Mid-day UPDATES: "Your Love Is a Song" charts in iTunes top 100; Exclusive Switchfoot song?

For the main update for today, and a recap of Switchfoot's huge opening day yesterday, you can go here.

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Great news this morning, thanks to Jeanna from LOBH for pointing these out.

"Hello Hurricane," according to apple.com's iTunes chart, is listed twice in the Top 10.



^That's amazing and looks pretty comical!

Also,

"Your Love Is a Song," a potential SMASH single (in my opinion), is getting some early returns, being the 95th ranked song overall in the entire iTunes music store.



^If you have any extra cash, please contribute...? If we can get a Billboard charting for that song also, what a great message that sends to Atlantic!

Other charts:

On Amazon.com it's currently:
#32 in Music
#1 in Music > Christian
#17 in Music > Rock
#30 in Music > Pop

As for the songs... iTunes Top Alternative Songs:
#13 - Your Love is a Song
#32 - Enough to Let Me Go
#98 - Hello Hurricane

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In other news, Switchfoot once again have a surprise of their sleeves. Check out this tweet from them... I thought it was rather cryptic at first:

- recording 1 song exclusively 4 #Verizon..best part is you guys get to choose the song. follow @vcastmusic for details

Vcast then kinda sorta cleared it up, but I'm hoping to get more details.

- @Switchfoot will be recording 1 song exclusively for Verizon & they want YOU to choose the song! We'll post song choices noon PST 4 voting!

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Here's a list of food banks Switchfoot will be supporting throughout the Hello Hurricane tour.

BIG Opening Day for "Hello Hurricane"; More to Come!

Yes friends. First off, for the most tangible news, Switchfoot's "Hello Hurricane" started off at No. 4 overall on iTunes, and No. 1 (Deluxe Edition) and No. 4 (Regular) on the Alternative Albums chart. Notable is the fact that it is behind some small names such as 50 Cent and Bon Jovi.

Also notable, is that Switchfoot is ahead of other notables, Dashboard Confessional and Flyleaf. Very very good opening day for the boys from San Diego.

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Also, in other opening day news, #HelloHurricane was a trending topic on Twitter for 4 1/2 hours yesterday, beginning at approximately 2 pm PST and ending at approximately 6:30 pm PST. It reached as high as No. 6 on the trending topics! Here is proof:



Our Twitter burst worked, big time friends!

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Switchfoot was featured on AOL's Noisecreep.

Here is a Feature

And here is a clip of the making of "Hello Hurricane" video

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MSN Music also featured Switchfoot on their Listening Booth, an excerpt of which can be read below:

Like Flyleaf, Switchfoot has enjoyed terrific success in the contemporary Christian market. But please don't pigeonhole the San Diego five-piece. New tunes like "Needle and Haystack Life" and "The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues)" are polished, radio-friendly alt-rock comparable to U2 and Jane's Addiction, respectively. Those are just two highlights from "Hello Hurricane," their seventh full-length. Even if this collection of new tunes, produced by Dr. Dre and Eminem affiliate Mike Elizondo, isn't your cup of tea, you still have to admire Switchfoot's good intentions: Throughout their current North American tour, which concludes Dec. 9 in Boston, the band is conducting a canned food drive.

^You can also listen to the album, if for some strange reason you don't already have it. :P Just kidding.

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Relevant Magazine did an extended feature on Switchfoot, their cover story for their latest issue, on their latest podcast. Download it here.

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AbsolutePunk.net did a harsh, yet complementary review of "Hello Hurricane." It may anger some, so you can read it here if you'd like.

BUT, they do have their entire site skinned out to "Hello Hurricane." Very nice.

#hellohurricane is trending on Twitter!

^YES!

But we need to keep this up. So here's the game plan:
We want you to keep Twittering #HelloHurricane! BUT do not twitter it more than 3 times per post. If you Twitter #HelloHurricane say 8 times, it's not going to count toward the trending topic count.

Also, let's imagine for a second that you're not a Switchfoot fan (*gasp*)... say you get on Twitter and you see the Trending Topic #HelloHurricane. It strikes your curiosity to you click it.... and you see a page of people going "#HelloHurricane" over and over. Chances are you aren't going to search around to find out any more. So here's the deal... our posts about this NEED to include a link or a Switchfoot mention. We want people to get curious about the album and give it a listen. So post a link to the guys' website, myspace or facebook. Post a link to the Mess of Me music video. Link the iTunes listing. Just let people know Hello Hurricane is an album they need to check out!

