Please check out the new tour dates posted. Paper Tongues will be supporting.
Jan 11 Portland OR Crystal Ballroom Jan 12 Seattle WA Showbox *FOTF presale Nov 18 at 10am local time *General onsale Nov 21 at 10am local time
Jan 13 Vancouver BC Commodore Ballroom Jan 15 Edmonton AB The Starlite Room Jan 16 Calgary AB Macewan Hall Jan 17 Saskatoon SK Louis' Pub Jan 18 Winnipeg MB Garrick Centre Jan 21 Kitchener ON Elements Jan 22 Toronto ON Phoenix Theatre *FOTF presale Nov 25 at 12pm noon local time *General onsale Nov 27 at 12pm noon local time
Jan 23 Montreal QC Studio Jpr *FOTF presale Nov 18 at 12 noon local time *General onsale Nov 20 at 12 noon local time
Songwriteruniverse talked to Jon Foreman about his writing. Here's an excerpt:
As powerful as the sound of the band is, Switchfoot’s connection with their fans is rooted in Foreman’s emotional, spiritually-infused songwriting. “A great song feels like something you didn’t write yourself,” he says. “I equate the process of composing with archaeology, because every day you’re digging into yourself, the newspapers and your relationships past and present to discover new ideas. To use a metaphor I like, one day you may come across a lost city that’s been there thousands of years. You didn’t create it from scratch, but it’s transcendent. You’re digging every day, working tirelessly to find that one thing.”
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CHARTS
"Mess of Me" is no. 29 on the Alternative charts, and is making a resurgence this week. Keep at the phones, friends!
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VOTING
Don't forget to take the time to vote! It's not that much of a time-waster (only a couple minutes at most). Also, remember, remember to request "Mess of Me" on your local rock stations. Again, it's resurging at radio, so be sure to help keep the pressure on!
- We need to get "Mess of Me" on to KROQ, in order to get this single off the ground. Go HERE to request it! Keep it up friends! Don't slow down, WE NEED THIS. Keep going.
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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!
By the time Hello Hurricane was decided upon for the next album title, there were already 80 songs to choose from. These were recorded in a home studio and the tracks which made the cut are as diverse as the band members themselves. "Needle and Haystack Life" kicks things off with a keyboard loudly announcing its presence. The song talks about how right a certain couple is and will only be found once in a lifetime of trying. The beat makes one sit-up and starts toes tapping. "Mess Of Me" is my favorite tune out of the entire bunch. Foreman makes a decision to live a life fully alive rather than one simply sitting by the curb taking up space. The strong guitar makes a terrific backdrop for the powerful statement. Despite the bad choices made early in life, the lyrics suggest someone ready to take charge.
It must be nice for a band like Switchfoot to play an intimate venue like Martini Ranch.
The pop rock band sold out tonight's show, and the audience, which was made up of mostly 20- and 30-something's, actually sung along, danced and clapped to the music. Switchfoot released their seventh studio album, Hello Hurricane, this past Tuesday, and the crowd did their homework quickly, singing along to every song from the album.
"I don't know how you guys are already singing along," said guitarist/vocalist Jon Foreman. "It's amazing. You're officially our favorite crowd ever."
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Rockerrazzi Interview part 2
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Also, Switchfoot had a pretty funny fail on their twitter this afternoon. We were planning a cool contest to help spread the word about "Hello Hurricane" this weekend, but it failed. Here's the twitter sequence.
1. the 20th person to RT our next tweet will win a signed hello hurricane tour poster... get ready to RT...
2. Today I didn't break 100 in bowling but I did break a shaker during the acoustic set... Romey <--- THIS was not supposed to be there... oh Romey...
3. our new record #hellohurricane is out now! pick it up on itunes for only 9.99 http://tinyurl.com/yf5hkbf <----- THIS was the right one... but...
4. Wait, that one didn't count. Switchfoot fail. The next Twitter will be the one to retweet. Sorry bout that, ha.
5. Still cracking up, such an epic fail! So classic! I think we need to send out a few posters now to all the winners. We love you guys, -tf
6. congrats to @alliwally92 and @kempokid! let's still get the word out on #hellohurricane! http://tinyurl.com/yf5hkbf <----- THERE you go. :P
Before we get on with today's update (sorry it's a bit late), please, if you haven't already, buy "Hello Hurricane" on iTunes! You can get the 12 songs, pluse 3 bonus tracks you can't really find anywhere else, and a live in-studio video, for only $12.99 ! What are you waiting for? Here's even a link!
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Here's another place you can make your presence felt. Vote for "Mess of Me" on this new york Alternative radio station. GO!
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Rockerrazzi.com has an exclusive interview with Jon Foreman and Drew Shirley, two thirds of Switchfoot. Check it out here:
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Also, Air1 did were given an exclusive tour of Switchfoot's Spot X studio. It's an awesome look:
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Relevant Magazine gave a glowing review of "Hello Hurricane." Check it out.
Drew is the next member of the band to do an exclusive blog for CCM Magazine.
Being on the road is a strange reality for me I guess. Some of my friends were asking me today about the tour coming up and how it feels to be on a tour. I told them it is exciting and that I think I have one of the best jobs in the world. I mean, being in a band and traveling the world making music is a blessing that few people are able to experience. So, I thought I'd give you a quick snapshot of life on the road.
