Wanna see amazing...??

Here:



It's a pretty sweet cover of "This Is Home," beautifully rendered in piano-only grandeur. It's pretty good. Enjoy it!

Switchfoot at Rock-Fest, plus tons of Daily Foot Entries!

Nothing much going on once again in Switchfoot land. The guys are in the studio right now, as we speak (4:12!!!!! am), no joke!

Here's a pretty sweet video of the guys playing "Gone" at the Rock-Fest in Wisconsin a few weeks back.



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Also, Andy Barron has posted a slew of Daily Foot entries. Have fun reading all about it!



Oskosh, Wisconsin
Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota
Caddott, Wisconsin (Rock-Fest)
Rapid City, South Dakota
George, Washington (WHAT A NAME... hahaha)

Featured Video: Switchfoot - Meant to Live (Ryan Seacrest)

Circa 2004. Pretty amazing. Enjoy!

"This Is Home" sweeping the Nation! (sports at least)

ESPN's Titletown is really helping "This Is Home" out. We're starting to see an increased number of comments and views on the video on Youtube, and a renewed outcry for a "This Is Home" single on iTunes. Along with that, there is a new wave of fan-made videos featuring "This Is Home." Here's some of the better ones I found... Possible future "Featured Video?" Perhaps...

Ohio Stadium Tribute (Home of the Ohio State Buckeyes). This one was pretty well-made. I do disdain the Buckeyes (GO USC), but props for a great song choice!


Have some of you not seen the "This Is Home" montage on TV yet? Here's your chance to see what it has looked like for the past month.
(TVrip)

And now, for some of my favorite ones that I saw while perusing Youtube... hehe.

"This Is Home" Chipmunked. The tempo is still the same as the original, but the song has been raised a few keys and octaves. hahah! Sounds amazing, actually! And I think it sounds like Simon is singing lead vocals for this one. ^^


"This Is Home" Chipmunked: HYPER! If "This Is Home" was a pop punk song sung by chipmunks, here's what it will sound like!


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Hope you enjoyed those entertaining videos. I certainly did. hehe. Today is Friday, and that is the final day to request on Radio Disney. Switchfoot was No. 20 last week, the first time in Top 20 for "This Is Home." Let's crack the Top 15 this week with a final surge! Request it now!

From Dope Shades to Dope Covers: Kina Grannis covers Switchfoot!

You may recognize Kina Grannis as the winner of the Doritos Super Bowl contest. Her song was given a 60-second spot on TV during the Game this year, and she now has a record deal with Interscope. I'm especially pulling for her because she's a local product, hailing from nearby Mission Viejo, California!

So without further ado, here is Miss Grannis' niceee cover of Switchfoot's "Let That Be Enough."

Switchfoot's "Dope Shades"; Jon Foreman to Collaborate with Molly Jenson

Hola! A few juicy stories to report today to all you friends! (none of which is to my credit... our hawk-eye friends caught all of today's stuff... haha)

First off, our friend Jacqui from the official message boards spotted a new product in Switchfoot's bandfarm merchandise page: Switchfoot Sunglasses!



These shades first made an appearance at the Muskegon, Michigan show, better known as the "Webcam Show." They were described as "dope shades" by the Switchfoot crew. I have to say, these really are dope... and they're only $5! Go get it already?!

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Next, LOBH reports that Molly Jenson will be re-releasing her album, jiggered up with a brand new song written with none other than our very own Jon Foreman! Here's a portion of her email:

"So far things have been great! I'm going to re-release my album in September with new artwork and an added song that I wrote with Jon Foreman (Switchfoot). The song has been recorded and the photo shoot for the album artwork is happening TODAY!!!"

Amazing! I really hope it's "Dreamer," a song that first appeared at a Lestats coffee shop show in July last year. Here's what it sounds like:

"Dreamer"


Here's another song they both wrote, called "Do You Only Love The Ones Who Look Like You"


It could be one of those two... stay tuned! This is sweet stuff.

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Remember to keep requesting "This Is Home" on Radio Disney! We want to crack Top 15 this week! Oh, and request the single version of "This Is Home" on iTunes too!

Jon Foreman Opens Wide His Arms; Switchfoot CD Singles

Not much news so far this week. Apologies for lack of updates, because, quite frankly, there isn't much to update. haha.

There are a few things of note, however.

First off, if you go to ebay, you will find many useful things... including rare Switchfoot CD singles! That's right. Have a look at these:

This Is Home (already sold)

Love Is the Movemen...? (complete with four different mixes of the song!) I'd say that's a pretty good deal.

