The Drewcast: Sabotage on Guitar Hero

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

-----

Flashback to a little while ago, and you find the seed that was planted for Switchfoot's "Sabotage" cover.



^Pretty sweet, huh?

Jon Foreman debuts new songs in Tyler; "The Sound" impacting April 26; Sabotage summary

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

-----

Jon Foreman played a couple of new songs last night in his solo acoustic show in Tyler, Texas.

"My Coffin"



"Mercy's War"



^These songs prove once again why Jon Foreman is one of the most underrated lyricists in our modern age. Thanks to LOBH, here are the lyrics:

MERCY'S WAR
I was looking for excuses
And you offered me my soul
In the name of all my weakness
In the name of rock 'n roll

By His sickness I am healed
Cause they broke you I am whole
Oh the wonderful blood of Jesus

I went looking for the fig leaves
And you asked me what they're for
I was building up a wall
And you offered me a door

I was hoping for silver spoons
But you handed me a sword
Oh the wonderful blood of Jesus

Maker is unmade
Love succumbs to hate
Life Himself is slain
Is death the only way?
Is death the only way?

I went looking for religion
Absolutely not a friend
I went looking for ways out
And you showed me the way in

I went looking for a ghost
And instead I found a man
Oh the wonderful blood of Jesus

Felt like I was at the end
Felt like giving up on life
I talked about your mother
And denied you once or twice

Yeah I plucked out your beard
Put a sword into your side
Oh the wonderful of Jesus

Life and love are torn
By the blades of earthly swords
We cut the final cord
This is mercy's war
It's mercy's war

I was just chasing after safety
When my world went up in flames
I saw my defenses
Washed my ashes down the drain

I thought mercy was a stranger
But you called me out by name
Oh the wonderful blood of Jesus

Your wounds are gaping open
Couldn't recognize you at first
And all I had to offer you
Was an insult or a curse

Blood dripped down like poison
On the nauseated earth
Oh the wonderful blood of Jesus
Oh the wonderful blood of Jesus

This is mercy's war
This is mercy's war
Oh the wonderful blood of Jesus
^ I will be checking with the guys to make sure these lyrics are accurate, but if anyone has any corrections please feel free to make them in the comments!


(The ???? symbolize the lines I'm not sure of... again please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments!)
MY COFFIN
Dear blue sky
Are you afraid to die
Do you fear you'll never see the morning?

And the twilight comes
And you lose your sun
Does it come to you without a warning?

When the ???????
How will I know
When the carbon bonds that hold me
Start to let go

Is there someone buried
Beneath this skin?
And is he free when I am lost
In my coffin

Dear moonlight
When you shine at night
Do you fear you'll use up your resources?

With the sun as king
Do you feel for it's string
When the higher powers run their courses

When the rain falls down
What brings it back?
Opens the resurrected cloud
From white to black
It's a second birth
Under this skin
My coffin
My coffin

Yeah

Resurrection comes
But death comes first
All of our entitlements and rights
Will drive the hearse
I'm bleeding death
Death is unmade
The minute I lose myself I'm saved
From my coffin

Also, "Vice Verses" from the same show:



For more videos, check out the channel: Calebcanal

-----

Oh, new DrewCast episode, featuring friends from Mute Math and Eisley!



^Nice.

-----

Now, for some Switchfoot news!

Harmonix/MTV announced that there will be a new Switchfoot songs added to the Rock Band Music Store and LEGO Rock Band Music Store for XBOX 360, Playstation 3, and Wii!

Rock Band is answering fans’ requests for more alternative rock with six singles from a range of artists. Next week’s Rock Band Music Store additions include “Feel Good Drag” from Florida alternative rockers Anberlin’s 2008 album New Surrender, “Live Life Loud” from Canadian punk rockers Hawk Nelson’s 2009 album of the same name, “Monster” from Grammy Award-nominated hard rockers Skillet, “Stand in the Rain” from American pop rockers Superchick’s 2008 album Rock What You Got, “Meant to Live” from alternative rockers Switchfoot’s 2003 album The Beautiful Letdown, and “Fire It Up” from Canadian rockers Thousand Foot Krutch’s 2009 album, Welcome to the Masquerade. All of these songs will also be available for download in the LEGO Rock Band Music Store.