If you can, also try to include @switchfoot in your tweets.. hopefully people will then go and check out Switchfoot's twitter and follow! It'd be awesome if they could get 50k followers out of this wouldn't it?

The goal:
Get #HelloHurricane to be the #1 trending topic of the day.

We can do it guys! ARE YOU READY TO GO!?

- Jeanna from LOBH
- Job

"Hello Hurricane" Releases!

"Hello hurricane, goodnight moon." - Jon Foreman

After nearly three years, Switchfoot has unleashed their latest collection of tunes upon the world. A musical journey through the valleys and the peaks, a labor of love, a career-defining record, "Hello Hurricane" is bound to be just as special to the fans as it is for the band. Hello, hurricane, nice to meet you!

And as if nature itself is rising up to the challenge, Hurricane Ida is set to unleash itself upon the Atlantic coast of America. Amazing.

If you haven't gotten your copy yet, be sure to pick it up today at your local retailer, or online. It's already No. 5 on iTunes!



iTunes (Deluxe)
iTunes (Regular)
Amazon (Deluxe mp3)

"Hello Hurricane."



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To commemorate and celebrate the release of this monumental album, I was thinking that we should make a concerted effort to make #hellohurricane trending all of tomorrow. I think it's also very appropriate, because people will probably be thinking it's referring to Hurricane Ida. So, here's what we're going to do, and we need as much boardie participation as possible.

1. Tweet #hellohurricane non stop throughout the day. Make sure you limit it to only three hashtags, or it will not count.

2. At or around this time:
9pm London/5pm New York/2pm Los Angeles/8am Sydney, we are ALL going to tweet like crazy at the same time, and make a huge burst of tweets. Our friend and fellow boardie Deborah said it worked last with Tegan and Sara's new Album Sainthood, and it was a trending topic all day long and even made it to #2 trending topic

3. Have fun and get creative. I'm sure you're all more creative than I am.

4. Also, be sure to work in links to iTunes or switchfoot.com in order to direct casual twitter users to Switchfoot.


So can we do this? Can we?? We need as many of you helping as possible! Any other ideas/suggestions to help out?

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JesusFreakHideout reviewed "Hello Hurricane" and gave it 4 1/2 stars.

Switchfoot continues to make solid albums that have a distinctive "Switchfoot sound," but they still progress in an ever-so-subtle way. For this project, they return to high energy rock and roll roots that sound great without being over-produced. The lead single "Mess of Me" is raw and alive with frantic energy, with a crunchy guitar riff that recalls The White Stripes before dropping into a wailing blues bridge. "The Sound" is a fist-pumping rock anthem with a bass-heavy, Led Zeppelin feel. "Free" mixes in a layer of strings for dramatic effect, and "Bullet Soul" is a catchy rock tune that is the pure Switchfoot fun we've come to know and love.

Read the rest of the review here.

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Sign On San Diego did an excellent story about Switchfoot. San Diego is giving Switchfoot a TON of love, by the way. More on that later. But check this out:

Few multimillion-selling rock bands can match Switchfoot when it comes to having no public image to speak of and maintaining a low profile. But that is exactly the way this veteran North County band — whose seventh album, “Hello Hurricane,” will be released Tuesday — likes it.

“To be honest, a big reason for that is San Diego and how accepting people here were of any form of musical expression, which — when you’re in high school — is really rare,” said Jon Foreman, 33, the band’s lead singer, guitarist and principal songwriter.

“When we were at San Dieguito High School, we’d play gigs with jam bands and punk bands, and it was all accepted. I feel like that’s been carried on in Switchfoot and it gives you a confidence that you don’t have to be something you’re not. We’ve often talked about how so many bands are so connected with an image, like ska or whatever current musical fad is passing through, and when that fad goes away, then the band goes away, too.”

Switchfoot, which early on was inspired by such seminal San Diego bands as Rocket From the Crypt and Three Mile Pilot, kicks off a monthlong national tour tonight at El Cajon’s 1,142-seat East County Performing Arts Center. The five-man band is now in its 13th year, which is almost an eternity by modern rock standards.

With the release of “Hello Hurricane,” its first album for Atlantic Records after three for Columbia (and several previous indie label releases), Switchfoot has taken a bold step forward, sonically and lyrically, a partial reinvention.