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And, here's a great article about Jon Foreman in the toledo blade.

Foreman, 30, who has been known to play solo sets for hours in the parking lot after Switchfoot concerts, said the EPs were something he just had to do.

“You’ve got more songs in you and you just have to get them out,” the 30-year-old rocker said.

He paid for and produced the projects himself, and feels confident they won’t interfere with his band’s career.

“I feel that this has allowed me to face the next Switchfoot project with my arms open wider,” he said. “I’m in a band with these other guys who all have great ideas, and I need to be able to loosen the reins. This has been a chance for me to get that out of my system.”

Read the rest here!

Featured Video: Switchfoot Podcast Episode 35

Oh, by the way, "This Is Home" moved up 3 spots to No. 20 on the Radio Disney Countdown! Good work friends! Lets get it into the Top 15 this week!

Switchfoot's "Greatest Hits" CD to be titled "The Best Yet"

Insiderevolution.net reported some additional information on Switchfoot's upcoming Greatest Hits compilation CD:

A little more info has been uncovered regarding Switchfoot's greatest hits album releasing on October 28th. The title will be The Best Yet and it is releasing from Sparrow Records. That means that Switchfoot is probably not going to have anything to do with it unfortunately.

Thanks Emily for finding that!

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Andy Barron posted a new daily foot about Switchfoot's travels in the Muskegon area. (better known as the Webcam Show)... hehe.

Muskegon, Michigan



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Remember to turn in your requests for the "This Is Home" single this week! The more, the merrier! Click here for more info.

Oh, and don't forget about Radio Disney either!

C.S. Lewis' Narnian influence on Chad Butler and Switchfoot

CCM Magazine (which incidentally is no longer a magazine), did a story on C.S. Lewis' impact on the Switchfoot guys and their Narnia experience. This story has been heard many times already by Switchfoot fams, but there's a few jewels in here that are worth reading about, including the fact that we're hearing Chad Butler's side of the story. We've heard from Jon Foreman about and Tim and his experience with "The Chronicles of Narnia" growing up. Here's Chad's side of the story:

Die-hard moviegoers who insist on sitting through the credits to the bitter end often get rewarded for their tenacity with added film snippets and music that more impatient fans miss. Such is the case in the film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Three songs into the final credits, fans get to hear Switchfoot’s “This Is Home.” The track and its accompanying video are also featured on the Prince Caspian Original Soundtrack Enhanced CD.



Landing a cut on the soundtrack of a major motion picture is a coup for any artist, and Switchfoot owes much of its success to the general market awareness created by the band’s inclusion on the Walk To Remember soundtrack. But according to Chad Butler, the band’s drummer, the opportunity to be a part of the C.S. Lewis legacy raised that opportunity to an entirely different level, personally if not professionally.
Advertisement



“Having a piece of music set to another art form is a huge honor,” Butler says. “To have a director believe that your song will improve their art is amazing. I was pretty much raised on The Chronicles of Narnia. My parents were huge C.S. Lewis fans, as were Jon [Foreman, guitar/vocals] and Tim’s [Foreman, bass]. I think we know his books better than any other author. I had just started reading the Chronicles to my kids when the creators of the film contacted us and wanted us to write a song specifically for Prince Caspian. It was an exciting process for my kids when we started working on the song.”



Butler, who first discovered Lewis when he read Mere Christianity as a 16-year-old boy, says it’s not only the recurring theme of human beings yearning for something grander that appeals so strongly to the band, but the way Lewis expresses himself.



“It’s his mastery of the English language that excites me,” Butler muses. “He is a wordsmith. But more than that, it is his thought process regarding faith and [the] everyman that is so intriguing. He doesn’t come across as ‘churched’ but as someone I would want to sit down at a pub with and talk about God in a casual setting. He was really passionate about God in everyday life. That excites me, and it is that perspective which permeates our approach to life and art as a band.”



Switchfoot is the only Christian artist on the motion picture soundtrack, a fact that has raised a few eyebrows after the huge interest displayed by the Christian music community surrounding the 2005 release of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Although the movie soundtrack for that film did not include any Christian artists, its companion “Inspired By” CD featured a veritable who’s who in the industry, with songs by Jeremy Camp, Jars of Clay, Chris Tomlin, Rebecca St. James, Nichole Nordeman and others.

Read the rest: Page 1, Page 2

I'd have to say, they still don't get the whole "Christian by faith, not genre" bit. Switchfoot is NOT a Christian band, so this shouldn't come as a surprise that their the only "Christian" artist on the soundtrack. And it hasn't raised many eyebrows as far as I can tell... maybe amongst their writing staff, but that's about it.

