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Switchfoot is a Grammy nominated alternative rock band from San Diego, California, United States. The current members are Jon Foreman (vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drums), Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keyboard, backing vocals), and Drew Shirley (guitar). Known for their energetic live show[1][2][3][4], the three guitarists in the line-up often operate simultaneously, building on the pop sensibilities of Jon's songwriting, and, rounded out by Jerome's work on the synthesizer, bringing his industrial roots to the sound, the band works up "the Switchfoot sound"[5] - a melodic crunch of densely layered sound featuring some electronic experimentation, and often driven by hard-charging guitar riffs, while throwing in a few softer, spacey ballads as well. Switchfoot first gained mainstream recognition after 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 and sold over 2.6 million copies as well as featuring their best-known singles, "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move".
Band historySwitchfoot was founded in 1996 as "Chin Up", consisting of Jon and his brother Tim, along with Chad on the drums. After only playing several shows, in 1997, the band was contacted by Charlie Peacock, and signed to his re:think Records, a division of Sparrow Records, under the current moniker "Switchfoot". Re: think would distribute their first three albums, The Legend of Chin, New Way to Be Human and Learning to Breathe. Of Switchfoot's first three albums Learning to Breathe was the most successful. The album was certified gold by the RIAA, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Gospel Album. In 2002 Switchfoot had a large role in the music for the movie A Walk to Remember. Singer and actress Mandy Moore, who starred in the movie, sang Switchfoot's song "Only Hope" during a scene in the movie. The movie's sound track also featured a duet with Mandy Moore and Jon Foreman, and as many as four other Switchfoot songs, besides Mandy Moore's cover of "Only Hope".[7] The Beautiful Letdown
Image:SwitchfootConcert2.JPG Jon Foreman and Chad Butler The Beautiful Letdown has been certified double-platinum, and went on to sell more than 2.6 million copies,[8] on the strength of constant touring and huge radio hits "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move" (which received a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award in 2005). A DVD of the band's live concert, Live in San Diego, went platinum as well. "This Is Your Life" was also released as a radio single, and the song "Gone" has received airplay on Christian radio stations as well, despite not being released as an actual single. In 2005, Switchfoot received five Dove Award nominations, and won four, including Artist of the year. Nothing Is SoundIn 2005 prior to the release of Nothing Is Sound Switchfoot announced that guitarist Drew Shirley had become the band's fifth member after touring with Switchfoot since 2003. Nothing Is Sound, was released on September 13, 2005, and with Drew'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 works. To promote this album Switchfoot had previously released "Stars" as a radio single, which was played on many mainstream radio stations. "We Are One Tonight" was released as a single in early 2006. Image:Chad Butler and Jon Forman.JPG Nothing is Sound Tour in Vancouver BC 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-protection[9] 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 and a rootkit. In Spring of 2006 the band introduced "a video diary of life on the road" in the form of freely downloadable video podcasts available via iTunes. In addition to featuring snippets of upcoming songs and live performances, the videos give fans an inside look at the more casual and humorous aspects of the band members' touring lives, as well as the band working on their upcoming album. Oh! Gravity.Switchfoot's most recent album Oh! Gravity. was released on December 26, 2006, earning considerable critical acclaim. It entered the Billboard chart at #18[10] and peaked at #1 on iTunes' Top Albums chart. To promote it, the band first released the song, "Dirty Second Hands," via iTunes on September 26[11]. The title song "Oh! Gravity" was also prereleased on iTunes on October 21, then as the album's first single, and then for radio on October 31[12], after premiering the music video on Yahoo! Music on November 13, 2006. Initially the single has enjoyed moderate success on the alternative and modern rock charts. The album's second single is to "Awakening," and it was officially released to music stations on March 26. Image:Switchfoot Live Charleston.JPG Oh Gravity Spring Tour 2007 Charleston S.C. Prior to the release of the album, on June 2, Switchfoot e-mailed a newsletter containing a free download of "Daylight to Break" and a statement from Tim 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,[13] setting up a webcam in their recording studio, and running a contest to give fans a chance to win an opportunity to play a cowbell part in the studio with the band.