Switchfoot

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Biography

Switchfoot is an American rock music|rock band from San Diego, California|San Diego , California. The band's members are Jon Foreman ( lead vocals , guitar ), Tim Foreman ( bass guitar , backing vocals ), Chad Butler ( drum kit|drums , percussion ), Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keyboard instrument|keyboards , backing vocals), and Drew Shirley (guitar, backing vocals).
After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream recognition with the inclusion of four of their songs in the 2002 movie A Walk to Remember . This recognition led to their major label debut, The Beautiful Letdown , which was released in 2003. It went on to sell over 2.6 million copies. They have since been noted for their energetic live shows,name=Lumino>
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and their seventh studio album Hello Hurricane received a 53rd Grammy Awards|Grammy award in 2011 for Best Rock Gospel Album .

According to Jon Foreman, the name "Switchfoot" is a surfing term. "We all love to surf and have been surfing all our lives so to us, the name made sense. To switch your feet means to take a new stance facing the opposite direction. It's about change and movement, a different way of approaching life and music."name=JFH>

History

Formation and early years (1996–2002)

Switchfoot was founded in 1996 as Chin Up, consisting of Jon Foreman and his brother Tim, along with Chad Butler on drums. After playing only a few shows, the band was contacted by music industry veteran Charlie Peacock and eventually signed to his indie label Rethink (record label)|Re:think Records under the current moniker, Switchfoot. Re:think went on to distribute the first three Switchfoot albums, The Legend of Chin , New Way to Be Human , and Learning to Breathe (Switchfoot album)|Learning to Breathe . Because Re:think was bought out by Christian giant Sparrow Records before Switchfoot's first release, however, the band's and Peacock's intentions of being marketed outside of the Contemporary Christian music scene and reaching a wider audience were put on hold. Consequently, the band was mostly marketed exclusively to Christian radio and retail outlets early in their careers, a time Jon Foreman has described as when "half of who we were was lost."

Of Switchfoot's first three albums, Learning to Breathe (Switchfoot album)|Learning to Breathe was the most successful, being certified gold by the RIAA, and receiving a Grammy nomination for Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album|Best Rock Gospel Album .

Later on in 2002, Switchfoot's music was featured prominently in the movie A Walk to Remember (film)|A Walk to Remember , starring singer and actress Mandy Moore , who sang Switchfoot's song " Only Hope " during a scene in the movie. In addition to Moore's Cover version|cover of "Only Hope",name=IMBD> Switchfoot’s songs “You”, “Learning to Breathe”, and “Dare You to Move” were showcased in the film, as well as their own original version of "Only Hope" towards the end of the film.

The Beautiful Letdown (2003–05)

Following the exposure that came from A Walk to Remember , Switchfoot attracted attention from multiple record labels and ultimately signed with the major record label, Columbia Records / SonyBMG .name=JFH2>
Their major label debut, The Beautiful Letdown , under Columbia Records / Red Distribution|Red Ink , represented the band's evolution from the predominantly Lo-fi music|lo-fi , indie rock sound of their early albums, toward a more layered, synth-influenced sound that helped launch the band to mainstream popularity. This shift sonically could be attributed to the fact that the album was the first to include keyboardist Jerome Fontamillas, formerly of Industrial music|industrial bands Mortal (band)|Mortal and Fold Zandura . Fontamillas had been touring with Switchfoot since 2000, following the release of Learning to Breathe .

The Beautiful Letdown has since been certified double platinum, selling more than 2.6 million copies, on the strength of constant touring and the huge mainstream radio hits "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move". A live DVD depicting one of the band's live concerts, Live in San Diego , went platinum as well, and a third single, " This Is Your Life (song)|This Is Your Life " was released to radio. In addition, the song " Gone (Switchfoot song)|Gone " received major airplay on Christian radio stations as well.

Following the runaway success of The Beautiful Letdown , a compilation titled The Early Years: 1997-2000 was released, which featured Switchfoot's first three indie albums released under Re:think records including the original artwork for all the albums. This collection has since been certified RIAA certification|Gold , with total sales of over 500,000 copies. - Published September 27, 2008 (Retrieved September 28, 2008).