^"Meant to Live"; so predictable. But hey, still awesome!

-----

"The Sound" is now posted on all the major radio station news sites like FMQB and allaccess as impacting on April 26-27!



^Awesome. Can't wait to see how this one does.

-----

Sabotage Summary

Well, our "Sabotage" campaign came to an end yesterday, and you guys killed!

Check out our goals:

- 2000 comments (CHECK!)
- 500 ratings (CHECK!)
- 25,000 views

2 out of 3 is pretty impressive, guys! We got some small front page coverage, and are getting posts on other blogs and websites too! Here are the final honors the video ended up with:

#23 - Most Discussed (Today))
#2 - Most Discussed (Today)) - Music
#65 - Most Viewed (Today)) - Music - Australia
#33 - Most Viewed (Today)) - Music - Canada
#66 - Most Viewed (Today)) - Music - India
#27 - Most Viewed (Today)) - Music - New Zealand
#38 - Most Viewed (Today)) - Music
#84 - Top Favorited (Today))
#27 - Top Favorited (Today)) - Music
#26 - Top Rated (Today)) - Music
#97 - Most Viewed (Today)) - Music - Mexico
#97 - Most Viewed (Today)) - Music - Czech Republic
#84 - Top Rated (This Week)) - Music
#10 - Most Discussed (This Week)) - Music
#60 - Most Discussed (This Month)) - Music

^For everyone who participated in pushing this video, well done!

New Drewcast; Interview with Youth Walk; "Sabotage" campaign details

Check out the new Drewcast titled: Jon plays trumpet!?!



^Not bad at all!

-----

Hearitfirst.com posted a video of Switchfoot playing "Always" acoustic from Spot X. I feel like we've seen this thing before somewhere else, but anyways, our friend Brad uploaded it to Youtube:



-----

Check out a video of "Mess of Me" from the Albuquerque show back in February:



-----

Apparently S.F. did an interview w/Youth Walk Magazine. Check it out! (thanks to Jana for a the full transcription)

The Art of Switchfoot: 
an interview the surfboarding sages of Switchfoot

by Laurin Makohon 

How did your journey with God affect the direction of Hello Hurricane?



JON: The word journey is an incredible word to start with, because my experience with anything transcendent—whether it’s poetry, a worship service, or a walk on the beach—is that it feels like it’s a journey. And this record was certainly a journey. We’re what, five records into our career? Is this our sixth one? 



TIM: This is our seventh.

JON: Okay. So enough records to forget how many we’ve done. (laughs) And before this record, we kind of stepped away from things for a while. We cut ties with our label, we cut ties with management, and we built our own studio. That extra breathing room in our lives allowed us to look back and reflect and say, “Wow, it’s incredible that music has been such a huge part of our lives. Music has taken us to Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Europe, India, South Africa—places that we never thought we’d go.” Then we were able to look forward and say, “Well, what do we want to do? What do we want to say with our music? What’s worth singing about? What’s worth being in Atlanta when our families are all in San Diego?” Because there’s a price to pay for all of this.

We recorded about 80-plus songs for the record, and I think what came to me at the end of the journey is the punchline of the reason why we play music. And that’s this: Music is one of the few things in life that gets under the skin without asking for permission. And because of that, it’s an incredible honor to sing a song of hope for someone else because many people have sung those songs for us. So because of the reflection that went into the journey of making this album, I think that this record has a potency that our last few haven’t. 



In “Your Love Is a Song” you sing about how God’s love is a symphony playing all around you. Can you explain what you mean by that? 



