"Hello Hurricane" has reportedly sold 200,000+; Switchfoot set to return to San Diego County Fair

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EDIT: LOBH reports that exact sales figure is currently at over 230,829 copies sold.

According to San Diego's 91x radio station, a staunch supporter of Switchfoot's last single, "The Sound," "Hello Hurricane" has sold 200,000+ copies in the U.S. They reported this on their recent New Music feature for the current Switchfoot single, "Bullet Soul." Screen cap below:



To see the source, head over here.

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In other news, Switchfoot is set to return for the San Diego County Fair (formerly the Del Mar Fair). This will be the fourth time in the last five years the band has graced their hometown's fair.

LINK for details and more.

In other San Diego news, Switchfoot is mentioned in North Count Times' Year in Review article, which you can read here.

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Ok, last item today, Buzz 103 in South Florida posted their interview with Switchfoot during the Buzz Bakesale a couple weeks back. It's worth listening to, as the band talk about their year as well as jokingly discussing a possible box set of unreleased Switchfoot songs, sponsored by Fed Ex.

LINKAGE.

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In site news, be sure to be on the look-out for our Year-In-Review/What to look forward to in 2011 post, which should be coming out on the first day of 2011. PEACE!

Watch Switchfoot's FULL SET from KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas

For up to date (most of the time) news and original opinions before they hit the update, follow us on Twitter!

"Oh! Gravity." turns four years old today!

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For those of you who missed out on Switchfoot's performance on KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas show when it live streamed a couple weeks ago, good news!

TheAudioPerv.com has posted a full stream of Switchfoot's performance. It is a direct recording of the Ustream feed that was live streaming the day of, and is of great quality. Here it is below:



^That was incredibly good for a short, 20-minute set. The band really owned that stage and won that crowd over.

Be sure to head over to the AudioPerv website and leave them a thank-you note.

Merry Christmas

To all our dear readers, friends, and family, Merry Christmas! May your holiday be filled with wonderment, joy, and delight.

Here's a toast to a wonderful 2010, and to an incredible 2011 for all!

11-hour Fiction Family mixing session!

For up to date (most of the time) news and original opinions before they hit the update, follow us on Twitter!

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The other half of the original Fiction Family pair tweeted some big news yesterday. Sean Watkins took to Twitter to say that he and Jon Foreman were "furiously" mixing the new record.

- Finished the last of 24 Much Ado About Nothing shows last night. Was so fun. Today, mixing @fictionfamily furiously with @jonforeman!!!

Later that day,

- A great 11 hour @fictionfamily mixing session today. Tomorrow is the Watkins Family Hour crimbus show! Wheeee!

^The dude sounds giddy. We're all excited to hear new tunes as well. Are you glad Jon is working on new side project music, or do you wish he would focus on writing great Switchfoot records? Let us know in the comments!

Mega Year-end Update? (Maybe so)

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Hey friends! It's winter time, finals are over, and it's raining like the Niagara falls here in Southern California. I'd like to take this time to apologize for the lack of updates lately, because life has been really crazy for me. But now that school has wound down, I can finally sit down and write this update. So sit tight, grab a cup of hot chocolate, and hang out with us for a little bit!

- Job

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First off, for a recap of Switchfoot's gig at KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas, head over to our last post. Here's a pre-show interview the guys did with the station:



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In other wonderful KROQ-related news, looks like "The Sound" got played enough on the station to make it back ontp KROQ's Top 30 songs list for last week!

LINK

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After the KROQ gig, Switchfoot headed down I-5 to their hometown of San Diego to play 91x's Wrex the Halls. Here's "Meant to Live":



and "The Sound":



and "Sabotage":



and "Dare You to Move":



The band also played a show in Milwaukee later that week.

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Paper Tongues, the band that has really grown this year thanks to their associations with Switchfoot, did a cover of "Proud Mary." And who else is on it but Jon Foreman! Check it out:



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And here is the last item of today.

Switchfoot's 2010 has paid HUGE dividends, especially in terms of the Billboard charts. We saw "The Sound" reach No. 7 on the Alternative Songs chart, two spots higher than "Dare You to Move."

Turns out the band has also made its way onto several Year-end charts as well! This means that Switchfoot has had the longevity to make it onto one of these charts.

First, "The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues)" comes in at No. 25 on Alternative Songs:



Secondly, Switchfoot is Billboard's No. 7 Christian-related artist of the year!



Third, "Hello Hurricane" is the No. 7 Christian-related record of the year!



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It's been an incredible, incredible year. Switchfoot, thanks for another one and let's hope 2011 is even greater, what with "Vice Verses" on the way and all! Also, be on the lookout for some special video the band recently shot with ESPN and Hurley.

Switchfoot delivers "unholy" performance at KROQ's Almost Acoustic show

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The review is in, and by all accounts, Switchfoot's stint at last night's KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas show was a smash hit. Rather than summarizing it, here's the full review of their show directly from KROQ.com:

The 21st Annual Almost Acoustic Christmas 2010 stage was opulently lit up with ironic Christmas palm trees and wispy cotton clouds, floating above the heads of San Diego alternative rock band, Switchfoot.

Idyllically festive, the stage mimicked a rock ‘n roll nativity scene, the disco balls serving as make-shift constellations directing the way to the main event. The juxtaposition of an almost holy backdrop and the utterly unholy, body vibrating power chords serves Switchfoot well.

The band has literally transcended genres–”switching feet” (a surf term that denotes opposite movement and change) from their original popularity as a Christian rock band to their becoming a ground-breaking, yet still religiously affiliated Grammy nominated mainstream rock band.

