Hello Hurricane

(photo courtesy: Switchfoot)

Hello and welcome! Here you will find the most comprehensive collection of news leading up to the brand new, as-yet-untitled Switchfoot record, which we hear is now due to drop in August/September of 2009. So browse away. We'll be adding more stories and highlights as the year(s) go on.


The Info we have so far:

Album Title: Hello Hurricane
Release Date: November 10, 2009
Recording Period: August, 2007 - March, 2009
Producer(s): Charlie Peacock, Ken Andrews, Mike Elizondo
Engineer(s): Darrell Thorpe, Ryan Peterson
Label: lowercase people/Atlantic
Tracklisting:

"Hello Hurricane" Side-A

1. Needle and Haystack Life
2. Mess of Me
3. Your Love Is a Song
4. This Is the Sound
5. Enough to Let Me Go
6. Free

"Hello Hurricane" Side-B

7. Hello Hurricane
8. Always
9. Bullet Soul (John B. Perkins' blues)
10. Yet
11. Sing It Out
12. Red Eyes

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

TIMELINE:

August 2, 2007 (1)

Jon Foreman lets the cat out of the bag: Switchfoot has begun work on their seventh studio album, the follow up to 2006's Oh! Gravity. "yes yes ya'll - the new SF record is underway"


August 9, 2007 (2)(3)

Switchfoot announces its independence from Columbia Records/SonyBMG. Charlie Peacock is enlisted as producer for the new record.

"In other news, tracking for the new SF record went really well- the most fun we've had making music in a long time. Very much like making a mess. Charlie Peacock, our longtime cohort from the east has been a welcome addition to the scene," said Jon Foreman. He mentions a "new switchfoot record in '08 (the first tracks 13 tracks were cut this week!)" in the label independence announcement.


October 12, 2007 (4)

The band begins construction on their very own studio.

"we (read: our friends back home) are demoing the space where our studio will soon be built," says Jon Foreman.


October 29, 2007 (5)

Switchfoot announces the creation of their own, independent record label, Lowercase People Records. The new record will be put out on this label.


November 7, 2007 (6)

Jon Foreman mentions frontrunner songs:

"anyhoo, the new SF recahhd is coming along swimmingly as well.
these three are currently the frontrunners:
running from me
people put your hands up
blood is soil"


December 28, 2007 (7)

Jon Foreman says the album so far is heading for a more acoustic and electronic feel.

"We have over a hundred songs to choose from right now, it really could go in a lot of directions. Right now, it's shaping up to be more acoustic AND more electronic."


March 7, 2008 (8)

Charlie Peacock reports that Switchfoot, along with their management team Red Light, will be working with the Dave Matthews-founded, independent record label ATO Records for the new album.


LOBH & WA: We heard your interview with CMCentral back in December, and you were talking about Switchfoot working with ATO Records in some sort of fashion? Is that true, or has it been confirmed? If so, to what capacity will they be helping the guys out with the record?

Charlie: Another question better answered in full by the band. For now, It's no secret that Switchfoot is working with ATO and the good people at Red Light Management. Bruce Flohr at ATO is a great music person and he will serve the band well. There's a reason both Switchfoot and Radiohead chose to partner with Bruce and his team. They are really good at what they do. Switchfoot is a smart band. They make good choices.


March 20, 2008 (9)

Jon Foreman says he is writing with brother Tim.

How is that new record coming along?

It’s good. Tim and I have just been writing. You know, it’s one of those things where you get to a point where you kind of want to shock yourself again. The reason why you started playing music in the first place is because it’s shocking, and it felt like you were somehow defying gravity or something like that. So you kind of want to find that place again. You can’t go to the same well. That’s all dry; you got to find a new place.


May 7, 2008 (10)

Tim Foreman says that Switchfoot currently has over 100 songs in demo, and are in an "experimenting" mode.

How’s the new album coming along?
It’s good. There are a lot of songs right now. Honestly, over 100 in various stages of demo and we’re going to try to narrow it down from there. We wanted to make a big mess for ourselves. We even went into the studio way back in August and tracked 15 songs and kind of just cast in a wide net to catch a lot of fish and then throw the best, tastiest ones on the record.