JON: Music helps me understand the world because there are a lot of parallels between what I see in a song and what I see in existence. There are certain notes—blue notes you can call them, accidentals—notes that might clash. There’s this dissonance in a song, a tension. And then there’s release. So when I see the world and I see Darfur and I see human rights struggles in India and I see sex trafficking here in the U.S., I think that it’s only right to have your heart broken by these things, to recognize it for the dissonance that it is, for the absurdity. These elements shouldn’t be happening—they make no sense, they’re absurd. And yet I feel like it’s only within the context of harmony that I can even understand these to be dissonant elements. Because if there weren’t such a thing as harmony, of notes going together and sounding right, I wouldn’t know what dissonant notes sound like. The constant of the scale puts all these things in perspective, just like we know deep in us that there’s a rightness in life that’s found in God. And so for me, “Your Love Is a Song” pictures this Master Songsmith who is writing the world into existence, continuing to create and re-create, to redeem these wrong notes.



Since God is the Author of everything good, true, and beautiful, how do you see God in the world? 



JON: I feel as believers we like to divide up our lives into segments. I think it’s absolutely a fallacy to think that you can’t find beauty or truth in something that doesn’t have a Christian kosher stamp on the back of it; that if it’s somehow not sold in the Christian department or the Christian this or that, then redemption doesn’t exist for it. And the moment we put redemption in that category, we’re degrading the very faith that we’re afforded. God isn’t limited to labels.
So I feel like it’s a disservice to view art in that perspective. I think that Radiohead has some incredibly worshipful moments. I think Picasso’s got some incredibly poignant elements and things to say to everyone. And to put Christianity into a box is wrong. 

How does your faith influence your art? 



JEROME: Well, as far as music is concerned, music has gotten me through a lot growing up. To do music and to affect people, us singing our songs and them singing back to us, it’s encouraging but it’s also pretty powerful. Music can affect people in a positive way, which means we have an opportunity to communicate the hope of God in our songs. 



DREW: My faith affects everything in my life—and art is one of those areas. I think my faith has given me much more of a freedom than I would’ve had without it. For instance, in the Psalms, there’s a very wide range of highs and lows. That’s an example in Scripture of the range that art can have. We believe in a God who is much more expressive than anyone here is, He’s much wiser than anyone here is. And we don’t even see Him clearly now—we see as in a mirror that’s faded and gives a dim reflection of Him. I think that as an artist, you’re reaching for those things that are just out of reach; you’re reaching toward an infinite God who is so incredibly diverse. I mean, just look at the animals He created. No human could make all of these amazing creatures up—God is incredible. Knowing that there’s a God who’s that creative and diverse has freed me up to allow greater highs and greater lows in the art that I make. It has taken the barriers away.



CHAD: When it comes to faith and art, I think there’s freedom to express the challenges and the hardships and the doubts in life. When you know there’s a hope that’s deeper than the wounds and the pain, you can dive into that and express that through all kinds of different mediums. I’ve seen incredible theater that has taken me to emotional depths that were uncomfortable but really challenging and beautiful. I’ve seen paintings of a woman crying over her dying baby that have stirred me and haunted me, but I know that there’s truth in that—we live in a broken, painful world. I’ve heard and played songs that have moved me and that were difficult to play, but because there’s truth in it, because there’s honesty in it, there’s beauty and those things resonate.
I think this is something that I’ve grown to realize. I grew up in the church, and I think that there are a lot of words thrown around about being positive or to view the world through this filter. It’s really freeing when you realize that you can see the world in its highs and lows, as Drew said, without fear of leaving your faith behind. Because of the hope that’s in our faith, we have the chance to experience life in its fullness, knowing that we take with us that hope and that freedom through God and His Truth. 



What advice would you give to students who want to create great art? 



JON: As creations of God, ultimately your worth is in your unique position in life, to be able to sing from that position and sing your unique song. And when we do that, we’re essentially joining in with the song of creation. Our creative God created everything with just words. He said: “Let there be,” and there was. To be an artist is an invitation to put the words God has given you into that song. Your unique location, your language, your attitudes—all of these things are yours alone. So to create good art, you first have to be honest with yourself.
Then there’s the craft of just plugging away every day. Write a song every day. Why not? You’ll get better at it. Paint a painting every day. Why not? You’ll get better at it. Don’t be afraid of it. Dive in; play as much as you can around town. Anywhere that you can play, that they’ll let you play, play a song. 