A dozen songs strong and inspired in part by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the album rocks with a newfound ferocity on songs that at times match the anthem-like qualities of U2 in its prime. The heavier moments are offset by several finely textured ballads, which are infused with a melancholic sense of longing for meaning in these troubled times.

Read the whole article here.

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In other San-Diego-loves-Switchfoot-news, 91x paid them a visit to their studio before they broadcast their Ustream performance of "Mess of Me" and "The Sound." Also, 94.9 KBZT in San Diego played "Hello Hurricane" in its entirety at around 8 p.m.

Jon Foreman tweet: - Thanks to 91 x for dropping by the studio and 94.9 for playing our whole record right now!

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The Badger Herald, a university paper, did a review of "Hello Hurricane" that gave the album 3 of 5 stars. Eh, here's an excerpt:

The flip-flop of emotions keeps Hello Hurricane interesting, but it can only do so much. While some songs stand out and have great musical moments, others take a turn for the worse — unmemorable and unimaginative. For such powerful imagery, Switchfoot fails to shake things up on Hello Hurricane, and ends up delivering a mild storm instead of the massive hurricane they were hoping for.

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For those of us who didn't see the first "Hello Hurricane" tour show, here's a nice, full video of Switchfoot playing "Hello Hurricane," complete with Drew Shirley opening up with the ooo's. EPIC.

Watch here.

Here are some more videos from that show:

Hello Hurricane (again)



Mess of Me



Only Hope



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As you all know, Switchfoot played a Ustream performance yesterday. It was very brief, so I wasn't able to catch it on time, but check out what happened on Twitter:



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There's a "Hello Hurricane" ad on the sidebar of Absolutepunk.net. That site usually is brutal towards Switchfoot. Looks like this record is turning heads!

Switchfoot on Myspace Music Feed; Jon Foreman on Project Rhythm Seed; "Yet" on Vampire Diaries

BE SURE YOU ARE ALWAYS CALLING YOUR LOCAL ROCK RADIO STATIONS TO REQUEST "MESS OF ME!" If your city or town doesn't have a station that's playing "Mess of Me," refer to this list, and call a nearby city and help out!

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Also, don't forget, there will be another Ustream performance today, 6:15pm Pacific/9:15pm Eastern. Be sure to be there!

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Switchfoot's interview on Myspace Music Feed is here! Check it out:


The MySpace Music Feed: Carrie Underwood and Switchfoot

The MySpace Music Feed | MySpace Video

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Also, Project Rhythm Seed has posted their full interview video with Jon Foreman. Dig it.



And, here's the acoustic performance of "Mess of Me" by Jon Foreman. I chuckled at the bridge part, but he got better as the bridge went on.



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Here's a link to a video of the episode of Vampire Diaries which featured Switchfoot's song, "Yet." Watch It. What are your thoughts? I felt like it was an awkwardly placed song, granted I don't really know the context of the scene. Any Vampire Diaries fans out there who want to set me straight?

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The official "Mess of Me" video is now available for purchase on the iTunes Music Store. Go buy it now!

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Last night's show was the first of the "Hello Hurricane" tour! Here are a couple short videos from the show:

Your Love Is a Song



Enough to Let Me Go



Now, for a full recap from Spin Magazine:


Here is the new Spin Magazine article in full:

So much for taking the easy road.

Recently, the five members of Switchfoot decided to start every night of their new U.S. tour by playing their Nov. 10 release, Hello Hurricane, in its entirety. But backstage before Sunday night's sold-out tour opener at San Diego's East County Performing Arts Center, the decision was becoming an anxiety-producing reality.

"This is the most challenging thing we've ever done," admitted frontman Jon Foreman. "I mean, we're starting our shows with nearly 50 minutes of music people haven't heard yet."

From the moment the lights went out and Foreman ran into the packed theatre using a bullhorn to sing the first lines of "Needle and Haystack Life," the hometown crowd clearly didn't mind.

The band ripped through every song on their new record, in order, stockpiling a few firsts along the way. On the new album's title track, guitarist Drew Shirley started the song on vocals, the first time he'd ever been mic'd during a live performance. And multi-instrumentalist Jerome Fontamillas busted out the quintet's first accordion solo ever during their rendition of "Yet."

Not to be outdone, Foreman and younger brother Tim occasionally traded their guitar and bass, respectively, for turns on the xylophone, timpani, harmonica, and mandolin.