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Anyways, sorry for that little bit there... I get a little annoyed sometimes... but it is what it is Switchfoot is still an amazing band, no matter what. Anyways, remember to keep requesting "This Is Home" on Radio Disney.

Also, don't forget to request the "This Is Home" single on itunes. For more information, go to our last post.

Switchfoot Podcast 35 and iTunes Request Week

"'nuff said"

Go to your itunes and refresh your podcasts!

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Ok. So we've been campaigning very hard for "This Is Home." However, it is only getting significant airplay on Radio Disney and a few other Hot AC stations. A big basis that radio stations look at now for songs to add to their playlists is what is selling well on iTunes.

We also know that iTunes has "This Is Home" as an album-only, meaning that in order for people to get the song, they need to buy the whole "Prince Caspian" soundtrack. Unfortunately, many people have been turned off by this, and many potential NEW Switchfoot fans are left looking to limewire or bittorrents to get the song for free.

The time for us to make an impact is now! iTunes does have a request page to request for songs to add to the music store. It is pretty self-explanatory. Make sure you select "Request a Song" under the "Request Type" drop-down menu.

Go there now, and put in a request for the "This Is Home" single. For continuity, here's what you should put in:

Song: This Is Home (Radio Version)
Artist: Switchfoot
Album: This Is Home - Single
Year: 2008
Record Label: lowercase people records/Walt Disney Records

If we get enough requests in, it might cause iTunes to really look into it! We need you all to spread this news to as many people as possible... it only takes less than a minute!

Lets do it footsoldiers! And remember to keep on requesting "This Is Home" on Radio Disney!

Chad Butler weighs in on David Cook, and Switchfoot playing at Rock-Fest

Leader-Telegram put out a sweet story on the upcoming Rock-Fest goin' down in Cadott, Wisconsin. The show will feature big-time acts like Goo Goo Dolls, Plain White T's, Three Days Grace, Stone Temple Pilots, Matchbox Twenty, The Wallflowers, and more!

I've posted the full story hear (Thanks leader-telegram):

Switchfoot to play Cadott Rock Fest

By Chris Vetter
Chippewa Falls News Bureau

Members of rock band Switchfoot had no idea David Cook was going to sing their hit "Dare You to Move" in one of the final elimination rounds on this season's "American Idol" on May 13. Cook nailed the song, and he went on to win "American Idol" the following week.

"It was a total surprise," said Switchfoot drummer Chad Butler. "We were really excited. We had just performed on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.' We got the call just as we got off the stage that David Cook had performed our song. It was a great day for Switchfoot."

Butler said the group is excited about performing Saturday at Rock Fest near Cadott, noting that the band members are big fans of the other acts on stage that day such as Goo Goo Dolls and Stone Temple Pilots.

"That's some rock legends," Butler said. "It's a great opportunity to sit side-stage and watch a great rock show. I'm honored to be on the bill with that great rock music."

San Diego-based Switchfoot formed in 1996. "Switchfoot" is a surfing term, and Butler said bandmates are all avid surfers.

The group gained attention when four of its songs were used on the soundtrack for the 2002 movie "A Walk to Remember." Additionally, singer-actress Mandy Moore covered Switchfoot's song "Only Hope" during the movie.

"She did a good job of it," Butler said of Moore's rendition. "It was really a cool honor to be associated with someone else's artwork."

Switchfoot's 2003 album "The Beautiful Letdown" includes the group's most well-known hit, "Meant to Live," along with "Dare You to Move."

Switchfoot's current single, "This Is Home," is included in the movie "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," and that's the song the band performed recently on "The Tonight Show."

"It's always an honor to have a song used by another art form," Butler said. "It's a great opportunity to be a part of the C.S. Lewis story. It's meaningful to me."

Switchfoot has won numerous Dove Awards, and its music is available at Christian stores. But Butler doesn't want the group to be considered a Christian band, he said.

"I don't cringe when people ask about my faith," he said. "But I don't feel that genre exists - it's something people put on you. I don't want to put up labels and walls that would make someone feel excluded."

There are no sermons between songs at Switchfoot shows. The songs do touch on spiritual matters. For instance, "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine" is about seeking redemption. "This Is Your Life" is about self-improvement and searching for more. "Happy Is a Yuppie Word" and "American Dream" are about social injustice. "Yesterdays" is about moving on after a loved one has died.

"The strongest, most honest songs are asking questions and not throwing out answers," Butler said.

Lead singer Jon Foreman and his brother, Tim Foreman, wrote "Yesterdays," which is on the group's latest disc, "Oh! Gravity." Butler said the brothers routinely are asked about the song anywhere they go in the world.

