Friday, November 20, 2009

Thoughts on the upcoming OneRepublic Tour

Been hearing a lot of reactions over the news that Switchfoot will be going out on tour with OneRepublic. Some are confused (styles are different?), angry (another opening tour??), and some are ecstatic. Here are some of my thoughts on this:

I'm all for the band gaining new fans. I love Switchfoot, and if I can share them with as many people as possible, I don't mind. Touring isn't always going to be about pleasing the old regular fams; it's also about getting the word out and gaining new fans too. If this tour will help in that aspect, and possibly set up a bigger headlining tour in the summer or fall, SWEET.

OneRepublic is HUGE –– they'll definitely attract the younger Top 40 demographic; this should reacquaint Switchfoot with the mainstream audience quite well. So far, the rock crowd has been appealed to in promotion, with "Mess of Me" at radio and "The Sound" on the Blackberry commercials. Maybe this is the band's way of letting the pop world know, "Hey, we're still here!" Maybe they'll release "Your Love Is a Song" to radio to coincide with this tour? Maybe?

So, if you don't like the other band enough, or are not happy that Switchfoot is opening for a bigger act (again), then you don't have to go. The Hello Hurricane tour is still going strong, so be sure to go ahead and get on out there! Otherwise, there's always next time. :]

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Hearitfirst.com has some more exclusive Switchfoot interview videos where they talk about the album and "Sing It Out." Check 'em out. It's a great watch/listen.

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Switchfoot apparently has a new tribute album! Target.com has this listing. Go there to listen to previews... I'm very very tempted to grab this. Sounds really good.

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IN THE NEWS

NewsOK.com has an article about Switchfoot. Check it out:

Their plan for the tour — which began Sunday in San Diego, their hometown, and reaches the Diamond Ballroom in Oklahoma City on Monday — is to play "Hello Hurricane” in its entirety, followed by fan favorites from previous records. Foreman said the home audience liked the heaping helping of new tunes just fine.

"We had no idea what to expect,” Foreman said. "We’ve never done anything like this. In the more than six records that we’ve put out, we’ve never actually played the entire record from Track 1 to Track 12. So, it was a new experience for us. It was really quite moving.”

Foreman saw fans responding as enthusiastically to the anthemic "This Is the Sound” ("This is the sound from the discontented mouths of a haunted nation!”) and the Bono/Edgy-sounding "Needle and Haystack Life” as they did to the hits ("Dare You to Move,” "Meant to Live”).

"It’s always fun to play new songs, but usually you spread them out over the course of an evening of music where you’re playing songs that everyone’s familiar with, along the way,” Foreman said.


Read the rest here.

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The Great Falls Tribune posted a glowing review of "Hello Hurricane."

It is my belief that any song, or album, should not be judged according to the first impression it leaves, but on how many times you are forced to hit the replay button and how long it sticks in your head.

The latest Switchfoot CD, "Hello Hurricane," is a perfect example. On the first run-through it seems to be only a good album — not a great one. And to be perfectly honest, on some of the most beautiful songs ("Your Love is a Song," for instance), the initial impression is that lead singer Jon Foreman had a mild case of laryngitis while recording. But for some reason you play it again ... and again ... and then you're humming it for the rest of the day, and maybe singing it when no one's around. That's a great album.


^SO true. Read the rest of it here

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CHARTS

"Mess of Me" holds strong at No. 27 on the Alternative charts. It continues to increase in spins, and things are looking good for a long, successful chart run –– IF we hold up our end of the bargain and request it at our local radio stations. Please make sure to do that! It's definitely working. Details below.

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VOTING

Don't forget to take the time to vote! Also, remember, remember, remember to request "Mess of Me" on your local rock stations! 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

- 98.7 (Los Angeles) Badass 8 WE WERE NO. 3 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!

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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!

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