"This is the first time I've been nervous in a long while," Foreman confessed to the audience between songs. But the capacity crowd sang along, clapped in time, and cheered just as strongly to album unknowns as they did to the recently released singles "Mess of Me" and "The Sound."

The frenzied fans were rewarded for their enthusiasm in the second set, which included at least one selection from each of the band's seven studio albums.

Fan favorites like "Only Hope" and "Meant To Live" allowed the devoted crowd to really show their love of the music by singing along without any guidance or prompting. At one point, Foreman even turned the mic and let the sea of fans take the lead.

The show ended with Foreman jumping to the floor of the venue and sharing vocals with the audience on "This Is Your Life." As a spotlight followed him around the room, fans of all ages circled the singer, hung on, chipped in a line or two, and became part of the show.

"You can really feel the love," Foreman grinned. "You can cut it with a butter knife."

Set 1: (Hello Hurricane)
"Needle And Haystack Life"
"Mess Of Me"
"Your Love Is A Song"
"The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues)"
"Enough To Let Me Go"
"Free"
"Hello Hurricane"
"Always"
"Bullet Soul"
"Yet"
"Sing It Out"
"Red Eyes"

Set 2:
"I Dare You To Move"
"Chem 6A"
"Only Hope"
"Learning To Breathe"
"Stars"
"Oh! Gravity"
"Meant To Live"
"This Is Your Life"


To see more photos and view the source article, go here

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Also, in random (or not so random...?) news, Hurricane Ida is set to pound the Atlantic coast of America this week... actually, it's being predicted to land on Tuesday! Coincidentally, an Atlantic Records cd called "Hello Hurricane" is coming out on that day as well... Coincidence much? or...?

Google News

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Be sure to check out Bleah's latest FootColumn! Thanks Bleah!

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VOTING

Don't forget to take the time to vote! Remember, remember to request "Mess of Me" on your local rock stations. It's slowing down a bit, but we can help the single to keep going!

- 98.7 (Los Angeles) Badass 8 We were No. 7 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!

- 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. Keep going.

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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!

FootColumn: My Favorite Song to Date...

I (along with alot of you) have had the privilege to hear three of Switchfoot's new songs off of their new album Hello Hurricane before the CD was released. The first was Mess Of Me, and like I'm sure most of you did, I smiled from ear to ear the entire time. Then I heard The Sound, followed by my most recent listen of Always.

But out of all three of these master pieces I would have to say that The Sound is my absolute favorite. Please don't get me wrong, I relished every moment of each song, and I still love every one. But there was just something about The Sound. Mess Of Me, in my opinion, was great, undeniably fantastic, and unpredictable, but still Switchfoot in every way. Maybe even catchy, it was great, really, really great. I wouldn't have chosen another song to be my first off this alubm. And then there was Always it was honestly like reliving the glory days, I got that same rush as when I first heard Only Hope, 24, and On Fire. But there was just that extra spark in The Sound, you know that one that makes your heart stop. The one that makes you keep it on repeat for the entire day, the entire week? Maybe you don't know that sense of obsession as I do, but I can tell you that song brought it on full throttle. It was just this rush of awe and amazement. Call me crazy, but I just love that song. So for all of you who didn't like it, that's your call. And I won't hold it against you. And please don't think that I didn't like the others because trust me, I loved them. But for some reason The Sound, grabbed my heart and threw it into a tizzy, and it still hasn't let go.

If you haven't heard it, please listen. And if you agree, disagree, or have a comment/ question, about this post. Please leave a comment, trust me I don't hate them. :)

-Bleah Briann

The "Hurricane" is arriving; Collector's Deluxe review; Roadtrip Nation Feature

Check out the new Roadtrip Nation video, which features Switchfoothere. A few teenagers/college-aged kids interview Jon Foreman and Chad Butler about their music, and life as college students when the band was just starting out. It's definitely insightful, for those of us who are that age especially.

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Andy Barron posted this message on the official message boards to give us an idea of what to look for in the "Hello Hurricane" packaging.

i think i can help here.

cd - jewelcase, 8 panel fold out booklet
cd/dvd - digipak, 16 (i think) page booklet
vinyl - 1 140g vinyl, cd in plastic sleeve
collectors - diecut slipcover, cd dvd bsides in envelopes in book, 84 pages

i seriously can't wait for you guys to see all this stuff. i think it turned out pretty great.

andy.

^sweet.