Lead singer Jon Foreman was dripping with an ecstatic charisma; his smile constant, his voice passionate and unyielding. On the first song, “Meant to Live,” Jon was already drenched in well-deserved sweat from earnestly balancing the lush drone of the accompanying instruments with the politically-charged sentiment of lyrics like “we want more than the wars of our fathers.”

While bassist Tim Foreman, drummer Chad Butler, multi-instrumentlist Jerome Fontamillas, and guitarists Drew Shirley’s warm, post-grunge pedal-pounding vibrated the stage viciously during the instrumental break, Jon’s voice had a sexy, albeit vulnerable edge.

The band kept up the dynamic momentum for their next song, “Mess of Me.” Switchfoot is musically on-point; their instrumental syncronicity is tight and practically mathematical, without losing it’s heady, seductive purr. This buzzing quality leant well to their special “Christmas” cover of Beastie Boy’s “Sabotage.” Almost as if the Beastie Boys were there themselves, the crowd went wild.

But not as wild as when Jon jumped into the audience during his anthemic-ballad, “Dare.” Running through the pit and up the first level, Jon said, “Yeah, you look good from up here” as he seemingly floated through the second level, much like a surfboard calmly riding a wave.

For the last song, Switchfoot played “The Sound.” Out of breath, Jon dedicated the song to a gentleman named John M. Perkins who taught him that “love is louder than racism, love is louder than violence.” The song stated over and over again, “this is the sound.”

You’re right, Switchfoot,this is the sound and the sound is huge.

Head over to the SOURCE and leave some "thank you's" and friendly comments.

For more photos, head on over to this link and head over here as well.

Videos:

Mess of Me



Sabotage



The Sound

The 2010 Holiday Package (with Eastern Hymns for Western Shores) arrives!

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The highly anticipated 2010 Switchfoot holiday package has arrived in the mail for this very satisfied blogger. It's looking really sweet, and the art direction this year far surpasses a lot of what the band has come out with over the past few years.

First off, here's a look at everything that came in the mail (minus shirt).





The calendar that my friend Jeanna from LOBH and I helped to create is looking pretty good, but what takes the cake is the music of course.

"Eastern Hymns for Western Shores" is finally upon us, and before I delve into the songs, check out the packaging!




^You'll have to wait for your own to take a look at the song postcards. It's really sweet and artsy, so if you're into that thing, you're in for a treat.

As for the EP itself, it's fantastic! Definitely not something we're used to hearing from the band. I knew they had the untapped potential for songs like this, and hearing stuff this brilliant makes me wonder why they chose not to release them sooner.

Most of us have already heard "We Are Bound," a haunting track that features jangly acoustic guitars nestled between programmed "ahhs" that remind you of a dark afternoon in the forest. Jon Foreman's vocals are smothered in a flood of double-tracked arrangements, making the lyrics difficult to understand and ambiguous. But it just works.

"Stitches" is fantastic. One of the greatest Switchfoot songs I have heard in some time. If you haven't heard it, whether through iTunes' "Hello Hurricane" package, or with "Eastern Hymns," do so! It's a darker sound, just like the rest of this EP, but it's beautifully melodic; something that I believe is why I love "Nothing Is Sound" so much.

For anyone who's been around for a few years, "Daylight to Break" is not a new track. However, the version that appears on this EP is slightly improved, with a more solid mix that sounds polished and finished, without sounding overly produced. Great track that finally gets a proper "official" release.

"Overthrow" is a revelation. Jon finally makes his association with the late Kurt Cobain complete; this is Switchfoot channeling premium Nirvana. The dark lyrics and haunting vocal melodies are top notch, conjuring up the angry grunge that has inspired generations of rock fans since Cobain and co. patrolled rock clubs across the country.

The original recording of "Dirty Second Hands" has a heavier electric guitar presence, and I would argue that it's a stronger version than the one that eventually made it onto "Oh! Gravity." We've heard this arrangement before - the band posted this on their website (accidentally, allegedly), before replacing it with the final version. This is a shorter version of the alternate we heard back then, so it's different. Confusing banter aside, you'd appreciate this song in a new light; it chops off some of spoken word/faux rap parts.

And lastly, "Connect With the Spine" is Switchfoot showing more creativity. Sounds like a darker, brooding Radiohead, with a touch of psychedelic-era, "I Am the Walrus" Beatles. You'll dig this one too.

Overall, great EP. WONDERFUL package. Switchfoot have outdone themselves this year, and I could not be happier with the final product I received in the mail.

"Your Love Is a Song" (Sven Kirchhofs Remix) released; "Bullet Soul" live at Mistle Toe Jam

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It seems almost everyone outside of the House genre community has forgotten, but Switchfoot's "Your Love Is a Song" was recently treated to a remix. It is now available for download, so head over to House Essentials to read up on it.

PURCHASE at Beatport now.

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99x in Atlanta has posted a video of Switchfoot performing "Bullet Soul" at the Mistle Toe Jam. Looks pretty sick, and the band adds a few little details here and there. Check it out:




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Here are a couple of new interview videos with Switchfoot.





^Enjoy!

Switchfoot fights the law and the... law wins?

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Switchfoot took some time yesterday to do a cover of the classic, "I Fought the Law," originally by The Crickets and famously covered by The Clash.

This time, Switchfoot takes a crack at an acoustic rendition in Tampa, in response to Jon Foreman's run-in with the police a few months back.



^A bit sloppy, but still fun. What do you think?

Switchfoot cops 53rd Grammy Award Nomination!

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The Grammy Award announcements are in, and Switchfoot has been nominated for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album for "Hello Hurricane!" This is the second time they have been nominated for a Grammy, and the first time since "Learning to Breathe" received the same honor back in 2001.

HUGE congratulations to the guys! It has truly been a fantastic year for Switchfoot, and hopefully it can be capped with the band's first Grammy Award.

For a complete list of Grammy nominees, head over to the official website.