"They wrote it together, but it means different things to each of them," Butler said. "A lyric can be interpreted in so many different ways."

Don't expect to hear too many ballads when Switchfoot performs at Rock Fest, however. Butler said the band likes to play loud.

"We keep it pretty upbeat," Butler said. "It's about bringing the rock. I have some great memories about sweaty rock shows in Wisconsin."

Switchfoot also is known for its work with Habitat For Humanity. The band contributes money from every ticket to the organization, which builds homes for the poor. The tour that kicks off in August is dubbed "The Music Builds Tour," which will include a stop in Minneapolis in October.

"That was really exciting for us to be doing that for Habitat For Humanity," Butler said. "People at the show have gotten involved, and that's what it's about - sparking interest and giving time to your community. We had such a great experience working with that organization. It's something I'm proud to be a part of."

The band has toured regularly for years. Earlier this year, it toured New Zealand, Indonesia and Singapore.

"We got to visit some incredible surfing spots," Butler said. "We're always looking forward to getting out our surfboards."

Right now the group is back at home in San Diego and working on another CD. Butler said he's looking forward to hitting the road again, and he's excited about his first trip to the Chippewa Valley.

"It's going to be an epic night of music," he said.

Featured Video: Switchfoot - This Is Home (Live at North Coast Calvary Chapel)

Yeah, we sorta posted this video already, but I really like it, so it's our featured video this week! Thanks again to Gabby who put this up!

Weekend News: The Music Builds Tour Auction Press Release

For Immediate Release:

THE MUSIC BUILDS TOUR

THIRD DAY, SWITCHFOOT, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, and Jars of Clay

VIP Concert Packages Auction for Charity

100% Benefits Habitat for Humanity affiliates in tour cities
URL: www.ebay.com/musicbuildstour

The winner in each city will receive two premium tickets to the show, a private meet and greet with the bands, tour merchandise, and an autographed copy of the new Third Day album "Revelation" (on-sale July 29th.) Through a program run by Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity, proceeds from this auction will benefit Habitat for Humanity local affiliates in cities where the Music Builds Tour will play this summer and fall. Now that you know about this great auction, you can do YOUR part by helping us spread the word and helping us to help families in need in your own community. Please feel free to post this release or links to your site or blog, and we will take care of the rest.

Chad from Switchfoot: “We dreamed up The Music Builds Tour along with a few friends of ours whose main commonality is a dream to see this world change for the better. Different bands, different backgrounds, one goal: A traveling festival to raise money and awareness for Habitat for Humanity. We think very highly of the people who listen to our music. We are grateful for the open minded audience who have embraced our songs and allowed us to push the boundaries of where the music can go. We invite you to put differences in musical taste aside and focus on our commonalities: we all want to see this world change for the better. We hope that you'll come with us on this next part of the journey and get involved in something much bigger than ourselves."

2008 Music Builds Tour – www.musicbuildstour.com

(Thanks Kerrie Lebourveau from KOMPOLT: Auctions and Events for Cause Marketing)

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

In other words, Switchfoot's "This Is Home" moved up another spot on Radio Disney's Top 30 Countdown. It is now No. 23. Keep voting for it here! Lets aim for Top 15 this week!

"This Is Home" is No. 5 on Air1's top songs this week, down two spots from last week.

Breaking News: Jon Foreman - "Limbs and Branches" and Switchfoot Compilation Albums to be released in October

Thanks to anthemworship on the official message boards for alerting us to this fact.

The new Jon Foreman record coming out in October is going to be called "Limbs and Branches (EP Compilation)." It is set for an Ocotber 28, 2008 release on Sparrow Records/EMI CMG, and (most likely) lowercase people records. It is good to note also, that Jon mentioned to LOBH reporters that it will be a full-length album, with two NEW songs, in addition to the "best-of-the-bunch" compilation.

Also, a Switchfoot "Greatest Hits" release is set for release on that same date, also on Sparrow Records.

Official info courtesy of newreleasetuesday.com


Wow. This is somewhat unexpected. Jon's EP's are still freshly released, and already Sparrow is wanting to put out a compilation CD of pretty much hand-picked selections from already-released material???

Also, what's the need for a Switchfoot "Greatest Hits" release? Makes absolutely no sense, considering Switchfoot has already said they are not leaving Sparrow, nor are they on the verge of breaking up or going on "indefinite hiatus."

I hate to bag on Sparrow or EMICMG, because they ARE a great label and have served Switchfoot very well... but doesn't this seem like a rather obvious money-grabbing move? Discuss!