Switchfoot also received five 2005 GMA Dove Award|Dove Award nominations, Dove Awards of 2005|and won four , including Artist of the year.name=CMSpin>

Nothing Is Sound (2005–06)

In 2005 prior to the release of Nothing Is Sound Switchfoot announced that guitarist Drew Shirley (previously the guitarist for All Together Separate ) had become the band's fifth member after touring with the band since 2003.name=Legacy>
Nothing Is Sound , was released on September 13, 2005, and with Shirley's inclusion saw Switchfoot's sound become even more densely layered and guitar-heavy, resulting in an album that was edgier and darker than any of their previous work.name=IVM>
" Stars (Switchfoot song)|Stars " was released as the first radio single to promote the album, and was a solid hit on mainstream and alternative rock radio stations. It was also used in ads for HBO. " We Are One Tonight " was released as the second single in early 2006, and was also featured in ads for the 2006 Winter Olympics.

The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, an all-time high for the band, while bassist Tim Foreman attracted headlines by speaking out against the copy-protectionname="Acts of Volition">
used by the label and providing fans a detailed workaround on the band's message board, which was quickly deleted by Sony. This copy-protection is known as Extended Copy Protection , which has been identified by leading anti-virus companies as a trojan horse (computing)|trojan horse and a rootkit .

During the Spring 2006 leg of the Nothing Is Sound Tour , the band introduced "a video diary of life on the road" in the form of free video podcast s available via iTunesname=iTunes>
and streaming online on Youtube .com.name=YouTube>
In addition to featuring snippets of upcoming songs and live performances, the videos gave fans an inside look at the more casual and humorous aspects of the band members' touring lives, as well as featuring footage of the band working on their follow-up to Nothing Is Sound .

Oh& #33; Gravity. (2006–07)

Switchfoot's next album, Oh& #33; Gravity. , was released on December 26, 2006 to considerable critical acclaim. It entered the Billboard chart at #18name=Billboard>
and peaked at #1 on iTunes' Top Albums chart.

Before the release of the album, Switchfoot e-mailed a newsletter on June 2 which contained a free download of the song "Daylight to Break", a statement from Foreman implying that the band wanted to have a new album out by the end of the year, as well as a thanks to their fans for helping keep the band together for ten years. The band tried to involve their fans in the creation of the album,name=reuters>
setting up a webcam in their recording studio and running a contest for a chance to play the cowbell (instrument)|cowbell in the studio with the band.name=bandfarm>

To promote the album, the band first released the song, " Dirty Second Hands ", as a "preview" single via iTunes on September 26.name=MTV06>
The title track " Oh& #33; Gravity. (song)|Oh& #33; Gravity " was also released to iTunes on October 21 and was sent to radio on October 31 as the lead single for the album,name=fmqb>
seeing limited success at alternative and modern rock radio. The album's second single, " Awakening (song)|Awakening ", was released in early 2007. Although it saw virtually no play on mainstream radio, the accompanying band-funded music video song received over one million hits on YouTube in less than three months. Along with preorders of Oh& #33; Gravity came a 3 song EP called Oh& #33; Switchfoot. The short cd included songs: “The Sound in My Mouth”, “C’mon C’mon”, and “Oh& #33; Gravity (Acoustic)”.

Major label independence, The Best Yet (2007–08)

Later, on August 10, 2007, Jon Foreman revealed that the band had severed ties with Columbia Records in order to release music as an Independent music|Indie band . "Neither party has any hard feelings," he said of the split a few months later. "I think for us, the reason why we signed with Columbia was because of the people that were there. So it's very understandable when all those people are gone, you don't hold any real bad feelings or good feelings towards a company name. I think that's part of the problem with the corporate entity as a whole is that there's no true responsibility."name="Mammoth Press">
Later in October, the band announced that they had created a new record label called lowercase people records , in order to better make a direct connection with their fans.

