Fiction Family schedules a National Tour (Jan. 15-Feb. 10)

It appears that Fiction Family is going to be doing a comprehensive, near month-long national tour in support of their debut album. According to EMI CMG Distribution, it will kick off Jan. 15 and run through Feb. 10 of next year, hitting more than 15 cities along the way!

Also, here's a glimpse into what the marketing strategy is looking like for the album, at least on Credential/EMI's side of the equation.

# Cross promotion to BOTH bands' databases, which is close to 150,000 total! Cross promotional efforts include free downloads, online street team support, and physical street team support
# National headlining Fiction Family tour scheduled Jan. 15-Feb. 10 hitting over 15 cities.
# Targeted press and online promotions to Mainstream & Christian music sites, publications and blogs
# Video for "When She's Near" available and worked to all applicable Christian & Mainstream outlets.

^I'm liking that last line. :)



Side note, it looks like Fiction Family IS going to be marketed to Christian outlets too... I'm lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. But anyhow, exciting times ahead friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving my friends. It's been amazing so far, and I'm so thankful for everything I have. Let's take some time today to be with our loved ones and appreciate them...

And to the Switchfoot guys, if you ever read this, thanks for being one of the most amazing bands on the planet! You never cease to amaze us with your music, your dedication to the Switchfams like us, and just being ridiculously generous people to the rest of the world.

Keep burning out bright! We're behind you, pray that you have a great day today with family and loved ones. Thank you Switchfoot.

Click here to read the recent email the guys sent out.

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One other random news bit, Jon Foreman's song "Your Love Is Strong" moved up two spots this week on the CHR charts. Woot!

New Switchfoot Email: 2008 Switchfoot Holiday Pack

Dear Amigos,

We wanted to send you a Happy Thanksgiving note, as well as make sure you are up to date on all things Switchfoot!

THE 2008 SWITCHFOOT HOLIDAY PACK The Holiday Pack is here! This year the Holiday Pack includes: The BEST YET Deluxe Edition CD/DVD, New Poster, Choice of T-Shirt or Hoodie, Christmas Card, Unreleased Switchfoot B-Side "We Are Bound", and Unreleased Jon Foreman Solo Song (Live from Hotel Cafe). The BEST YET CD includes the newly released song "This Is Home", as well as such tracks as "Dare You To Move," Meant To Live," and "This Is Your Life." The DVD contains 14 music videos and band commentary, including video favorites like "Stars", "Dare you to Move", and "Meant To Live", along with rarities spanning our entire career. This special package is now available and in limited quantities. So place your order now, and have a Christmas party in November!

Purchase the Holiday Package HERE


"THIS IS HOME" - NEW VIDEO We are excited to let you know that our new video for "This Is Home" is available to view! We shot some live footage during the Music Builds Tour this past Fall, and put together a great live video for our new song "This Is Home." We love it, and hope you do too. http://www.youtube.com/user/Switchfoot



FICTION FAMILY - JANUARY 20TH RELEASE
Jon and his pal Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek have partnered together for an amazing project called Fiction Family. The self-titled debut will be released on January 20th 2009 through ATO Records. You can hear their first single "When She's Near" at www.fictionfamily.com. If you want more info on Fiction Family, make sure to sign up for their official email list at www.fictionfamily.com. They will be announcing tour dates soon!



TOUR WITH 3 DOORS DOWN
Switchfoot will be joining 3 Doors Down on tour this December throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic US. Please click here to see complete list of tour dates. http://www.switchfoot.com/touring.htm



NEW ALBUM
We've been in the studio for the past few weeks working on our new record, and it's sounding really great. We can't wait for everyone to hear these new tunes, and we are planning on releasing the album in summer 09.

As always, thanks for singing along.

- jon, tim, chad, jerome, and drew

Fiction Family: Enter the Art Dude

The Art Dude is hard at work on the new Fiction Family record. Who is the Art Dude, you may ask? Read the latest blog from Sean Watkins and you shall see...

Tuesday, November 25, 2008


Art Dude working away!