Switchfoot - "This Is Home" Charts; Plus, a Gig at Daddy Foreman's!

Yes, its that time of week again folks. Here's the new updated R&R Charts.

Christian CHR: 7 (+2 from last week)
Christian Rock: 22 (+3 from last week)

Comments: Looks like "This Is Home" is shaping up to be another huge Christian radio hit. More power to them, but I really hope that this isn't all it becomes. Here's to Disney coming through and helping this single along in the mainstream!

Also, we'll have billboard charts later today or tomorrow.

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

Two days ago (July 8), the Switchfoot guys played a gig at Jon and Tim's Dad Mark Foreman's church, Calvary Chapel North Coast. Our friend Gabby was there and captured all of the performances and posted them on youtube. I took my favorites and embedded them here. To view all of the videos, go to Gabby's youtube channel. Rawk on Gabs! =D

Switchfoot - Meant to Live


Switchfoot - This Is Home


Switchfoot - Dare You to Move


Jon Foreman - Your Love Is Strong

Switchfoot Webcam News, Muskegan Review, and other bits

Live Update (3:31 PM PST): Switchfoot are in the studio!Watch them now! Switchfoot tells us that one of the songs Chad Butler is drumming to is a song called "Anymore."


MLive.com posted a review of the show that Switchfoot played last Saturday in Muskegon, Michigan.

And for the small group of fans out there, Jon Foreman, lead vocalist, really touched home with his audience. He frequently jumped on the gate, grabbed their wrists and sung directly to the ones that came to see them. I was happy that with all the people who weren't paying attention, he was still giving the performance his all. And not just him, the entire band gave its all. And even though it might have been too mellow for me, those qualities make a great performance for the fans.

Read the rest of the review here.

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Speaking of that show, over the weekend, some of us were able to watch the entire thing via Switchfoot's brand new webcam, with audio! Granted, the noise was just too much, and most of the show, audio was hardly discernable, but it was pretty sweet watching a Switchfoot show -- as it was happening!

Our team of writers on the Switchfoot Webcam Blog have all the info for those who missed out.


We have the Setlist thanks to SFROCKS!

SET:
M2L Intro/ Oh! Gravity
Stars
This is your life
Ammunition
Crazy In Love/Gone
Dare You To Move
This is Home
Dirty Second Hands
We Are One/ Shadow
American Dream
On Fire
Awakening

Encore: Meant To Live


amylynnequist posted highlights from the show, as well as some screen caps for you all to enjoy. Here's a recording of the show, from the midway point of "Dirty Second Hands" to the beginning of "We Are One Tonight"



Enjoy!

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For some Charts that I missed over the weekend.

"This Is Home"

Christian Rock: 25 (Debut) [Thanks Chris for pointing that out)
Air1: 3 (-2 from last week)

Ok that's it for today. Peace out friends!

Featured Video: Switchfoot - Stars (Jimmy Kimmel Live) 2005

Weekend News: "This Is Home" on Sportscenter and Radio Disney

The Radio Disney Top 30 Countdown is in today, and Switchfoot's "This Is Home" has moved up one spot from last week, this time parking at No. 24 on the countdown. Vote for it even more this week! Let's try to crack the Top 15 this week! I know it's possible!

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Now, for a series of random and not-so-random things...

First, * * matt * * from the official Switchfoot message boards was reading "The Last Battle," the final book in "The Chronicles of Narnia" series last night, and found what could very well be the inspiration for Jon Foreman, as he was writing "This Is Home":

BOARD POST

It was the Unicorn who summed up what everyone was feeling. He stamped his right forehoof on the ground and neighed, and then cried:

"I have come home at last! This is my real country. I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though i never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this. Bree-hee-hee! Come further up, come further in!"

Unbelievable find, Matt!

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Next, a few people were watching ESPN's Sportscenter, and guess what they heard? That's right! A Switchfoot song! In fact, it was "This Is Home!" Brilliant! Gives us all one more reason to love ESPN (despite all the East Coast b/Yankees/Red Sox/Patriots bias... but that's another story!)

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A Michigan paper covered Switchfoot, as the band is set to play a show tonight in Muskegan, MI.

Today, the group is simply honored to have people spend their hard-earned money to watch them play, Shirley said. Band members are happy to perform whenever and wherever they can -- and hopefully touch people with their lyrics.

"We really want to be able to play anywhere," Shirley said in a telephone interview. "Some people connect the music to something from their past and some people say, 'Hey, I really like your guitar riffs.'