Subsequently, Foreman began working on his Jon Foreman#Solo discography/Singles|own set of solo EP's (one named after each season of the year); the first of these was released on November 27, 2007, the last on June 10, 2008. Each of Jon’s EP’s contained six songs. At the end of this, he released a sort of “best of” album called Limbs and Branches. Foreman wrote two additional songs for this called “Over the River” and “Broken from the Start.” Once all four EP’s were released, they were released again on vinyl in limited quantity. Foreman also began a side project with Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek originally called "The Real SeanJon" but later renamed " Fiction Family ".

With their new status as an independent band, Switchfoot embarked on their 2007 fall tour, playing shows with Relient K and Ruth (band)|Ruth . The tour, dubbed the " Appetite for Construction Tour ", was designed to benefit Habitat for Humanity International|Habitat For Humanity , with the bands donating one dollar per ticket sold to the cause. In addition, Foreman wrote the song " Rebuild " with Matt Thiessen from Relient K, and released it as a way to raise additional money for Habitat. By the end of the tour, the bands had raised over $100,000 for Habitat for Humanity.name=ccm09>
With no new album to promote, the band continued touring for philanthropic causes, booking a short national tour in March through May titled the Up In Arms Tour ), partnering with and benefitting the organization To Write Love on Her Arms .

In March 2008, the band wrote and recorded a new song called " This Is Home " for the film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian .
The song was included on the film's The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (soundtrack)|official soundtrack and an accompanying music video was also filmed, with footage from the film.

Later that year, Columbia Records / Sony Music Entertainment|Sony Music released a Switchfoot greatest hits compilation album titled The Best Yet , a sort of "final farewell from Sony".name="Best Yet">

Hello Hurricane and Eastern Hymns for Western Shores (2008–2010)

Prior to the label split, Foreman had announced in a March 17, 2007 MySpace blog that Switchfoot had begun pre-production for a new album, saying that "the new SF record is underway." Later, on October 12, 2007, Foreman also announced that the band had begun construction of their own studio in their hometown of San Diego. It was completed in the spring of 2008, and the band began recording their follow-up to 2006's Oh& #33; Gravity. name=wereawakening>

In April, the band announced that instead of one studio album, they had actually been at work on 4 albums-worth of material, and had decided at the time to release them one after another, starting with the first one on November 10, 2009, titled Hello Hurricane .name=twitter1>
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Upon completion of Hello Hurricane , the band began searching for "the right partners" to distribute the songs globally. On August 7, 2009, the band announced that lowercase people records was licensing the album to Atlantic Records , ensuring "these tunes are heard around the world." To help promote this new release, the band took a hands-on approach with their lead single, " Mess of Me ", by hiding copies of the single all across the world and encouraging fans to share it around by finding the discs and making copies of their own to hide. - Published September 2, 2009 (retrieved August 29, 2010) Through this, the single spread all across the world in grassroots fashion in advance of a traditional radio release,name=twitter4>
which saw the track hitting the Top 15 of Modern Rock radio. This was followed by the release of " The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues) ", which went on to become the band's first Top 10 Modern Rock hit since "Dare You to Move".name=twitter4>

On December 1, 2010 it was announced that Hello Hurricane had been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album. It won the Grammy on February 13, 2011.

Late in 2010, Switchfoot announced, via newsletter, that they would be releasing an EP of songs that they wrote and recorded between Nothing is Sound and Oh& #33; Gravity. It was called " Eastern Hymns for Western Shores ". For a time the location of the masters of these tracks were unknown. Once found, Switchfoot announced that the EP would be available as part of their holiday fan pack which also included a Switchfoot calendar, poster, sweatshirt jacket, and limited edition post cards, one for each of the songs on the EP. In their newsletter the band described these songs as showing their “darker” side. The EP included five never before heard songs along with a different cut of the Oh& #33; Gravity song “Dirty Second Hands".