This is Andy Barron, our good buddy and art dude for the record. That's his official title by the way...Art Dude. Anyway what he's holding up is the dwindling check list of things to do for the record to be done and ready to print. (He's been busy!)
Very exciting! It's all happening very soon.
Before you know it, Fiction Family will be in your town!
Wheeeeee!
Sean

the massive to-do list



the massive to-do list done!

Ah, the Art Dude is none other than our very own Andy Barron of Switchfoot and Jon Foreman photography fame! The guy is a beast, and it's looking like this record's artwork is in excellent hands. Can't wait to see what's in store!

Some more reviews

Christianity Today for Jon Foreman's EP's:

When Switchfoot left CCM label Sparrow and signed with Columbia Records in 2003, they became one of the hottest pop-rock acts in mainstream music. Some wondered why they had "abandoned" their roots, playing solely secular venues and singing songs decidedly lacking in JPMs (Jesuses Per Minute).

But the band—and the brains behind it, singer-songwriter Jon Foreman—hadn't jumped ship at all. They were simply playing the songs born in Foreman's inquisitive mind: "I'm interested in reading philosophy and trying to figure things out," he says.

Foreman apparently had more of those songs up his sleeve, judging by the recent release of four solo EPs—six songs each—under the titles Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer (4 stars for the set). The music is stark and spare, rough and unpolished. Foreman and his guitar are everywhere, but it's the creative inclusion of other instruments—trumpets, harmonica, tuba, even a Chinese guzheng—that give the music its most noteworthy twists. This is not Switchfoot-lite; this is free-association Foreman unfolding in a blend of the Socratic and the spiritual.

Read the rest here

Evade the Noise reviewed Switchfoot's "The Best Yet":

Interestingly enough, I haven’t purchased or even listened to either of their two albums following The Beautiful Letdown (that is Nothing Is Sound or Oh! Gravity) and yet I only found three songs on The Best Yet that I actually hadn’t heard. I’m assuming the last two records just didn’t do as well or bring the hits the band was hoping for. Personally, I thought they were putting out way too many albums in a short period of time and just trying to ride the wave that was The Beautiful Letdown–their certified double platinum album. In fact, Oh! Gravity and Nothing Is Sound were both released within a year of each other and I don’t think I’ve really missed much.

FULL REVIEW

That's all for now. Peace!

Jonas Brothers cover a Switchfoot song...?

I'm going to keep my personal comments mum on this. But what do you all think? Discuss.

One thing I'm kinda sure of, watch "Twenty Four" become one of Switchfoot's highest selling songs on iTunes... hehe. Just kidding.

Featured Video: Switchfoot - This Is Home

Yeah it's not a real featured video, but since it's a brand new, freshly released, official music video, I thought it deserved the space today. Spread the word, link it on facebook, myspace, and what not. We'll see if "This Is Home" can become a hit yet...

In my opinion, this video captures the essence of Switchfoot more than a lot of their videos have. This is truly home for the band... making that connection with the fans that mean a lot to them...

Viva la Switchfoot!

BRAND NEW "THIS IS HOME" MUSIC VIDEO

No that's not a typo. There's a brand new MUSIC VIDEO for "This Is Home." Apparently they re-shot it for Sony...??

Speechless really.

UPDATE: It's up for purchase on iTunes as well! I smell a strong radio push, and/or mtv... hmm...?

iTunes

Jon Foreman - "Your Love Is Strong" hits CHR radio!

As was reported a month or so ago, EMI CMG has been working Jon Foreman's single, "Your Love Is Strong" to radio. It's charting now on Christian CHR formats, currently sitting at No. 29, and it's picking up steam. We'll see if it hits the charts hard, and whether a few mainstream radio stations will give it some spinnage...

Switchfoot - This Is Home (Live Battleground Earth) [2008] Video Performance

Here's the second part to the Battleground Earth performance the Switchfoot guys did a month ago. The song on this video is "This Is Home," and is edited in the middle (for time's sake, I suppose) so don't be surprised if it sounds slightly awkward at a certain point.

Oh, and if you missed the first part ("Meant to Live") that we uploaded, go here to catch up!

Another Switchfoot "The Best Yet" Review...