"We kind of release it and see where it goes. Our purpose is the same ... we want to put on the best concert we can."

Lead songwriter Jon Foreman has been acclaimed by fans and critics alike for his heartfelt honesty, his appraisal of the human condition and his willingness to not only embrace his faith, but to express doubt and pain as well. As a result, the band's fan base transcends different beliefs and lifestyles.

"We're music for thinking people because we put a lot of heart and thought into what we write," Shirley said. "Some songs have a heavy message, some are more philosophical. They all sort of have their own personality."

Read the rest here

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Kentucky.com posted a review of Jon's Spring and Summer EP's and gave it 5 of 5 stars!

Music

Jon Foreman

Spring and Summer EPs
5 stars out of 5

The Fourth of July ­week is an appropriate time to to praise a great ­American ­songwriter. With his Spring and ­Summer EPs, Jon ­Foreman has cemented ­himself as just that. We should add that the ­Switchfoot ­frontman is a brave ­songwriter (as some of these songs will land him in Dutch with portions of the Christian music community that made him a star) and an exquisite craftsman.

As on the previous EPs Fall and Winter, Foreman is freed from the ­constraints of the band format, and he uses that space to ­perfectly ­augment songs with what they need. I do not know whether Foreman recorded these six-song sets ­sequentially, but the last two — which have just been released on one CD, the same as the first pair — show growth.

Foreman is a much more blunt songwriter on his own. The rap on ­Switchfoot's songs has often been that they are so couched in ­metaphor and cleverness that the listener could ­easily miss the point. There is no ­missing the point here, though some faith-­community listeners might wish Foreman was murkier when they hear Instead of a Show. In the song, ­Foreman lambastes the church for ­putting on shows while ignoring the hurting world around it.

Some will be angry with Foreman for saying it. Some will say it needed to be said. Either way, Foreman grows as a challenging songwriter on the discs. These EPs also have some of his most ­spiritual writing to date, such as Spring's Your Love Is Strong and Summer's House of God, Forever, an ­interpretation of Psalm 23 that ranks with 24 as one of the loveliest things he's written.

As far as we know, things are good in the Switchfoot camp. But the solo voice that Foreman has started using is quite compelling.

Awesome!

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Now for some CHARTS:

"This Is Home"

Billboard Hot Christian Adult Contemporary: 21 (+4 from last week)
Billboard Hot Christian Songs: 18 (+1 from last week)
Christian CHR: 9 (+5 from last week)

"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Soundtrack"

Billboard Top Soundtracks: 19 (-4 from last week)

"Jon Foreman - Summer EP"

Billboard Top Christian & Gospel Albums: 49 (-19 from last week)
Billboard Top Christian Albums: 39 (-16 from last week)

"Jon Foreman - Spring and Summer"

Billboard Top Christian & Gospel Albums: 41 (debut)
Billboard Top Christian Albums: 31 (debut)

Comments: Sure are a lot of Christian charts on there. "This Is Home" still has yet to make a major impact on the mainstream charts, Prince Caspian is bound to completely fall of the charts in a few more weeks (unless there's a major resurrection and "This Is Home" becomes MASSIVE).

Jon Foreman's "Spring and Summer" could have hit the Billboard 200, in my opinion, if not for the weird shipping issue that's been going on. Target, Walmart, and Best Buy all carried/still carry "Fall and Winter", but have yet to even HEAR about "Spring and Summer." Hopefully that sorts out next week.

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That's it for this weekend edition! Enjoy the post-BBQ/fireworks recovery, friends!

Switchfoot - This Is Home hits videopimp.org's Top Downloads!

Happy 4th of July to all my American compatriots!



Yes, the footsoldiers have hit once again! "This Is Home" was the 3rd most downloaded video on Videopimp.org last week. This is a big deal, because it will be featured on the website for the entire month of July. This should net pretty good exposure amongst the videopimp scene, which seems to consist of more of the FUSE TV/Alternative Rock crowd. Sweetness.

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Also, The Northwestern did an interview with Drew Shirley:

WEEKEND: When bands like Switchfoot say faith influences their material, sometimes people want to file them just in the Christian music category. How have you managed to escape the label?

Drew Shirley: It’s really a privilege to not be labeled. A lot of critics want to label you, and that closes doors. We want to keep the conversation open, would like people to have an open mind when they’re listening to us, not immediately thinking we’re going to be and do something. Let us be ourselves, be the band we are. We kind of call ourselves “music for thinking people” - anybody that will listen and jump into these songs, drive around in them with us.

WEEKEND: Can you give us a little preview of what we can expect from the material off the new album?