Vice Verses (2011-present)

Switchfoot's most recent record Vice Verses was released on September 27 and debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200. According to Butler, the core of the record rests thematically in the idea of the polarity of life. - Published April 5, 2011 (retrieved April 10, 2011) A release date of September 27, 2011 was announced on AllAccess, with " Dark Horses " hitting modern rock radio on July 20. - Published June 7, 2011 (retrieved June 7, 2011)

In an interview with CBN.com, Bassist Tim Foreman calls Vice Verses a cousin to Hello Hurricane , not a sequel to their last album, but related in some ways. Saying it features some of his brother, lead singer Jon Foreman's best lyrical work, Tim is glad of the musical component of the project as well. "From the very beginning, we set goals, one of them being to make a very rhythmic record, a very soulful record, and a very hard-hitting record that really pushes the boundaries, the highs and the lows," he told CBN.com. , CBN.com .

Switchfoot performed a song for the Hawaii Five-0 soundtrack, released October 4, 2011, titled "Out of Control".

Switchfoot have recently confirmed that they will be performing at Soundwave_(Australian_music_festival)|Soundwave Festival in Australia, in February/March 2012.

Style and influences

Since Switchfoot's first release in 1997, the band's sound has evolved significantly. The style of the early albums with independent label Re:think Records consisted primarily of guitar-driven alternative rock, characteristic of a three-man lineup, though they also incorporated string arrangements with slower songs.name="IVMNW2BH">

Switchfoot's frontman and guitarist Jon Foreman cites his musical influences as U2 , The Beatles , and Keith Green ,name=TJG>
and has said that he admires the vocal "strength and vulnerability" of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash . Guitarist Drew Shirley cites U2, Miles Davis , Stevie Ray Vaughan , Tommy Walker , Phil Keaggy , Michael Jackson , Dave Matthews Band , and the Brand New Heavies , while bassist Tim Foreman pays tribute to Stevie Wonder .name="Union-Tribune07">
Chad Butler also cites Dave Grohl as an influence for The Beautiful Letdown .name=unrated2>
"We've never fit in any of the genre boxes," says Jon Foreman. "I think that diversity is our strength".name=VH1>

With regard to their lyrics, Foreman notes "we try to make music for thinking people",name=cornerstone>
which can be characterized by his allusions to the works of philosophers like Søren Kierkegaard and Augustine of Hippo in the songs "Sooner or Later (Soren's Song)" and "Something More (Augustine's Confession)" respectively. " Meant to Live ", the band's runaway hit, was inspired by T. S. Eliot 's poem " The Hollow Men ",name="TBH Song Stories">
while " Stars (Switchfoot song)|Stars ", the lead single off Nothing Is Sound , briefly "looks at things from the René Descartes|Descartes perspective," according to Foreman.name="NIS Song Stories">

Switchfoot and Christian music

Switchfoot is often referred to as a Christian rock band, mostly due to their continued involvement with the Christian rock scene. The band has always philosophically disagreed with this label: "For us, it's a faith, not a genre," says Jon Foreman. "We've always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from. For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us 'Christian rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them, and that's not what we're trying to do. Music has always opened my mind—and that's what we want".name="Boston Globe">

In addition to the general market, they also distribute their music to Christian markets, and play at larger Christian festivals.
Though they hold this position, they have not alienated their Christian fans. As in their Indie (music)|indie days, they are still distributed to Christian retail outlets through Sparrow Records / EMI CMG , featured on Christian radio and charts, as well as being presented with GMA Music Awards|Dove Awards , even after having been signed to the mainstream Columbia Records from 2003–2007 and currently, Atlantic Records . " a realization of something that we'd wanted to be from the beginning," Foreman explains. "When we were signed to re:think Records , the goal was to get the music out to everybody. when Sparrow bought re:think Records, it was evident that our music wasn't going to be in the hands of everybody. As a Christian, I have a lot to say within the walls of the church. But also, as a Christian, I've got a lot to say just about life in general ... So to be able to be on Columbia and on Sparrow felt like the realization of the two sides of what we had to say. It's a dream come true to be able to have songs that are outside of the box."name=christianitytoday06>