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WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!!!!! For those of you who haven't seen it yet and don't want me to spoil it for you, don't read any further. :)

As many of you have already found, "Hello Hurricane" is arriving on doorsteps, mailboxes, and p.o. boxes everywhere across America. I just got mine yesterday, and was blown away by the beauty of the Collector's Deluxe Edition package that had just emerged from the bubble wrap. I thought I'd post my thoughts about it here, as a mini-review featurish thing. :]


Review of the Collector's Deluxe Edtion

You've read our review of "Hello Hurricane." Here's my brief little overview/review (I don't think you can even call it that) of the Collector's Deluxe Edition. It's a beautiful piece of art, for sure. If you don't have it, you should seriously consider it.

"Building A Hurricane: Alternate Versions, Out-Takes, And Demos"

If you're a recording aficionado or are just hyper-intrigued by the recording process, you'll have a field day with this cd. It's filled with writing sessions, alternate cuts of the "Hello Hurricane" songs, and random interludes. I think you'll be intrigued by the sheer difference between the older version of "Needle" and the studio cut. It used to have a mid-tempo, arpeggiated rhythm, a far cry from the frenzied speed of the final studio cut.

Also interesting is to listen to the progression of "Mess of Me." It used to be funk-inspired, soul-inspired number. No, it did not use to be the hard-charging we know and love today. In one version, "aint no drug" used to be the chorus! There's also a very primitive recording of "Red Eyes" from way back in 2005.

Overall, you'll love this. Not as good as the final record (of course), but it's an intriguing-yet-brief look into just how eclectic these recording sessions were.

"Making of Hello Hurricane" DVD

You've seen the trailers. You know how great this DVD was going to be. And it delivers and then some. Cast in black-and-white, with some film scratching that gives the film a sort of timeless feel. This is an emotionally charged flick – for those who are the weeping type, you might want some tissues.

We all know Jon Foreman comes close to tears, but I bet few of you would've guessed that Drew Shirley would unsuccessfully hold back his. This was a truly difficult record to make, and it shows. For anyone who's been waiting so long for this record to come out, this is a must-watch. If you can't get the Collector's Deluxe, at least grab a copy of the CD/DVD.

Photo Book

The artistic prowess of Andy Barron is dazzling. The photos are, as always, amazing, with selections from the studio, the road, the Salton Sea desert shoot, etc. This package doesn't come with a typical cd booklet with lyrics, but not to fear – It's worked into the book, tastefully. There's not much else than can be said about this, since it's hard to describe visuals with words. But I suggest you try try try to get it if you haven't yet.

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Charts

"Mess of Me" is starting to slow down on Alternative radio. KEEP REQUESTING it at your local rock stations friends. Remember to go here to see a list of stations that are playing it! It's time for us to step up!

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VOTING

Don't forget to take the time to vote also.

- 98.7 (Los Angeles) Badass 8 We were No. 7 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!

- 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. Keep going.

-

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!

New Ustream mini-concert; more song stories, and other

For an official recap of our 48-hour, highly successful "Mess of Me" Youtube campaign, head over here.

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Switchfoot is having a new Ustream performance this coming Monday!

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/05/09 -- Ustream is continuing its leadership in live interactive music events and will be powering a live performance with Switchfoot on Monday, November 9th at 6:15pm Pacific/9:15pm Eastern. The rock band is celebrating the November 10th release of their new album "Hello Hurricane" with a live set on Ustream at www.ustream.tv/switchfoot and on the band's Facebook page through Ustream on Facebook. Switchfoot will play two songs from the new album: first single "Mess of Me," which is already climbing the charts at rock radio, and "The Sound," which is currently featured in the national advertising campaign for the BlackBerry Storm. Switchfoot has been utilizing Ustream's technology to connect with fans via webcasts since September, and November 9th marks their third live broadcast and first performance using the service. Fans will be able to utilize Ustream's new social stream and interact live through status updates on Facebook, Twitter, AIM, and MySpace.

SOURCE

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The North County Times has been really working Switchfoot in advance of their first "Hello Hurricane" show this Sunday, and the release of the record on Tuesday. Here, they talk to Jon Foreman about some more stories behind the songs. Here's an excerpt.

"I wonder about whether I talk about them (songs) too much sometimes, kinda like a magician giving away tricks or something," he said. "I feel like most people who listen to our music are strong enough to have their own opinions, even if they might differ with mine. As long as my own analogy of the song doesn't become the final authority of what it means."

