboard charts, we find that “Meant to Live” began charting the week of August 9, 2003, a little more than five months after “The Beautiful Letdown” was released. Switchfoot entered the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart that time at No. 36. It slowly, but steadily began to pick up a few more plays across that format, and by November it had reached as high as No. 11, beginning to achieve consideration for the Hot 100 Singles chart.

Then, crossover happened. Even as “Meant to Live” was peaking at No. 5 on Modern Rock radio, it broke into coveted Top 40 airspace in March of 2004, 7 months after it had first broke into the Modern Rock format. Later in March, “Dare You to Move” debuted on Modern Rock radio, while “Meant to Live” was crossing over into yet another format, the Hot AC/Hot Adult Top 40. The radio cycle for “Dare” followed much in the same path as the previous single’s, and two major hits with long-lasting chart runs were broken for the album. Columbia would go on to release one more single to radio, “This Is Your Life.” But for whatever reason, whether it was the band vetoing the idea of another huge marketing campaign for the single, or just the lack of attention overall from the label, no video was produced for it and it peaked at No. 30 on Modern Rock.

It is important to notice that the label, Columbia Records, recognized the exact market that Switchfoot’s music would immediately appeal to: rock fans. The buzzing guitar intro hook of “Meant to Live,” as well as Jon Foreman’s soaring, passionate vocals on that song was tailor-made for Modern Rock radio. As such, it was marketed heavily to that format, and crossover to the mainstream Top 40 and Hot AC formats soon followed, because of the buzz it got from the rock scene. Modern Rock gave Switchfoot a solid foundation, and they were able to branch out from there.

In the next segment, we’ll explore the marketing for “Nothing Is Sound” and “Oh! Gravity.”, and preview what needs to happen for the new record.

A Happy Earth Day yesterday; and the BIG Switchfoot Release News Aftermath

Hello friends. Still reeling from the new announcement about Switchfoot's upcoming record(s)? So am I. Here are the complete Twitter updates from yesterday, Earth Day, and then some.

April 22, 2009:

- Happy earthday.

- Jerome says what's up. New tune called Needle and haystack life is making us happy. Mixing now, turn it up! http://twitpic.com/3siql



- At Norm's. Amazing vintage guitar store. http://twitpic.com/3suhs



And, of course the double Twitter posts heard 'round the world (or, the Switchfoot world, at least)

- So we haven't been entirely honest when we said we've been recording a new record. The truth is, we actually recorded 4 albums, 80+ songs.

- We'll be releasing them one at a time, starting with the first one this aug/sept. We'll announce the album title this Friday when we finish!

And, lastly:

- Chad is competing for the largest kick drum award. Wow. http://twitpic.com/3tgkr



^That is one ENORMOUS kick drum. Holy cow.

- jon and I to the studio after a very fruitful morning of photo shoot prep. luv, @andybarron http://twitpic.com/3uoza



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Apparently also, Jon Foreman posted a myspace bulletin last night. Thanks to Timmay! on the boards:

So... here we are april 22.
In california it's like summer the past few days

we're a few days away from the completion of new foot record. can't wait to get it out into your hands! chad is tracking drums on a song called "sing it out" could be the last thing we record for this thing.

So here's what midnight feels like north of LA tonight: the smell of cloves cigarettes through the open studio lounge window, the cool night air on my face, the low pulse of the kick deep in my stomach... shaking the picture of J. Lennon on the wall.

I'm gonna get back at it,
jon

Almost done... we can't wait either Jon!

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And, in honor (sorta) of the new Album release, I thought I'd kick off one of this sites new features. We want to start a section on this site called "FootColumns." Quite simply, they are going to be essays, writings, original poems, songs, etc. about Switchfoot that offers a unique perspective on the band. We're accepting writers of all kinds. If you would like to write for this site, PLEASE PLEASE let us know. I'm excited to see what other SwitchFams' perspectives on the band are. If you are interested, comment here with your email address, or Facebook, or Myspace, or AIM/Yahoo/MSN/Skpye account, and I'll contact you.

Or, you can just email us at:

wereawakening@yahoo.com


Well, anyways, for the the inaugural FootColumns post, I'm going to be posting a short essay I wrote up this morning with reaction towards the new Switchfoot Announcement. (what do we even call that?).

Read it here

So, hope you enjoy that, and please comment with discussion points or improvement tips or anything.

Thanks! Peace and love,
- Job

FootColumns #1: Switchfoot – 4 Albums? Oh! The possibilities.

As we all know by now, Switchfoot has announced the stunning news that instead of one traditional studio album, they have recorded 4 full-length albums, having tracked 80+ songs. Do you realize the sheer magnitude of 80 recorded songs? Now, granted, that's spread out over the past 2 1/2 years since Oh! Gravity. was released, but few bands can truly say they have recorded and finished 80 songs over that time period.

Now, if you've been reading, following, or writing in the "New Album Thread" on the official message boards, you'll know that there is a concern that this much material this fast could be a signal that Switchfoot is getting ready to call it quits. First off, this notion is pretty unfounded, not to mention simply silly. Folks, this isn't going to be the end for the band, don't worry.