CCMmagazine reviewed "The Best Yet." Since there's not much to update on today, here's the full article:

A GENERALLY COMPREHENSIVE CAREER SPANNING COLLECTION

With over 10 years of recording and touring under its belt, Switchfoot is more than ready for a greatest hits compilation. The most exciting part about The Best Yet is it not only the fact it compiles all the monster hits from the band’s Columbia Records crossover years, but it also includes a handful of tunes from its often overlooked re:think era. Throughout a generous 18 tracks, the group’s evolution from a simple surf-pop band to ingenious alternative act is apparent, with Jon Foreman’s provocative lyrics steering the well-oiled ship the entire time.

“Dare You To Move” is a fitting opening given its anthemic presence, followed by one of the most memorable guitar riffs in Christian music history—“Meant To Live.” This trip down memory lane should also be applauded for the power surging “Stars,” the grimy alternative grinder “Oh! Gravity,” the empowering ballad “Leaning To Breathe” and the carefree sing-a-long “Company Car.” Other crests include the electronically enhanced “This Is Your Life,” the distortion drenched “Dirty Second Hands” and the well-preserved early grunge track “Concrete Girl.”

The disc also features the band’s recent cut “This Is Home,” an entrancing power ballad first found on the soundtrack to The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. However, that’s the only hint of Switchfoot’s future direction, as no additional new songs are included (despite the tradition of at least a few upcoming tunes on most retrospective discs). And even with the otherwise stacked track listing, there are a few disappointing retro omissions, including the bubbly “Chem 6A” and even more memorable “New Way To Be Human.” Of course, die-hard fans probably already own those singles and neither are absolutely essential to The Best Yet banner, which makes this otherwise comprehensive project an indispensable single disc overview of Switchfoot’s extraordinary career thus far. –Andy Argyrakis

Well said. Peace friends! =D

Switchfoot's "The Best Yet" Opening Billboard Chart Position

According to MTV news, Switchfoot's "The Best Yet" came into the Billboard 200 Albums chart at #123, moving approximately 4,500 copies at retail.

A bit disappointing, but not too surprising. I haven't seen these in Target or Best Buy or Wal Mart... have any of you? It seems like Sony isn't really putting much effort behind the release, which is not too big of a suprise either... but at least get the thing into stores! So far, it seems only Christian outlets sell the CD; Credential Recordings is doing a great job once more with the record.

But there's your little news tidbit for today. Nothing much else going on on the Switchfoot front. Peace and Happy Friday!

"The Best Yet" Commercial

Pretty sweet... =)

Here's some reviews too:

World Magazine
The Celebrity Cafe
The Album Project

Sorry this was a rather quick update... been sort of busy. Will be back soon! Thanks for reading everyone!

Featured Video: Switchfoot - Meant to Live (Battleground Earth) [2008]

Switchfoot "The Best Yet" and "This Is Home" shooting up the iTunes Charts!

THE BEST YET:

No. 11 on iTunes Top Rock Albums!
(Proof):


No. 61 on iTunes Top Albums Overall!
(Proof):


THIS IS HOME

No. 99 on iTunes Top Songs Overall!


We've cracked the Top 100! Sound the trumpets, summon the boars! And if you haven't bought it yet and have extra coin to spare, help it up the charts! we might get some chartage yet for this single!

~puts away caffeine~

Fiction Family Website Updated; "The Best Yet" results

Fictionfamily.com has been updated. Check it out now! There's a cool little video blurb, and the site is also streaming Fiction Family's single "When She's Near" in hi-fi quality. Yes.

Oh, and the band has a new Facebook page, and Sean Watkins wrote a little introduction blurb. It's pretty interesting hearing the story from his perspective this time, after hearing Jon Foreman's side for all this time.

Hello friends!

The wait is nearly over. Fiction Family's debut record is eponymous and upon us..... relatively, being that we've been threatening to release it for the last couple years.

Fiction Family is myself (Sean Watkins) and Jon Foreman (Switchfoot) and we've been working on a record together for the last three years. Unofficially we met maybe 12 years ago, in the parking lot of Off Shore Surf Shop in Carlsbad, CA. We both had just gotten out of the water and were introduced by a mutual friend who wanted us to meet cause we were musicians....we shook hands and gave each other a smile that said..."sure you're in a band, aren't we all?" But officially, we met backstage at a music festival in downtown San Diego called Street Scene. Nickel Creek and Switchfoot were playing one after another.