What can fans expect?
We want to do something different. As far as what that is, that’s kind of what this stage is still about. Kind of experimenting.


May 12, 2008 (11)

The band moves into their newly completed studio.

June 17, 2008 (12)

Switchfoot begins full-time recording for the new album in earnest.

July 1, 2008 (13; 14)

Switchfoot's brand new Studio Webcam debuts.

July 7, 2008 (15)

On the band's Studio Webcam chat space, Switchfoot tells us that one of the songs Chad Butler is drumming to is called "Anymore"

August 1, 2008 (16; 17)

*ATO Records is confirmed as the distribution label for lowercase people Records. *"There are so many different directions we can go in. One of the songs has a (Led) Zeppelin feel. One of them has more of a Devo feel. So it's Led Devo, or something along those lines. I feel like the headspace we're in now, the glass ceiling's been shattered. We're excited to see how far we can take this thing." - Jon Foreman
*The band elects to produce the album alone, after trying out Ken Andrews and Charlie Peacock, who will remain as Executive Producer.
*The band reveals a new song title: "There Is Still Time"
*Jon Foreman mentions something about a "Stairway to Heaven" cover...??

August 6, 2008 (18)

Switchfoot reveals the song-list for this new album's recording sessions!

September 19, 2008 (19)

-Chad Butler says he has been recording with as little of the full drum kit as possible. He's been using maracas, drum machines, and hip hop beats.

-Jon Foreman has been writing some songs on the piano.

-They aren't really working/focusing on a huge hit "single" at the moment, but are really focusing on the art and the album as a whole. When the time comes, "We'll figure out a song for radio."

October 30, 2008 (20)

-It is revealed that Grammy Award-winning Darrell Thorp has been working with Switchfoot in the studio recently, helping out with the new record.

December 18, 2008 (21)

-"We've been working on the new album in pieces in our own studio," said Foreman. "We've got three albums worth of new material, and we're still looking to piece together the common DNA. Eventually we'll get it down to the standard 12 or so songs."

January 2nd, 2009 (22)

In an interview for Fiction Family, Jon Foreman also talks about Switchfoot:

*About the writing for the new record: "For me, for a little while there, I was afraid of anthems. I was afraid of the big songs. Fear can be a strange thing to try and describe, but I think that the past few years, I’ve really been set free from those fears. I’ve been able to write these quirky, mellow, side project types of songs. But on the new Switchfoot record, I’m trying to write these immortal anthems."

*About taking their sweet ol' time: Well, we’ve written and recorded about 60 songs that we’re just sifting through. I went out yesterday to write a song with a few friends in New York and we’ve worked with a bunch of different producers. Basically it’s on our dime and our clock and in our studio. We feel that this next record will represent the next 10 years of who we are as a band and so we want to make the best record we’ve ever made. We want to take our time and decide what are the songs that we want to sing for the rest of our lives and put them on this record.

*About Darrell Thorp, and the "landscape" sound Switchfoot is going for: We enlisted Nigel Godrich’s main engineer who has worked on our favorite records - some Paul McCartney records, some Radiohead, some Air records, some of Beck’s stuff. He definitely took us to a place where I feel like this record has a much wider scope - the darks are darker and the lights are brighter and the lows are lower and the highs are higher. That was our goal was to create such a landscape. That’s where my head is at is figuring out how to make sure that horizon is in every song.

*About the trickiness of a release date: We’re shooting for late spring. That’s our goal, but it’s been a little tricky. For the Fiction Family tour, we’re going out in January. Then as Switchfoot, we’re heading to South America right after that. We’re out right now as a band with Three Doors Down, so trying to fit in the recording schedule between all these tours is a little tough. [Laughs] But I think we’ll be able to squeeze it out by summertime or springtime.

January 12, 2009 (23)

Jon Foreman talks to Relevant magazine about his solo career, Fiction Family, and Switchfoot:

*About the past few Albums on a Major Label: "We wanted to start with a clean slate because the last couple of records felt kind of compromised.”