First of all, I usually sleep in because I usually stay up late the night before. Makes sense right? It takes me a while to unwind after a show and really, I just like to hang out at night. I keep my watch on California time, which helps me keep my body clock consistent through all the time changes. Living on the bus is like a really being on a small rolling apartment with ten or more people in it continually. As you can imagine there is lots of "stuff and things" everywhere and "excuse me I need to get by you again in the hallway." It looks glamorous to roll up in one, but after a month, it gets feeling really really small. One of the daily challenges is figuring out what my schedule is (cause it's different most days). Questions like "Where is a shower? Where's the bathroom? and Where is food?" are ones that I ask each morning. This can be tricky since we drive at night and wake up in a new city every day. I usually just search "coffee" on my phone and start heading that way. Mornin!
Aside from the logistical things about being on the road, I always look forward to meeting people and taking in the vibe of different cities. I love roaming around Denver, Seattle, Atlanta, New York and Chicago. Wow, these are all amazing places that each holds stories and memories for me. I'll just start walking and get lost in a city for a few hours. As long as I have my phone, wallet and tour pass, I can do just about anything. One of the most unique things about touring is living with your friends and working shoulder to shoulder. We are on a journey together with music that we believe in whole heartedly and that is a rare thing. I look forward to running into you in your city.
-Drew Shirley
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Trapdoorsun did an interview with Jon. (thanks to our friend Tim for the tip)
TDS: As a songwriter, what emotions do you tap when writing? Do you tend to linger with certain emotions over others?
FOREMAN: There is a deeper portion of our being that we rarely allow others to see. Call it a soul maybe, this is the place that holds the most value. All else can drift but this. When this dies our body has no meaning. We handle this portion of our being with extreme care. Life tears at us and scars us as children so we adopt facades and masks to hide this part of us, to keep this sacred part of ourself from the pain. And yet, we long to communicate this deeper place ... to connect with each other on this spiritual level, for we know that this is the only part of us that will last.
These spiritual transactions remind us of the true meaning and yearning that cannot be found on the surface. Many times songs allow us to communicate these deeper places. Music is admitted under the skin without permission. Pain is a common emotion in many of my songs mainly because I often don't know other ways to express it adequately. In my songs I wrestle with the things that I don't understand.
I often use music as a handle for very emotionally explosive substances: love, sex, God, fear, doubt, politics, the economics of the soul—these are daunting thoughts in the back of my mind that I rarely visit without the safety gloves of song.
TDS: Describe your writing process? (Is it spontaneous? Does it take discipline or is it something that just comes naturally for you?)
FOREMAN: There's a book called The War of Art that tells us, "The muse honors the working stiff." It's like Paul [the Apostle or Saint Paul] working out his salvation with fear and trembling because it's his God who works predestination or free will, sunshine and rain. They're both very needed. It's both/and. Some songs come to me and other ones, I chase them down. Most of the time a spark of beauty or truth will start a fire of a song but fires rarely produce goodness on their own ... you need to control them and put them to work.
TDS: How much does experience play into your songwriting?
FOREMAN: Experience is all I have. I equate song-writing with archeology. Every day you dig. You dig into different places within yourself—even finding places that you've rarely been. And buried within the soil is song. Sometimes the song is average, or derivative, or something you're not proud of. And other times you discover a lost city, something that has always been there. You don't feel as though you wrote it but rather as though you found it.
He also wrote lyrics to a song he wrote:
Push (the human race)
to be honest
i've never been honest
and even now
the truth comes out in stutters and fits
every word that's born is self-conscious
the critic weighs
not truth or fact or fiction but wit
and I know
I'm not that funny
so stop laughing,
laughing
is our human race the collection of
our collective longings to be loved
acted out in fear and pain and push and shove?
push and shove?
so our worth gets wrapped up in opinion
that fickle friend
whose loyalty is subject to change
Is acceptance the target destination?
A broken heart
will follow me as sure as the grave
cause I know
I'm not that funny
so stop laughing
laughing
is our human race the collection of
our collective longings to be loved
acted out in fear and pain and push and shove?
push and shove?
And I began to grin
when my final song was sung
Cause the human race is a race that
can't
be
won
ONE.org gave a shou-tout to Switchfoot, who gave a shout-out to ONE last night on Jimmy Kimmel.
Last night, longtime ONE members and supporters, Switchfoot appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live playing a cut (Mess With Me) off their new disc Hello Hurricane. It’s a great tune and a really great disc. So it’s worth watching just for the performance.
But it’s really worth watching for the added bonus of seeing lead singer Jon Foreman sporting a ONE shirt during the performance. It’s a great visual shout out.
Don't forget to take the time to vote! It's not that much of a time-waster (only a couple minutes at most). Also, remember, remember to request "Mess of Me" on your local rock stations. It made a small resurgence this morning, so be sure to help keep the pressure on!
- We need to get "Mess of Me" on to KROQ, in order to get this single off the ground. Go HERE to request it! Keep it up friends! Don't slow down, WE NEED THIS. Keep going.
-
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!