"Needle and Haystack Life"

"Needle and Haystack Life," about finding hope when the world seems meaningless, kicks off "Hello Hurricane." The song endured several treatments.

"Needle was originally cut half time. Essentially the way we cut the song originally (was, it) had a 'When the Levee Breaks' (Led Zeppelin) kind of drums over top of it. You can imagine a heavier, sluggish song, whereas now it's almost thick and frenetic, with eighth notes just flying out."

As the lead track, its final form makes for a smooth transition from previous albums, but that's not why it was given sprightlier legs.

"It was actually in part a decision that came from our intention to make a record rather than a collection of songs, in that we already had a few songs that filled that slower tempo. And it was fighting with 'Always' for a slot on the record. 'Needle' was going to be cut from the record, and we kind of had a change of heart. 'We've got to make this thing happen, so how do we do it?' If we cut it twice as fast as far as the drums are concerned, with the doubletime on the hat ---- that whole feel ---- then suddenly it's in a totally different sonic space than "Always."

It's a very interesting read. Go here to read the rest of it.

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Mammoth Press had an interview with Jon Foreman as well. Check it out:

I understand you started off with about 80 or so rough song ideas for this record. How did you come up with all those and then whittle them down?

I think the easiest thing is coming up with the ideas. For me, I tend to view songwriting as kind of like a diary of sorts, so to write a song a day is not that big of a deal for our style. The trickiest part is determining which of those diary entries are worth spending a few days of your life on and sinking your time and energy into. The whole process of making this record really allowed us to come to terms with who we are as a band, who we are as people and what type of music we want to make.

It was a really roundabout journey that we took, but at the same time I feel like to be able to at this point in our career step away from the music and really ask ourselves some big questions about why we’re playing was crucial to make this record and a big part in which songs were chosen. We came up with the idea that the song had to have a piece of you within it. I think it was Dolly Parton who said, “If you ain’t crying, why you singin’ it?” That was kind of the benchmark for which songs we decided would make the record.

Read the rest here.

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AZCentral.com did a highly inaccurate overview of Switchfoot. Either way, here's an excerpt.

Latest effort: "Hello Hurricane" hits stores on Nov. 10. The album, Switchfoot's first for Atlantic Records, finds them abandoning their pop-punk/emo style for a more ambitious sound inspired more by MUSE and U2.

You can see the rest here

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In random tv news, "Yet" was playing on last night's episode of "Vampire Diaries." Anyone have a capture? :)

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San Diego peeps! Switchfoot announced this on Facebook:

On release day, Switchfoot will be at Sam Goody in San Diego. The in-store event on Tuesday 11/10 starts at 7pm. There will be an acoustic performance by the band and they will be signing their new cd Hello Hurricane!
-
324 Horton Plaza
San Diego, CA 92101

At the 48th hour, they rested.... Official "Mess of Me" two-day recap!

Got an email from Corey Vidal, the Switchfoot Youtube channel manager. He's given me permission to post it in its entirety here.

Here's Corey:

It has been exactly 48 hours since 'Mess Of Me' was uploaded, which is the threshold for the 'Today' Honors. Here's where the final stats came in (I've bolded the most important ones):

Comments: 10,000+
Favorites: 1,500+
Ratings: 1,800+
Average Rating: 4.91 / 5.00
42,821 views

Honors for this video (28)

#4 - Most Discussed (Today)
#1 - Most Discussed (Today) - Music
#55 - Most Viewed (Today) - Australia
#54 - Most Viewed (Today) - Ireland
#37 - Most Viewed (Today) - New Zealand
#67 - Most Viewed (Today)
#98 - Most Viewed (Today) - Netherlands
#51 - Most Viewed (Today) - Czech Republic
#42 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Germany
#5 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Australia
#6 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Canada
#21 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - United Kingdom
#3 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Ireland
#9 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - India
#3 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - New Zealand
#4 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music
#79 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Spain
#29 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Mexico
#88 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - France
#10 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Netherlands
#67 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Brazil
#13 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Czech Republic
#20 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Sweden
#10 - Top Favorited (Today)
#3 - Top Favorited (Today) - Music
#17 - Top Rated (Today)
#2 - Top Rated (Today) - Music
#10 - Top Rated (This Week) - Music

'Switchfoot' Channel Honors:
#2 - Most Viewed Channel (Today) - Musicians
#34 - Most Viewed Channel (Today) - Partners

Other things worth noting:

Your (new) account is now a Partner.
The new 'Switchfoot' account has jumped with over 2,500 new Subscribers in the past 48 hours, putting the channel at almost 43,000 Subscribers.
Both 'TheDrewcast' and 'FictionFamily' have seen a jump in 400+ new Subscribers since it launched (the FictionFamily channel doesn't even contain any videos yet).
It has been "Popular" for the past 30 hours (therefore being seen by non-subscribers and non-followers/fans on Twitter/Facebook).
This video, in its first 48 hours, has about 3x the stats than the previous Mess Of Me video from September had at that time.
Your primary 'Music' competition on YouTube was Weezer (getting a 4-video frontpage sponsored Spotlight), Jay-Z's new song about New York City, Britney Spears' new music video about threesomes, and a character from South Park singing a Lady Gaga song.
It was featured in the 'Video' and 'Music' and 'Entertainment' categories on Digg.com, and also Featured on the front page.
Job Ang ('Joberooni') left over 1,000 comments alone.

Sincerely,
Corey Vidal

^WOW. We've done an excellent job here, friends. I'm so proud of all of you. Switchfoot will be hearing these exact words too. I'm sure they'll be excited to hear where their video has gone!!

To see today's regular update, go here. :)

A conversation on Youtube; "Mess of Me" is advancing!

UPDATE (2:20 PM PST):

Closing honors. Very great job. We made this video popular on Youtube! Well Done!


#4 - Most Discussed (Today)
#1 - Most Discussed (Today) - Music
#55 - Most Viewed (Today) - Australia
#54 - Most Viewed (Today) - Ireland
#37 - Most Viewed (Today) - New Zealand
#67 - Most Viewed (Today)
#98 - Most Viewed (Today) - Netherlands
#51 - Most Viewed (Today) - Czech Republic
#42 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Germany
#5 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Australia
#6 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Canada
#21 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - United Kingdom
#3 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Ireland
#9 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - India
#3 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - New Zealand
#4 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music
#79 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Spain
#29 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Mexico
#88 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - France
#10 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Netherlands
#67 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Brazil
#13 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Czech Republic
#20 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Sweden
#10 - Top Favorited (Today)
#3 - Top Favorited (Today) - Music
#17 - Top Rated (Today)
#2 - Top Rated (Today) - Music
#10 - Top Rated (This Week) - Music

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Some huge progress yesterday on the "Mess of Me" video. Before we get to the many successes of what we did, here are some awesome facts about "Mess of Me" and the whole "Hello Hurricane" record, as well as other topics. Here, below, is the complete excerpt of what "Switchfoot" told youtubers as they commented and promoted the record last night:

(Click each cap to see the full thing)

About the "Mess of Me" video we've been promoting:









Hello Hurricane Facts:










Vice Verse:




Random:








Fiction Family:




And at the very end, the man behind the screen name revealed himself:




^Corey Vidal, our resident Switchfoot Youtube expert! Nice.

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Now that you enjoyed that fact-filled time, here are some stats on the "Mess of Me" video. We've done some serious damage!

GOALS, as of 12:28 AM PST:
1,500+ Ratings (GOT IT!)
1,500+ Favorites
5,000+ Comments (GOT IT!)
75,000+ Views

^Way to go fams! We DESTROYED the comments goal, with time to spare, and the ratings goal has been excellent too.

Also, we got "Mess of Me" onto the most popular pages for a time yesterday (I hear we will be back). Also, it appeared on the front page of Youtube for a good hour or so.



^Look at that BEAUTIFUL thumbnail. ;) ~drool~

Also, check out the HONORS:


#5 - Most Discussed (Today)
#1 - Most Discussed (Today) - Music
#64 - Most Viewed (Today) - Australia
#69 - Most Viewed (Today) - Ireland
#47 - Most Viewed (Today) - New Zealand
#76 - Most Viewed (Today) - Czech Republic
#95 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Germany
#7 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Australia
#10 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Canada
#50 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - United Kingdom
#7 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Ireland
#22 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - India
#6 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - New Zealand
#6 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music
#49 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Mexico
#22 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Netherlands
#18 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Czech Republic
#60 - Most Viewed (Today) - Music - Sweden
#14 - Top Favorited (Today)
#4 - Top Favorited (Today) - Music
#31 - Top Rated (Today)
#2 - Top Rated (Today) - Music
#13 - Top Rated (This Week) - Music





We're going for 10,000 comments by 3 pm PST TODAY! I know we can make it! We will find out today if we get Featured or not. Seeing as how Switchfoot's a Youtube Partner now, we have a solid shot! Check out what the channel got:



Also, it's starting to get some attention across the blogosphere. IF YOU have a blog, POST IT!

