Switchfoot Tickets

Switchfoot
Rarely does an alternative rock band combine explosive guitars with an intense longing for meaning. The vocalist and guitarist Jon Foreman and Switchfoot, however, yearn for something more than what pop-culture is selling. Originally called Chin Up, Switchfoot is an American rock band founded in San Diego, California in 1996 by Jonathan Foreman and his bassist brother Tim Forman. With the addition of drummer Chad Butler, the group recorded their debut LP, 1997's titled 'The Legend of Chin'.

Characterized for their energetic shows, enchanting performances and lively appearances, the three members in the line-up often operate simultaneously. Building on the pop sensibilities of Jon's songwriting, and, rounded out by Jerome's work on the synthesizer, Switchfoot worked up 'the Switchfoot sound'. It was an amalgam of a melodic crunch of densely layered sound, some electronic experimentation and hard-charging guitar riffs.

Two years later, Switchfoot's 'New Way to Be Human' turned out to be a huge hit record. The title track of the album garnered band a 1999 Dove award for 'Song of the Year' category. Keyboardist Jermoe Fontamillas joined up for 2000's 'Learning to Breathe', which found Switchfoot taking more steps toward mainstream modern rock.

'Learning to Breathe' again proved to be a transition album for Switchfoot. The band first gained mainstream recognition after the inclusion of four of their songs in the 2002 movie named A Walk to Remember. The Breathe's success, together with their significant presence on the hit soundtrack to 'A Walk to Remember', set Switchfoot up for a major label run. This recognition led to their major label debut, 'The Beautiful Letdown', dropped in spring 2003.

In between the two discs: 'Learning to Breathe' and 'The Beautiful Letdown', Switchfoot won the 2001 ASCAP San Diego Music Award for 'Best Pop Album' and 'Best Pop Artist', 2002 ASCAP San Diego Music Award for 'Best Adult Alternative and contributed five songs to the gold-certified soundtrack for A Walk To Remember.The Beautiful Letdown went on to sell over 2.6 million copies and spawned the band's best-known singles, 'Meant to Live' and 'Dare You to Move'.

In the album, Foreman opens up with self-revelatory songs about hope, love, faith and the desire to be more than what he's been sold. On lead single 'Meant To Live', the singer strives to survives in a world where love and hate breathe the same air. In spacious settings, he connects with subtle emotional power, digging for painful truths in title track 'Beautiful Letdown', stepping on a distortion pedal to scream about the differences in the modern age in 'Ammunition' and surveying a landscape of mediocrity in 'More Than Fine'.

'The Beautiful Letdown' eventually would go double platinum on the strength of constant touring and the hit singles. The album ranked number one on Billboard's Christian Albums chart and number 16 on the Top 200.

After two and a half years in September 2005, the band had a powerful comeback with a new album titled 'Nothing Is Sound'. This Switchfoot's fifth album proved to be a Top Ten hit on the Top 200. The record went gold, producing another radio hit 'Stars'. The single was the band's first ever recording to include talent of additional guitarist Andrew Shirley. Andrew Shirley had been a touring member of Switchfoot since 2003.

Switchfoot began working on their sixth album, one that found the guys broadening their musical scope. 'Gravity' appeared at the tail end of 2006.

In addition to producing only-of-its-kind music, Switchfoot is widely recognized for their social work as well. The group was invited to attend last December's Nashville summit for DATA - Debt, AIDS, Trade for Africa. It is a charity organization founded by U2's main man Bono to create and promote AIDS awareness and debt relief for developing nations.

Musically, Switchfoot gains as much from the Police and James Taylor as from the Beatles and Stevie Wonder to produce swirling guitar pop, full of effortlessly arching melodies and material. People listening to Switchfoot would feel a shift in continual, sensual motion in their music.