Drew Shirley: Yeah. Here, I’ll play you something. (muffled noise, followed by rock-infused tune blaring from speakers) There you go! (laughs) There’s your preview. We’ve got our studio we built here in San Diego, so we’ve got a place to record, our own building where we don’t have rent a studio from anyone else. It’s - we’re just filled with a sense of freedom not being on a record label now, to be able to put out music whenever we want, however we want.

Gotta love Drew. I can so picture him playing guitar for the interviewer... lol

For more from the ever-awesome Drew, go here to read the rest of the article.

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Remember to keep voting for Switchfoot on Radio Disney and Vh1! We're trying to crack the Top 10 on Radio Disney! I believe we can do this!

Switchfoot Studio Webcam Aftermath

Ok everyone. As you all know, the Switchfoot studio webcam is up and better than ever. Featuring live VIDEO streaming (still no audio), it is even better than back in 2006! For those of you poor souls (including myself occasionally) who will be missing parts, if not all, of the webcam this summer, we've formed two new place dedicated to the 2008 Switchfoot webcam!

~~drum roll pleasee...~~~

Tada! First, introducing The Switchfoot Webcam Blog!

There's nothing much in the way of design there yet, but we've got detailed stories already from Jacqui and Chelchie, two of our team members. If you would like to join in and offer up your amazing blogging skills to this, email us at

wereawakening@yahoo.com

Help will be grandly appreciated!


Secondly, dontcloseyoureyez on the official message boards made a Switchfoot Webcam photobucket account for us all to dump our photos in.

Here's what's been seen so far! And feel free to participate, and if you screen cap anything amazing, dump into the bucket!

For password and login details, go here

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In other news, our friends at LOBH continue ceaselessly to out-do themselves.

First off, they have a new interview with Jeff Stone, one of the key editors for our past two favorite Switchfoot music videos, "Awakening" and "This Is Home."

LOBH: Was there any cool footage in the videos that got cut out? What do you do with the extra footage?
Jeff: There was PLENTY of amazing footage that was cut out of "Awakening". Tony Hale and Adam Campbell are such great actors---they were basically given the green light to do what they wanted---and we ended up with too much. The video was really about deciding what was the best of the best, not just what was usable. All that extra footage exists somewhere on a hard drive...possibly to never be seen again. For "Home" we had a similar amount of outtakes, most of which was hard to cut out.


LOBH: How long did it take you to edit Awakening? How long did it take you to edit This Is Home?
Jeff: Awakening was originally a 4 day edit, we ended up going almost two weeks. Our cut was done in 5 days, then we had to begin the process of creating the game footage. We cut the footage in the computer, printed every frame on multiple printers and then had too many guys cutting, organizing and manipulating those cut outs. Photos were taken and we then cut that footage into the video and composited it onto the TVs. Phew. Home was around 7 days. Much more manageable and straightforward. We working with Disney and the Narnia people, so part of what we were dealing with was the availability of footage from the film. More than once we had to replace shots we really wanted to use.

Read the FULL INTERVIEW here! You won't want to miss it!

LOBH also has a scan of Switchfoot in none other than Alternative Press Magazine!



Switchfoot promoting bad posture?! YES! More power to them!


All of this makes me think Land of Broken Hearts should publish a magazine... hmm...?

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Also, Jon Foreman talked to crossrhythms UK about his solo ep's.

Mike: So doesn't that mean that as a songwriter you haven't really got a hope of communicating anything. It sounds very wonderfully post-modern, Jon, everybody getting from a song whatever they can.

Jon: Everyone's going to take something that doesn't belong from a song. I think the idea of conversation is an incredible concept. You can actually converse with people through a medium like song. You say your point of view and then of course, no matter whether you like it or not, they're going to have the other side. For me it's been an amazing journey to see people taking different things from the songs, applying it to their own lives.

Tony: I would consider you an artist and a serious artist but don't you think it ironic that much of pop and rock music is shallow and banal yet whenever an artist tries to bring a more thoughtful and creative dynamic to his or her music critics are lining up to call it overblown or pretentious or things like that?

Jon: Yeh. I think that is a tendency right now. The easiest thing to do is throw a rock. It's a lot harder to create a stained glass window. I used to get upset at the people who threw rocks but now I'd rather spend my time building the stained glass windows.

Mike: There is a song, "Baptise My Mind", which reminds me very much of Sufjan Steven's albums. In fact, Sufjan is playing on it.

Jon: I definitely wanted to give him a nod on 'Spring' because I find his music very sprightly. It was also incredible to get a chance to work with a friend of mine named Karl Denson who's in a band called the Greyboy Allstars, kind of a legendary band around San Diego. So he played this incredible flute solo half way through. It was a really fun thing to be able to work with him.