Anyhow, the record started as simple plan to co-write a song, which then then turned into a plan to make a 3 song garage EP, which was so fun we decided to make it a 5 song EP, which led to the idea of making it 7 songs and the ability to sell it for $10. As soon as money entered the equation, it was all over folks. At that point we realized that with just a few more songs we'd have a real record... that would of course, sell millions, alter the course of rock and roll and make us rich and lazy.....of course, i kid.....partly. Not kidding about the being lazy part. Anyway, it's coming out January 20th and we're very excited. It's really icing on the cake that this record is even being released properly. ATO none the less. Ideal, really.

Most of the time while making this record, we were thinking that we'd probably end up just giving it away online and perhaps play a few shows. Just that sounded fun and fulfilling enough for the work we were putting into it. We recorded it all at our homes in north county San Diego. The basic tracking was done as he and i playing in front of a few mics at his or my house on the very rare days that we were both off the road over the last couple years. When one of us had time off and the other was touring, whoever was home would chip away at the songs alone and send emails with overdub/harmony/etc ideas. With a just few exceptions we played all of the instruments on it. Not on purpose, but more because it was just easy and the songs ended coming to life at random times and sporadicly. It was a very relaxed and home oriented project.

I've never worked on any recording project in such a non pre-concieved and organic way. It was freeing to have no time frame, no one looking over your shoulder, no idea what it would end up as and no musical manifesto. And at times, it was a little frustrating for those same reasons. Thankfully ATO stepped in and agreed to release it which gave us motivation and a timeline for having it all finalized, turned in and done. The old adage that "you never finish a record, you just stop working on it" holds true. Whereas, we could have had endless fun adding and changing this record, it was nice to put it in the can and move toward getting out to you fine folks. Ultimately it was a wonderful experience that yielded a record we're both proud of and very invested in.

Hope y'all like it too!

-sean

For some reason, I really liked the ATO mention... hm. ;)

And in more Fiction Family news, Paste magazine has a new article about the act. Check it out here.

One interesting tid-bit: "Sara Watkins will lend her fiddle to an undisclosed number of songs." Interesting...

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Now, moving on to some Switchfoot news!

"The Best Yet" is currently featured on the iTunes "What We're Listening To" section. Awesome!



On the charts, "The Best Yet" is:

No. 12 on the iTunes rock charts


No. 65 on the top Albums overall


Also:
"This Is Home" is No: 12 on the Rock Singles Chart on iTunes


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Also, here are new reviews for "The Best Yet":

Christianity Today

Christian Today

WOW. Seriously, how uncreative can you get? haha.

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In other news, "This Is Home" was added to a new Hot AC station this week: KSII

KSII Adds


Maybe this is a result of the radio reship a couple of weeks ago? We shall see...

Switchfoot - The Best Yet Release Day!

Switchfoot has come a long way. Today, we finally formally (I suppose) close the door on an era. The Sony years have come and gone, and "The Best Yet" is a closing of that chapter in the band's career. Here's to many more years, and many more great hits from the band. Can't wait 'til the new album hits stores, and we'll be raving about them, best-case-scenario, a few months from now. For now, lets take the time to remember the past 11 years of the band's existence, and look to the future, with Jerome's sunglasses on. "The future looks so bright you needa wear shades..." ;)

BUY:

iTunes
Amazon
Amazon Mp3
Bandform (Standard)



Deluxe

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Here's a review of "The Best Yet" posted on JFH.org.

SOURCE

The writer makes a good point about how other less-deserving bands have gotten better treatment for their "greatest hits." (THIRD DAY?!?!)

Ok.

Also, a new "Limbs and Branches" review:



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On myspace, there's a new celebrity playlist posted last Friday, of Switchfoot's "Memories of Home While Touring" playlist, featuring songs by Feist, Mute-math, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Cure, penelope, Death Cab for Cutie, silversun pickups, Delta Spirit, PHOENIX, and My Morning Jacket. Check it out. Pretty sweet!