*More on Darell Thorp; They've begun weeding down on the songs!; Producer is Mike Elizondo: “We’ve tracked about 75 songs in our studio and now we’re weeding down, working with engineer Daryl Thorpe who is Nigel Godrich’s right hand man for Radiohead, Air and Beck,"

He’s incredible, he’s really helped us find some new territory. Another place we’ve gone for inspiration is our producer Mike Elizondo—he’s worked with Mary J. Blige and Eminem. He’s, like, Dr. Dre’s right hand man. We’re trying to find a new playing field for the next 10 years to throw the ball around in."

*On Switchfoot doing Hip Hop(?): “I’m as white as it gets, but I love hip-hop! ... But, no, I’m not going to be spitting any phat beats.”

HAHA!

January 26, 2009 (24)

Jon talks about how the album can go in three different directions, or an "amalgam" of the three:

Basically, we've tracked about 70 songs, probably more than that, but we've sorta narrowed them down. And I think, with that, there are several directions we can go to. One's a lot more beat driven, one's a little bit more what one of the guys has called "punchy," which is maybe a little bit more traditional, what we've been doing. And one's a little bit broader, ethereal. Trying to kind of go to "Where the Streets Have No Name" type of thing. So yeah, its just a matter of where or what song we want to play for the next ten years, and so I think its gonna be some sort of amalgam between those three elements.

January 28, 2009 (25)

In the Fiction Family tour blog, Jon says regarding the Switchfoot album, "talked about the new record a bit with the fellas, I hope to be finished with it in two months."

February 13, 2009 (26)

Tim Foreman is talking July release?



February 25, 2009 (27)

"they have been hashing and cutting and chopping. no song is safe. frontrunners are now on the backburner. new songs are taking the lead as favorites." - Andy Barron

February 26, 2009 (28)

Tim Foreman announces that the final song lineup for the new record has been chosen on the band's new Twitter page.

- "hi all, tim here. this is my first twitter, my maiden voyage if you will. we are in the studio, the final song lineup has been chosen! -tf"

- "... including one that we just wrote this morning!!! peace and love to you all, -tf"

March 4, 2009 (29)

Switchfoot rounding 3rd base and recording with engineer Ryan Peterson.

Chad Butler posted a blog for the Friends of the Foot. It is here, courtesy of Land of Broken Hearts.

Stu stu studio! Here's a look at the day from the lens of a drummer. We are home recording with our new friend (and ace engineer) Ryan Peterson. Some friends stopped by to listen last night and asked how far along in the recording process we are... it felt good to say we are rounding 3rd base and can see homeplate coming into view. When the dust settles I hope you guys enjoy these songs as much as we are enjoying the process. Ok, gotta go play some beats...
-Chad



March 12, 2009 30

- From Land of Broken Hearts:

The new Switchfoot album is ALMOST DONE! The guys posted a new video on Friends of the Foot, letting everyone know the album was *this close* to being finished. They've just got some "overdubs and a little bit of tracking" left. According to Tim, "it's coming in REAL hot."

- And, speaking of those overdubs, the Switchfoot guys twittered about some gang vocals they recorded yesterday with local San Diegan surfing legend Rob Machado.

March 11: Gang vocals with some help from rob machado, who sounds almost as good as he surfs. Record is feeling really great... http://twitpic.com ...



March 23, 2009 31

Twitter update: Good day sunshine, bah da da...! Putting the final touches on songs this week, then off to la to finish 3 more and start mixing!

March 26, 2009 32

Tim Foreman reports via Twitter that the song "Red Eyes" is nearly finished:

March 26, 2009: Finishing a song called red eyes, an appropriate song title for late night recording. -tim http://twitpic.com/2gehj

March 28, 2009 33



March 30, 2009 34 35

Switchfoot heads to Los Angeles to make the "final push" and mix the album.