As some of you pointed out, there is no indication that Jon Foreman, nor Switchfoot, are going to be slowing down ANYTIME soon. Over the past two years since Oh! Gravity., Jon has released four solo EP's, a compilation record, a Fiction Family side project, and even wrote a song with Switchfoot for one of the biggest movies of 2008.

So, here's my Reason #1 on why this isn't the end for Switchfoot:

Freedom of Creativity, Art, AND Commerce

All of these side projects happened, if you remember, because the band gained it's independence from Columbia Records/Sony. The freedom for creativity and when they want to release these projects is limitless. They wouldn't have gone through the long, tedious process of leaving a label if they were thinking of mailing it in anytime soon. If Switchfoot was done with music, they could've taken the easy way out, releasing a CD of throwaways, and a greatest hits record to fulfill their contract with Sony. Then they would be free to go and work regular day jobs at the local burger joint. Come on people, who really wants to work a 9-5 if they can surf all morning, record and write music all afternoon, and then go on tour playing these tunes for months?

Reason #2

Switchfoot is entering a BRAND NEW era.

...so why not do something radical? They just founded lowercase people records to release their music. They just built a brand new studio in San Diego. All these new concepts and ideas would of course lead to the conclusion that the band is done, right? Of course not. This is a new day for the band.

I think it's brilliant that they're working on releasing all these albums one after another; these songs will hopefully be arranged according a certain theme or sound, so that each release will sound different. Whatever it is, we know Switchfoot knows exactly what they're doing.


And lastly, Reason #3

Switchfoot LOVES music

Honestly, how can we even imagine these dudes never making music? I'm pretty sure they'll be writing songs even when they're older in some form or another. But all five of these guys are entering their prime (age-wise), and I'm sure their musical prowess has continued to grow since last they recorded and release a record. I don't think they would just quit on the music that has changed their lives and the lives of thousands around the world.

THAT'S why this isn't the end for Switchfoot.Take heart, and sit tight folks. These next few years are going to be incredible.

The Warner/Youtube Fiasco and Why Switchfoot’s Label Independence Looks Even More Wise Now

The following is a random page of my thoughts about the recent fall out between Warner Bros. Records and Youtube, and how it relates to Switchfoot. It was written at roughly 3 this morning, so pardon the nonsensicalities (if any). Thanks for reading! haha



Following the fallout with Youtube, one of the biggest record labels in the country has removed all of their content from the popular video site. That’s right, folks. A major label throwing a fit over ad revenue related to content. Big surprise there huh?

In 2006, Warner Bros. Records was the first to sign on board with Youtube on a licensing deal for their music. The rest of the big four labels, Universal, EMI, and our beloved Sony, soon joined the hunt, and became partners with the site, receiving revenue dollars for ads, clicks, and views. (Not exactly sure how it works).

But now that Warner Bros. has pulled or is in the process of pulling ALL of their artist’s highly-viewed music videos from the site. Even Jason Mraz’s video for “I’m Yours,” which has over 43 million views, is gone. You can’t go watch “Teenagers” thrashing around with My Chemical Romance any more either, and Madonna’s pretty much going to be found dancing elsewhere. The reason is that the label “reported $639 million in digital revenue for the fiscal year that ended in September. Less than 1 percent of that was generated by YouTube’s ads and fees, said an executive close to Warner Music who requested anonymity because the company doesn’t disclose details about individual agreements.” New York Times December 21, 2008

This goes in huge contrast to the fact that Universal and other labels are reporting annual revenues in excess of “tens of millions” of dollars. Strange...

--------------------------

Now why did I put you through all that business stuff? I just thought I’d paint the bigger picture of how incredibly money driven the music industry is today! The Major Labels, once huge money-making machines, are struggling to stay afloat, and are having a hard time adapting to the newer business models... The Major Labels are sinking, crashing, burning, you name it. While some are experiencing success with Youtube, others are looking elsewhere, even threatening to start their own music video services in the same vein as the rising-in-popularity hulu.com, which has full TV episodes and is driven by a robust ad-revenue engine.

All of this comes to my point: Thank GOD Switchfoot has left that whole scene. The continuing mayhem that the music industry is going through makes the band’s decision to leave Columbia/SonyBMG last year look even wiser than ever. Why sit through this disastrous time when you could be free-- free of the profit-seeking shareholders who control the majors, free of the Youtube wars, free of the pressures to “succeed?” Switchfoot (and, in that case, Jon Foreman and Fiction Family) are free to make the kind of music they love, however they want, and with all the freedom of the world. No deadlines, no hired songwriters, nothing. Just the band and the music. And now that Sony has released their final Switchfoot record (at least for a long time) with “The Best Yet,” and the “This Is Home” period with Disney is likely over, the band has found themselves COMPLETELY indie.

What does this mean from a fan standpoint, as far as the online experience with the band? It means that from here on out, whatever NEW music videos or songs they upload will not be in any danger. There’s no major labels to go under. I’m sure lowercase people and ATO Records (the imprint label, and the distribution label respectively) aren’t going to have giant death matches with Youtube over advertising revenue. It’s an awesome thought to think that as the music industry, at least from the major labels’ perspectives, continues to implode upon itself, our band will be one of the groups that will weather the storm without much devastation.