TIM: I think art is about storytelling—whether it’s a painting or a song or a book, I think the story is very important. It’s key to acknowledge that we’re all part of a much bigger story. That’s exciting to think that we get to write a small chapter, maybe even just a paragraph, in a much larger story. What is the story that you want to tell?



What would you say to people who want to be influencers of culture and not just consumers of it? 



JON: I think ultimately to be influencing the people around you and the culture around you is to have a deep understanding of your place in the world, which as a believer, is to have a deep understanding of your Creator. We all need to be connected with the greater story that’s unfolding. And the greater story is that we have a God who wants us to bring His Kingdom to earth—and then He’s going to bring it in full when He comes. We all have these little stories and at times we get distracted from the greater story. You know, you see an infomercial on TV about how this product’s going to do such-and-such. And you buy in, and then you get the product and you remember that you don’t have a need for the product at all. We lose the bigger story for the smaller one. I think we do that with our lives in much less comical ways, where we see a very small glimmer of light and we chase that for years, rather than the sun that’s rising behind us. I think that to be influencing people around you is to step away from the small pictures for a moment, to catch what the bigger picture is. 



TIM: To add to that, I think it’s very difficult to affect change outside of love, and actions without love, like Scripture says, are like a clanging cymbal. Love should be informing all of our actions and all of our thoughts and what we say and how we interact with each other—that’s the most powerful weapon that we have for change.

-----

"Sabotage" video UPDATE:

We got front page last night!



Also, the video has gotten these honors so far:


#23 - Most Discussed (Today))
#2 - Most Discussed (Today)) - Music
#75 - Most Viewed (Today)) - Music - Australia
#43 - Most Viewed (Today)) - Music - Canada
#73 - Most Viewed (Today)) - Music - India
#39 - Most Viewed (Today)) - Music - New Zealand
#48 - Most Viewed (Today)) - Music
#84 - Top Favorited (Today))
#27 - Top Favorited (Today)) - Music
#26 - Top Rated (Today)) - Music
#100 - Top Rated (This Week)) - Music

Switchfoot is also: #31 - Most Viewed (Today) - Musicians

GREAT JOB footsoldiers!

We have until 6:00 PM PST today to promote this thing. Let's keep it going guys! Watch it here

"SF360 tour"

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

-----

Happy Saturday everyone! Last night, Switchfoot played on a unique stage in Houston. Andy Barron called it the "SF360 tour tonight in houston" on his Twitter, a play off of the groundbreaking tour U2 is currently on, dubbed U2360. While not as large as U2's, this stage was pretty sweet, with the band surrounded on all sides by fans. Check out Switchfoot playing "Meant to Live" on this 360 stage.



That's pretty awesome!

-----

Also, check out the latest Drewcast episode:


^Note to Drew: Please keep making these videos!

Have a good weekend everyone. :)

New Daily Foots. Fun.

Here's a Daily Foot video featuring a longer clip of Switchfoot's song, "Always." Dig it.

Goodbye Louisiana, Hello Hurricane (August 13th Daily Foot Video)



And here's the latest Daily Foot video, which features a longer clip of "Needle and Haystack Life." Dig it.

Goodbye Texas (Houston), Hello Hurricane (August 14 Daily Foot Video)



Goodbye Texas (Dallas), Hello Hurricane (Tim's Bday)



---------

New drewcast video:



^"Oh my gosh! You're Jon Foreman!" <---- oh, drew... haha

Switchfoot talks about new album: Hello Hurricane

Be sure to check out the latest FootColumn about the Atlantic signing and what it could mean for Switchfoot.

