Here's a video of Switchfoot playing "Daisy" Saturday night in Houston.
^Interesting take on the ending rock portion of the song. Not sure if I like it yet. :P What do you all think?
Also, here's a video of "Free" at the Oklahoma City show a few days back
^That song is amazing live.
"Meant to Live" Live 94.5 The Buzz Houston
"Dare You to Move" from the same performance
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Christianity Today did an interview last week with Jon Foreman. It's quite insightful to hear what Jon says, as usual. Check it out:
What are some of the Big Things you're saying with the new album?
This record communicates hope. I've gone through really dark times, when I can't find hope to write about. This was the hardest record we've ever made, because we were pushing for something bigger than we already attained. A big part of that lyrically was trying to push through the clouds to find the hope that transcends the pain.
What can you tell us about those dark times?
The past four years of my life have been among the darkest times I've ever been through. To tell you more here would be giving a piece of myself that I feel less comfortable with. I'd rather sing it out. It's all in the songs. I'm incredibly fortunate to be able to hide behind lyrics!
With songs like "Red Eyes," "Sing It Out," "Mess of Me," and "Hello Hurricane," it's not the typical "positive and encouraging" CCM album, but you still say it's an album of hope. What is that hope?
Hope, for me, does not ever start with a sunny day. Hope, for me, does not start with what you've already attained. If it's there in front of you physically, it's no longer faith. Hope is an expectancy that is by the very nature of the word built into the future. Many of these songs are singing from a place where the punchline of joy and happy endings has not yet arrived. We're still living in a very broken world. I still have a broken heart. It's from that context that hope is possible. This record is definitely singing from broken places, but it's not landing there. It's continuing to press further than where the song began. Music is this incredible vehicle where I'm allowed to figure things out for myself in the song.
Read the rest here!
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One blogger reviews "Hello Hurricane." Here's an excerpt:
As a result, “new Switchfoot album” wasn’t really something I was thinking about when November rolled around, and it wasn’t until I kept hearing about how good it was from everyone that I decided to hit Amazon MP3 and see if it lived up to the hype. Let me just start by spoiling my conclusion a bit and note that the album is now repeating for the third time and I still have an idiot grin on my face.
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The Examiner posted a review of the show at the Roxy from a couple weeks ago. A little late, but good nonetheless. I thought I'd take some liberties and repost it in its entirety.
Jon Foreman seemed to magically appear standing on a table in the middle of the Roxy singing a wordless refrain while the band played from the stage. The front man smiled benevolently, encouraging audience participation until they sang without him.
A simple yet confident opening speech swirled into "Needle and Haystack Life."
"Hello Hollywood, Hello Hurricane. We're Switchfoot."
From the audience response, one would never guess that the song is a non-single from a new album. The lyrics exhort the audience, "Don't let go, don't give up hope. All is forgiven. You're breathing in the highs and lows. We call it living." After "Needle and Haystack Life," Foreman asked if it would be OK that they decided to play the new album from start to finish in track order. The audience cheered their approval.
"Mess of Me," their lead single, electrified the room. They rocked it like a classic. The lyrics resounded clearly over power chords, "I am my own affliction, I am my own disease. There ain´t no drug that they could sell, Ah there ain´t no drugs to make me well."
They told a story sonically and visually. Seagulls suspended delicately from the rafters throughout the Roxy seemed have flown out of the album cover backdrop. The lighting varied with songs and verses to emphasize changing moods. The band put their album out on vinyl and reminded the audience of where they would turn over the record. The audience cheered.
The band brought in new instruments--a piano, a mandolin, a harmonica, an accordion. They played tightly and tunefully.
Keyboardist Fontamillas played more instruments than one could keep track of. Lead singer Jon Foreman sang with meaning and conviction, from the gentle caress of his falsetto, to his full voice in mid range. His plaintive tones on "Your Love is A Song" made the song emotive and unforgettable; far more memorable live than the studio version. The audience sang along heartily.
In the midst of the singing along, bobbing heads and relationship with the audience, one can't help but think there is something missing. Ironically, "Bullet Soul" gave a danceable, singable Nirvanaesque sound replete with power chords and cowbell. Fontamillas stepped to the front playing the cowbell to syncopated glory while Foreman sang from inside the crowd and even took pictures of the crowd with a fan's camera. However, it left a fever for more; more songs with variety like 2006's single "Oh! Gravity." Both the opening and the title song on "Hello Hurricane" show elements of surprise with varied textures, drum accents, and active counter melodies.
Switchfoot ensconced the overall sound in a blanket of relative sonic safety for this new album. To be fair, however, their infectious spirit of fraternity, solidarity, love of what they do, musical talent, and connection with their audience can cause even a cynic to sing along. Hopefully, they will use their newfound indie stardom as a sonic switchfoot to experiment with their sound again.
True to name, they certainly did a switchfoot by having greater success in alternative markets after Sony/BMG dropped them. They have not had an American Top 40 single since 2006, but that isn't everything. They market themselves using social media--Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube. Switchfoot invented a scavenger hunt through Blogger site that involves hiding "Mess of Me" both physically at disclosed locations and digitally on the internet. "Hello Hurricane" is now being distributed by Atlantic. The band's dedicated fans think Switchfoot still has something to say about having some hope in this world. A lesser band would have given up. Switchfoot is not a lesser band.
^Very nice. Read the source article here
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PLEASE check out Bleah's awesome new FootColumn, in which she writes about a recent interview Drew Shirley had with her local radio station. Read it here
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CHARTS
Good news. Over the weekend, "Mess of Me" jumped up two spots on the Alternative charts, and now rests at No. 26. Keep the requesting up!
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VOTING
Don't forget to take the time to vote! Also, as already said, remember to continue to request "Mess of Me" on your local rock stations! I can't emphasize how important it is for us to make our presence felt at our local radio stations. Our friend Bleah worked tirelessly on her radio station, and they have begun to play "Mess of Me!" Great job!
Our work will pay dividends. "Hello Hurricane" has already debuted and made a mark on the Billboard charts. It's now our job to make this a very long and fruitful album cycle for the band! The way to do that is to help with radio and voting. Thanks friends for your time. :)
- WRRV (No. 1!)
- 98.7 (Los Angeles) Badass 8 WE WERE NO. 3 AGAIN LAST FRIDAY 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!
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Again, please 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!
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