- You Are Music
- Umyeah
- New Music Reviews
- Driveby Media

^very nice, eh? Keep up the great work promoting guys! I hear the Switchfoot boys (especially Chad) are super stoked with our efforts! ~high fives~ all around! We need to keep the pressure on, though!

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Switchfoot was featured on the Myspace Homepage!



Go to their Myspace page now to listen to the new record, "Hello Hurricane!" (if you want that is)

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The Tucson Examiner posted a great interview with Tim Foreman. Below is an excerpt:

JW: So, your first show at The Rock, that's cool! Hope to check it out. Let's talk about what you're promoting on this tour, "Hello Hurricane". What is your personal favorite track off the new album?



TF: Hmm, well, its a bit like choosing a favorite kid. We're actually rehearsing for the tour right now, playing the whole album start to finish....There's a few that are very fresh in my mind, since we've been working on them. There's a song called "Needle In A Haystack World", the opening track. That's a song that has a lot of heart to it. It's the type of song I could see us wanting to play for a really long time, so that's always a good thing.



JW: Can't wait to hear it. I read there are actually several more albums that may come out of the same studio sessions that produced "Hello Hurricane". When could we expect to see those released, and do any of them have titles yet?



TF: We don't have any master plan for releasing them yet, but yeah. We've done that before, and it always comes back to bite us, so we're being careful not to over-commit. But we're really excited about that material. We recorded close to 90 songs and wrote even more than that; its kind of an overwhelming amount of material. That was a challenge on making this record ["Hello Hurricane"], kind of trying to see the forest for the trees and figure it out. But we do have a working title, "Vice Verses", that will probably be the next batch of songs we release.

Read the whole thing here.

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The North County Times is having a sort of Switchfoot week. First, here's an excerpt of a review, that wasn't so great, but not scathing either:

Opening track "Needle and Haystack Life" sounds far closer to U2 than anything Switchfoot has ever done: power ballad with soaring, multi-tracked vocal harmonies and indistinguishable instrumental tapestry behind the vocals. Almost as overproduced are "Always" and "Bullet Soul" (although the last one at least is marked by the typical Switchfoot punch on the chorus).

Still, lead singer and founder Jon Foreman is too good a songwriter to be denied for long, and "Enough to Let Me Go" is an absolute gem: great hook, spare arrangement, relaxed vocal. Mark it up as one of the band's best songs. The title track is a nice little rocker (although the vocal harmonies again hew a bit too close to the patented U2 sound for comfort), and "The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues)" and "Mess of Me" both have the kind of raw edginess that marked the band's early recordings.

Next, here's an AWESOME news article about the band, with lots of new information. Check it out.

An excerpt:

Atlantic's sales pitch won the band over. Producer Mike Elizondo came on board and was "crucial as the closer."

"He was our Trevor Hoffman of four or five years ago maybe. He came at a point where we were finally starting to realize what the record was going to look like," Foreman said.

Elizondo, with such an eclectic resume as a producer and musician ---- Eminem, Dr. Dre, Natasha Bedingfield and Maroon 5, to name a few ---- would figure to push the band to new places. Foreman said that wasn't so much the case.

"He said, 'Don't be afraid of what you've done for the past six records.' We had already pushed ourselves far enough," Foreman said.

"Very few of the experimental tracks made the record. One made it on Karl Denson's new record, and I think one might make it on Meat Loaf's next record. On our record, the song that pushes things the furthest is 'Sing It Out,' a song that has no solid indicator of time until the bridge ---- we've never had that much restraint before."

Read the rest HERE.

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Here are pictures from Switchfoot's trip to the Grammy Museum:






See the full set here

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CHARTS


"Mess of Me" is holding at No. 33.

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VOTING

In all this "Mess of Me" Youtube promotion, try to take a little time to keep on voting at these links. Radio success is important too:

- People's Choice Awards Write-in

- 98.7 (Los Angeles) Badass 8 We were No. 6 last night! But we need to continue to put pressure on. 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!

- 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. Keep going.

-

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

Let's aim for cracking the Top 30 of Alternative Rock before the end of the week. I think it could happen!