----------

TheJeremyConspiracy talked to Switchfoot after a recent show and asked each member what their favorite song was. It's interesting to hear what they said. Also, Jon Foreman talks about the independence of their band. Here's the video:



----------

Oh, here's a couple of new Drewcast videos. Drew is a BEAST in the gym... ;)







----------

And now, here are some videos from a couple of recent shows the Switchfoot boys played:

"The Sound" Rock the Desert



"Mess of Me" Rock the Desert



"This Is Home" Rock the Desert



"Meant to Live" El Paso



----------

Lastly, a shameless plug. hehe... here's a cover video I did for "Yet."

Goodbye to Oregon and Washington, Hello Hurricane.

New Daily Foot videos:

Washington, July 30



Oregon, July 31



------

New Drewcast videos:

Sale on lead singers



Seattle welcomes thedrewcast



Backmasking?

Crazy Making Tour Day 1 Recap

Well, the Crazy Making Tour has kicked off, in Denver, CO last night. According to LOBH, the setlist was:

The Sound
Oh! Gravity
Gone/Crazy in Love
On Fire
Dirty Second Hands
Dare You to Move
Mess of Me
Meant to Live

That is surprisingly small for a supposedly co-headlining set. Eight songs. I'd have to say though that is the smallest headlining set the guys have played in recent memory. I could be wrong. The song selection was great though.

I think "The Sound" is going to end up being a GREAT opening song, and could very well replace "Stars" and "Oh! Gravity." as show-openers for years to come.

Of all the songs, they made great choices on which songs to play. These are all arguably Switchfoot's best live numbers; so good to see "Dirty Second Hands" stayed on the setlist.

Here's the new Daily Foot video recapping the evening:



-----------

Here are some videos:

First, its the new daily foot video for the show last Saturday in Iowa.

Goodbye Iowa, Hello Hurricane (July 26th Daily Foot Video)


Second, here's the latest Drew Cast episode!



And, an acoustic performance of "Hello Hurricane" from the aftershow last Sunday

Switchfoot, Fiction Family, nominated for the San Diego Music Awards; Crazy Making Tour kicks off tonight; "Mess of Me" impact date

(Thanks LOBH for this):

BEST POP ALUBM

Anna Troy - Wait Another Day

Fiction Family - s/t
Gayle Skidmore - Cowley Road

Get Back Loretta -Where Did You Go

Joey Harris & the Mentals - s/t
Silverleaf – s/t

The Modlins - Where Does it End?

The Predicates - Let Me Carry Your Books

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Anya Marina
Crocodiles
Delta Spirit
Jason Mraz
Scarlet Symphony
Slightly Stoopid
Switchfoot
Wavves

Excellent.

---------

How does "The Sound" sound when opening a set? Well, here in this video from the show last Friday in Valparaiso, IN at the Porter County Fair, we find out:



---------

The DrewCast has a new episode, featuring Jerome Fontamillas



---------

Well, the Crazy Making tour with Blue October kicks off tonight at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, Colorado. We'll have updates as they come in, and if you are going to the show, be sure to let us know how it all went!

---------

Lastly, "Mess of Me," the lead single for "Hello Hurricane" impacts and goes to radio on August 5th!

Switchfoot "Hello Hurricane" purchasing plans posted; new "The Best Yet Live in Nasville" DVD

Switchfoot has once again come completely out of the blue and blown what was going to be a slow news day here to absolute pieces. We've got confirmations, new surprises, and other goodies in store here. So, here goes:

Switchfoot.com has been updated with purchasing plans for the new "Hello Hurricane" record, as well as other things outlined below.



1. Switchfoot apparently has had a new live DVD in the works, that they have kept top secret from us all this time.

It's going to be called "The Best Yet Live in Nashville" and will be included with all pre-orders of "Hello Hurricane," which can be pre-ordered starting in August. The title makes me wonder whether this is a Sony-funded effort, or if it's an independent effort on their part. I am hoping it is the second lowercase people records-released live DVD!