Following the release of The Beautiful Letdown , the band temporarily stopped playing at Christian festivals and doing interviews with Christian organizations, as they found the speculation about their faith to be distracting from the music. Three years later, Switchfoot began going back on this policy, headlining at large Christian-based music festivals, and agreeing to be featured on the June 2006 cover of CCM Magazine after declining the opportunity for years.Swartzendruber, Jay (2006, June 1). Switchfoot: Learning to Breathe (cover story reprinted from CCM Magazine ). Crosswalk . Retrieved 2011-02-19, from Yet in many ways they used the opportunity to describe their split from the CCM industry. This has caused some, such as Spin (magazine)|Spin writer Andrew Beaujon, to take the view that "their lyrics often have two different meanings, one meaning for a Christian audience and one meaning for the rest of us. They try to relate to two different groups of people at once".name=jsonline>

Other projects

Switchfoot has been involved in a number of humanitarian causes, including DATA , the ONE Campaign , the Keep A Breast Foundation, Habitat for Humanity , Invisible Children , and To Write Love on Her Arms .

In addition to supporting those causes, they founded the Switchfoot Bro-Am Surf Contest, an annual benefit contest and concert to raise money for various organizations serving homeless kids in the band's hometown of San Diego.name=MTV05>
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Also, before recording Nothing Is Sound , the band made a trip to several South African villages in January 2005, which inspired the album's song "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine". Seeing an orphanage filled with infants who all lost their parents to AIDS, befriending orphans in the streets, and getting involved with a children's choir called the "Kuyasa Kids" moved them to start an organization called lowercase people . The organization originally published a quarterly online magazine for music, arts and social justice. They have also produced a CD by the Kuyasa Kidsname=kuyasa>
to help raise money for the children's communities.

In 2008, Switchfoot also got involved in the musical movement to spread awareness about 21st century slavery and human trafficking , performing "Awakening" for the documentary film Call + Response .

Jon Foreman has also released several solo projects, and is also involved in an acoustic music|acoustic collaboration called Fiction Family with Sean Watkins of the band Nickel Creek .

On Saturday, July 31, 2010, Switchfoot performed live at the 2010 Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree final arena show: "A Shining Light Across America" in Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. Jon and Tim Foreman were both Boy Scouts in their youth, and were honored by the opportunity to perform at the Scouts' 100th Year Anniversary event.

Discography

1997: The Legend of Chin

1999: New Way to Be Human

2000: Learning to Breathe (Switchfoot album)|Learning to Breathe

2003: The Beautiful Letdown

2005: Nothing Is Sound

2006: Oh& #33; Gravity.

2009: Hello Hurricane

2011: Vice Verses

Awards

;Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards

2001: Les Paul Horizon Award for the most promising up-and-coming guitarist& nbsp;— Jon Foreman

; American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|ASCAP Awards

1997: Best New Artist

2006: Impact Award awarded "to celebrate the success and influence of his songs in mainstream rock music"
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— Jon Foreman

2006: Top 50 list of Most Performed Song of 2005& nbsp;— "Dare You to Move"

; GMA Dove Awards

2004: Rock Recorded Song of the Year& nbsp;— "Ammunition"

2004: Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year& nbsp;— The Beautiful Letdown

2004: Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year& nbsp;— "Meant to Live"

2005: Artist of the Year

2005: Short Form Music Video of the Year& nbsp;— "Dare You to Move"

2005: Long Form Music Video of the Year& nbsp;— Live In San Diego

2005: Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year& nbsp;— "Dare You to Move"

2006: Short Form Music Video of the Year& nbsp;— "Stars"

2010: Rock Recorded Song of the Year& nbsp;– "Mess of Me"

; 53rd Grammy Awards|Grammy Awards

2011: Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album& nbsp;- Hello Hurricane

; San Diego Music Awards

1997: Best New Artist

2001: Best Pop Artist

2001: Best Pop Album& nbsp;— Learning to Breathe

2002: Best Adult Alternative Artist

2003: Best Pop Album& nbsp;— The Beautiful Letdown

2003: Album of the Year& nbsp;— The Beautiful Letdown

2004: Song of the Year& nbsp;— "Dare You to Move"

2006: Artist of the Year

2007: Album of the Year& nbsp;— Oh& #33; Gravity

2010: Album of the Year – Hello Hurricane

2011: Artist of the Year

; Rock on Request Awards

2009: Best Christian Artist

Copyright Citations

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