Read the full interview here

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Lastly,
keep voting for Switchfoot on Radio Disney and Vh1! We need to give Switchfoot all the help and support that we can give!

Switchfoot Studio WebCam... is UP AND OPERATIONAL!

Look what I found...

LINK

Could this be the brand new webcam the guys will be broadcasting from? That would be pretty cool to see real "live" action, rather than just the screen cap-style webcam, circa 2006. I'll miss that one for sure, but this could be cool!

EDIT: (11:18 AM) The webcam is up and operational! The guys are sitting at what looks like the control table right now!!

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"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" hit UK and most of Europe over the weekend, and blogs are buzzing about not only the movie, but Switchfoot's song, "This Is Home"

UIBmusicworld

EOP.org

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Mr. Andy Barron update the daily foot! Gotta love this picture



Shirleysburg, Pennsylvania (No, Drew does not live there! haha)

Tarrytown, New York

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Here's a story that CMspin posted about Jon Foreman's ep's, citing several online blogger/critic magazine sites, and has some quotage from Jon Foreman.

The EPs are a return to a renewed emphasis on Foreman’s remarkably and consistently perceptive lyrics, as well as the types of soundscapes which best frame his impassioned vocals.” – PopMatters

“Jon Foreman in the last couple of years has mastered the skill of being brutally honest in the lyrics he sings, yet never letting the poetic element suffer.” – The Album Project (in a 5 out of 5 review)

"It appears he's gone out on his own, into nature, into a stark, jutting precipice, to think about life, heaven and the pursuit of happiness - him and his guitar. The product is earthly introspection compacted into 4 album EPs." – RCRD LBL, April 2008

“…Foreman uses relatively obscure scripture as the source for meaningful, sometimes worshipful songs. By the same turn, Foreman changes up familiar passages (such as Psalm 23 and the Lord's Prayer) into something fresh and new sounding. It goes to show that oft-used source material can become revitalized in the hands of a master songwriter like Foreman…” – ChristianMusicToday.com

“What’s great about Jon Foreman is his originality of ideas, and the way he takes conceptual music styles and makes them tangible.” – Aced Magazine

“If there's something we've come to expect from EP to EP from Jon Foreman, it's that each one will include introspective criticism, a poetic look at love and loss, and an artistic view of spirituality, God, or the church.” – JesusFreakHideout.com

“Switchfoot lead vocalist/guitarist has channeled his inner Vivaldi to take the power of four to a new level by recording a quartet of six-song EPs...” – San Diego Citybeat

“Jon Foreman is a superlative songwriter. Lyrically, these EPs impress over and over.” – BlogCritics Magazine

“The seasonal artistic responses of Jon Foreman absolutely come alive on the final two of four entries, Spring and Summer…Foreman displays brilliant sonic works of art for those willing to enter into his solo gallery.” – Soul-Audio.com

Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer each serve as a chapter of Foreman’s stripped down, intimate and direct vision. It is one that begins with a foray into death and decay, but eventually transforms into reflections on growth and rebirth. All four discs were produced by Foreman with Grammy-nominated Charlie Peacock serving as the executive producer. Notably, the song “The Cure For Pain,” from Fall, was used in the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy.

Some people write songs to get famous or gain respect, but Foreman writes songs to understand himself. “I write questioning songs,” he says. “I’m interested in reading philosophy and trying to figure things out. The melodies come to me quite easily so it’s the poets, philosophers and psalmists that help me put the melodies where they belong. The songs assist me in the challenge of knowing who I am, so the shoulders of great writers are a good place to start.”
Encouraged by the other Switchfoot members to release his solo EPs, one thing that Jon is certain of is that the solo records won’t distract from the band. “I really feel that the next Switchfoot album will be our defining record,” he says excitedly. “The EPs have been incredibly liberating. I paid for everything, I wrote everything and I produced everything. There is nothing I could do that could be more personal and over which I could have more control.

“I feel that this has allowed me to face the next Switchfoot project with my arms open wider. I’m in a band with these other guys who all have great ideas, and I need to be able to loosen the reins. This has been a chance for me to get that out of my system. It’s been a real rebirth to be able to have both sides come out into the light.”

Read the rest here

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HearitFirst posted a video in which Jon and Jerome Fontamillas talk about Switchfoot's involvement with Habitat For Humanity once again for this fall's Music Builds Tour.



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keep voting for Switchfoot on Radio Disney and Vh1! We need to give them all the help we can get!