2. "Mess of Me" has been confirmed as the lead single of the album

So, as we reported last Saturday, it has been confirmed that "Mess of Me" is going to lead "Hello Hurricane." I do wonder if an iTunes single release is going to happen, or if Switchfoot is going to stay as far away from that as possible. Of course, the album will HAVE to show up there, but they might stay away from singles appearing on there.

I am also curious as to whether they plan on taking this single to the traditional outlets like radio, tv, etc. or whether they plan on sticking with Youtube and online promotions (a la "Awakening")


Well, we shall keep you updated. LOBH did have an exclusive message from Andy Barron about the DVD that would be included in the Deluxe CD/DVD or Collector Editions:

good question.

all new making of record stuff, live in studio stuff, pretty much stuff that you won't want to live without because it's so awesome.

andy.

^I'm convinced. ;)

----------

Now, it's pretty hard to live up to all that news, but these live concert videos from across the interweb are pretty good.

Here's footage of the Cymbal Basing from "Dirty Second Hands" at Kingsfest



Here's the best-quality video of "Needle and Haystack Life" yet, taken at Kingsfest as well.



----------

Check out Switchfoot and Jon Foreman on posterous.com, where they post several exclusives!

http://officialswitchfoot.posterous.com/

http://jonforeman.posterous.com/

----------

Tweets from over the weekend:

July 11, 2009

- going to the beach for some small kine waves

- Early mornin' flights... http://post.ly/1Du7

- here's a shot of the sky from the plane this morning... straight from my cameraphone- no FX!  http://post.ly/1E8J


July 12, 2009

- Just re-read my last tweet, sounded much more cutting than I meant it! Anyways, on a positive note, went surfing this AM, sun is shining! -t

- "@switchfoot u guys shoulda sang "meant to live" at kingsfest" (via @charliehall03) you should have stuck around, we encored with that.

- want some info on how you'll be getting your hello hurricane this october? www.switchfoot.com has some info for ya. -ab

----------

And to leave you with even more awesome, here are the two latest videos from The Drewcast. If you haven't subscribed on youtube yet, GET ON IT!

KFC... Before



+ tacos...after

Check out the DrewCast!

Mr. Andrew Shirley is a great guitarist, as we all know, but did you know that this man is quite the comedian as well? Whenever Drew enters the camera's field of vision, the awesomeness that ensues has reached Chuck Norrisean proportions. Nay, I'm sure Drew Shirley surpasses the great Chuck Norris in some areas. THAT, my friends, is a big statement.

So, we have found that Drew has his own "web show" now, titled "The Drewcast," uploading videos to his very own Youtube Account. Check them out here or there. (Thanks again to LOBH for finding this!)

To celebrate the discovery of these here videos, we have posted all of them for your viewing pleasure:

Did you know Drew could Moonwalk?

MJ tribute in the airport



Kantucky finding the bucks



Put my camera through the tsa line



Rocknrollercoaster



Intro to rockin roller coast to coastour



LOL!! Make sure you all SUBSCRIBE to this.

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

We've also got some new videos up on the official Switchfoot Youtube channel.

The Intro to rockin roller coast to coastour and the rollercoaster video were also uploaded here, but there is also another video (from Jon Foreman's iphone we're guessing) that was taken at last night's show in Virginia here:

Hello Virginia!!



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

Here is another video of "Needle and Haystack Life" played two nights ago in Ohio. The audio is a little better, but there's people talking in the background. Oh well.



And "This Is Home" from the same night:



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

Some Twitter posts from Switchfoot over the past few days:

July 10, 2009

- I almost forgot how good those strawberry shortcake icecream bars are. Time for a few rollercoasters, then rock. Roll&rock, if you will.-t

- Driving the scooby van. What's it called, the mystery machine? http://yfrog.com/0w5d1j



- check check one two one two http://post.ly/1DN8

(btw, look! I know it's kinda small, but oh well)

- 5 am: Early morning check-in at Richmond airport. Jon is way too happy. -tf http://yfrog.com/3o605dj

- Hmmm, try that photo again? http://yfrog.com/0gzqsj