[14] InfluencesImage:Jonforeman.JPG Switchfoot playing on July 4th in St.Louis Switchfoot's frontman and guitarist Jon Foreman cites his musical influences as U2, The Police, The Beatles, James Taylor, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ronny Jordan, Miles Davis, Keith Green and Nirvana. Guitarist Drew cites U2, Miles Davis, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tommy Walker, Phil Keaggy, Michael Jackson, Dave Matthews Band and the Brand New Heavies, while bassist Tim pays tribute to Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.[15][16] Chad also cites Stevie Wonder as his main influence, besides Dave Grohl.[17] Though they draw from a varied number of influences, they sound very different from any of their heroes. “We’ve never fit in any of the genre boxes,” says Jon. “I think that diversity is our strength”.[18] Songwriters like Bono, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash have inspired Jon's soul-searching lyrics.[19] "We try to make music for thinking people," he mentions,[20] which is evident in 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",[21] while "Stars", the lead single off Nothing Is Sound, briefly "looks at things from the Descartes perspective," according to Jon.[22] Switchfoot and Christian musicSwitchfoot is often referred to as a "Christian band", mostly due to their involvement with the Christian rock scene in their early days. But the band has always shunned 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".[23] Duly, Jon's lyrics steer clear of preachiness, exclusive declarations of faith, or even any mention of Jesus Christ; instead questioning the status quo, probing existential issues through "Socratic dialogue"[24] in which he answers questions with more questions, exploring frustrations, or simply being inspirational. This approach has resulted in them often being described as a "thinking person's" band.[25][26] Jon's poetry is acclaimed by fans and critics alike for its heartfelt honesty, which is evident in his appraisal of the human condition, and in his willingness to not just embrace his faith, but to express doubt as well. As a result, the band's fan base transcends different beliefs and lifestyles. "As a musician I guess the only thing I would ask from a listener is to put the CD in, close your eyes and forget about all the peripherals," says Jon Foreman. "I guess that's a dream that may not happen in my lifetime, but I listen to music from all sorts of people and I think there is an open-minded individual who will be able to listen to music of all types."[27] Though they hold this position, they have not alienated their Christian fans. As in their indie days, they are still distributed to Christian retail outlets through Sparrow Records, thereby being featured on Christian radio and charts, and presented Dove Awards, despite currently being signed to Columbia Records, a mainstream label. "[Signing to Columbia was] a realization of something that we'd wanted to be from the beginning," Jon explains. "When we were signed to re:think Records [an indie label], the goal was to get the music out to everybody. [But] when Sparrow [a Christian label] 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."[28] Following the release of The Beautiful Letdown, the band temporarily stopped playing at Christian festivals and doing interviews with Christian based organizations, as they found the speculation about their faith to be distracting from the music. Three years later, as they garnered increasing respect as a rock band rather than a "Christian band", Switchfoot began going back on their boycott, headlining at large Christian-based music festivals, and relenting to be featured on the June 2006 cover of CCM Magazine,[29] after declining the opportunity for years.[30] Yet in many ways they used the opportunity to describe their split from the CCM industry. This has caused some, such as 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".[31] In late 2006, Switchfoot made news for covering the song "Sorrow" from Bad Religion, a band known for their lyrics critical of Christianity and organized religion. Other projectsSwitchfoot has been actively involved in a number of humanitarian causes, including DATA, the ONE Campaign, the Keep A Breast Foundation, Invisible Children and To Write Love On Her Arms.[32] In addition to supporting those causes Switchfoot has fronted the Switchfoot Bro-Am Surf Contest and the an online magazine known as lowercase people. The Annual Switchfoot Bro-Am Surf Contest is a benefit contest and concert run by the band to raise money for Care House and Casa de Amparo, organizations serving homeless kids the band's hometown of San Diego.[33] Also before recording Nothing Is Sound the band made a trip to several South African villages, which inspired the album's song "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine". Seeing things like an orphanage filled with infants who all lost their parents to AIDS, palling around with orphans in the streets, and getting involved with a children's choir called "Kuyasa Kids" moved them to start an ambitious organization called lowercase people. The organization publishes a quarterly online magazine for music, arts and social justice. They have also produced a CD by the Kuyasa Kids[1] so that the kids can be empowered by making money for their communities.[34] Trivia
Discography/Filmography
Singles
Billboard Album Chart Positions
AwardsOrville H. Gibson Guitar Awards
ASCAP Awards
GMA Dove Awards
San Diego Music Awards
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