Who needs a major label deal, when you’ve already got your fan base? Sure the days when “Dare You to Move” permeated the airwaves were nice, and it’s important not to forget why Switchfoot can face the future without too much worry. But it’s also great to know that they don’t need that kind of widespread success to continue making great records and impacting people’s lives. There won’t be huge radio campaigns for the upcoming records; the music is going to have to spread the old-school way: word-of-mouth, with us, the Fams, being the ones who spread the music of Switchfoot accross the globe... or at least amongst our friends.

The end.

Dare You to Move: It's only the beginning...

Note: This is an essay that displays my personal beliefs. it is not intended for anything else than just an analysis on how the song has touched me... peace.

“I dare you to move, dare you to move! I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor…”

And with those timeless words, Jon Foreman penned one of the most impactful songs of recent memory. For me, it’s just that, and so much more.

I first heard this song back in 2003, as a wide-eyed, innocent (yes, I guess you could say I was innocent) 13-year old kid, in eighth grade. I guess you could say I was also that boy who was “fumbling his confidence.” At the time, I was quite intrigued by the song, but not overly interested. My friends played it after church on the stereo, and we were often seen jamming out to it, while people gathered around singing along. I only knew the drum beat because my amigos told me what beats to play… But it began to truly take hold for me a year later…

…When I bought “The Beautiful Letdown.” At the time, “Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move” were all over the place, and I suppose I was a bandwagoner of sorts. But when I began to play “Dare You to Move” on my little Creative Zen Touch mp3 player, my relationship with the song began to truly develop. Yes, songs can be relational with humans… the way I see it, movies and tv can touch your mind and thoughts, but music permeates the soul, whether for good or bad. Music is very powerful indeed…

So, this was 2004. Freshman year of high school for me. This was a time of growing pains and experiencing new emotions for the first time. Things were closing in, growing up was such a strange, new experience; so where do you turn when these things happen? Where can we go when things let us down? From what I’ve seen, people turn to anything from drugs and alcohol, to confidante friends and peers. For me, besides God, it was music. Looking back now, it seems lame to be broken-hearted over relationships that didn’t even exist, or one essay a week, but for me at the time, it was a big deal. “I dare you to move, I dare you to move…” howled Jon in my ears, and as I listened to the song over and over and over again, it became a part of my thoughts, a daily cry, a struggle...

Fast forward to 2005, sometime in November or so. I was standing with my friend and a few hundred other people in a sweaty, unbelievably loud club, singing along to those very words that got me through essays, projects, math problems, emotional highs, emotional lows. “I dare you to move, I dare you to move…” And even as Jon sang, I felt a stirring in my spirit, a lifting up if you will. Seeing the emotion the man put into his song, a song that he plays night in and night out, really made it real to me. That he was able to sing with the same passion, even at the end of a long, long tour, was beyond me. Without me even knowing it, that song came alive for me that night… That experience, my first time seeing Switchfoot live ever, was life-altering indeed.

Over the next two years, and as I begin to enter adulthood, this song still carries a special place in my heart. “Dare You to Move” was dominant in the soundtrack of my four years in high school. I rode in the car with this song playing, I played it and sang it with my own guitar, I cried myself to sleep listening to the song, grasping every word of this prophetic song… “I dare you to move… I dare you to move…” It’s as if God was speaking through Jon, to me personally, to lift myself up off the floor. As if He was saying, “These hardships, these broken-hearted moments, these pains of growing up are only temporary and wont last forever.” In times like this, I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says, “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” Forget yesterday! “I dare you to move like today never happened before…” forget about today and its hardships! Look to tomorrow. What a declaration of hope and faith… and yet, there’s always the fall out, the tension that we face… even in the face of hope…

“The tension is here… between who you are and who you could be… between how it is and how it should be…” Throughout life, there will be tension. It’s a fact. However, I think those temptations and tensions are only temporary and are a testing ground, to further the strength and courage of the tested. It’s almost as if when we find ourselves boxed into a corner, with the world caving in, and a feeling of helplessness washing over us, we are dared to move, to run to the Source of Salvation to escape from ourselves. We are dared to just surrender… what a beautiful paradox it is! When we are dared to do something, it usually requires a great act of pride and recklessness; but this song brings a different perspective! It’s a dare to move away from the pride, away from reckless abandon, and to embrace surrender, embrace the fact that we can’t make it alone… such a beautiful message.

This song has touched me in so many ways, and to list them all down will take forever… so… the question that begs to be asked is:

“What happens next?”

“I dare you to move…”

Love,
Job



“This song is an attempt to honestly face the gap between who I am and who I want to be; between the way the world spins and the way the world should be. I've heard that we only use a small part of our brain. Maybe our soul is the same way. And maybe we're half asleep most of our lives, simply reacting to the stimulus our brain receives. Action, true action is rare indeed.
This is an anthem of action and responsibility.” – Jon Foreman (aka, frickin’ genius)