Switchfoot was tweeting all day from the studio, where they are mixing their new and upcoming record. Here's what they said:

March 30, 2009:

- Ghostridin' the whip on the 405... http://twitpic.com/2m2rp



- Keyworld, party time, excellent. http://twitpic.com/2m6fk



- Chad hits so hard it makes my stomach hurt. http://twitpic.com/2m7d2



- We get by with a little help from our friends: napoleon d, yoda, lennon, and neves. Oh, and dont forget the tambo! http://twitpic.com/2mawz



- Drew and mike elizondo, while drew's guitar gently weeps. http://twitpic.com/2modz



April 1 36

Chad Butler reports on one of Jon Foreman's vocal takes:

I just got goose bumps listening to Jon laying down this vocal, never heard him like this before - Chad http://twitpic.com/2pint



April 7, 2009 37

Switchfoot mixes first song.

(Twitter):

- Coffee? Check. Steel-cut oats? Check. Now for a morning surf. Oxnard looks fun. We're mixing our first song today! http://twitpic.com/2yrdh"

- Mixing a new song today called Hello Hurricane. Feeling really great!

April 8, 2009 38

April 6th Twitter Update reports that the band officially begin final mixing on the 8th.

- So twitter is the new webcam for now. Starting to mix the new record on Wednesday, almost finished!

April 13, 2009 39

- New Release Tuesday (which is seldom wrong on these types of things) announces a release date for the brand new Switchfoot record: JULY 14th, 2009



- via Twitter: "Making the familiar trek up to north LA from San Diego. More mixing this week. Finishing up a song called "Enough" today. Sounding great!"

- Release Date was dispelled by the band on Twitter; mixing a song called "This Is the Sound" 40

"Mixing a new tune called "this is the sound", and contrary to the rumors of an early release, new record will coming out in aug/sept. Yup!"

April 16, 2009

Twitter updates say Switchfoot is mixing song No. 6 for the record:

- Going for a morning surf in Ventura. Mixing another new tune today, song number 6!

- Morning baptism in ye ol' pacific pond. Off to mix song number six, halfway done witcha wreckahd! http://twitpic.com/3eyha

April 17th

Twitter: Firepit hangout on a Friday night, love it. mixing a new tune called "yet" tonight. http://twitpic.com/3i1ku

April 18, 2009

Twitter:
- Another late one. 7 songs mixed! For all you so. cal folks, come hang with jon and I at the new verizon store in la jolla at 1:30 today(sat)

- Great to see so many of you today in la jolla, place was packed! Just got done surfing, mixing track 8 tonight! Fleece and love, -tim

April 20, 2009

Twitter: Driving north on 405, no traffic, ready to mix tracks 8 and 9 today. Drew says hi. http://bit.ly/4Ipgq http://twitpic.com/3o0wb

April 21, 2009

Switchfoot mixes 10th song: "Bullet Soul." Or is it "Needle and Haystack Life"...?

Twitter:
- Yes yes y'all... jon here, northbound on the 101 ... and yes! today is pretty freakin hot out there- song up on the boards: bullet soul

- Mixing track 10 now, "needle and haystack life," love this one.. Just noticed we're about to pass 10k followers. Thanks for the love amigos!

- Jon Foreman Facebook status:



April 22, 2009

Twitter:
- 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!

- Jon Foreman bulletin that mentions a new song and final tracking:

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

April 24, 2009

early April 24, 2009 twitter post:

- Just finished mixing 'sing it out'. Back later today to announce the album title... http://twitpic.com/3vsxp

And later:

- Sept. 2009: "Hello Hurricane." TBD 2010: "Vice Verses" Much love, amigos. -jon, tim, chad, jerome, drew


April 30, 2009

Last minute changes in the studio.

Twitter:

- You never know when the muse might strike. Chad just had some last-minute drum inspiration, tracking now. Wow, the man is on fire!

- We love making changes at the last possible moment. Is a song ever really finished? I think it's a living thing that just keeps changing.

May 4-5, 2009 41 42 43

Switchfoot and Andy Barron journey to the desert in Niland, California, where they visit Salvation Mountain and the Salton Sea. Shoot lasts two days.

June 16, 2009

- Tracklisting announced.