LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Switchfoot
built 645 days ago
Switchfoot is on the West Coast wrapping up its Appetite for Construction tour with Relient K in December. The band has officially ended its ties to Columbia Records in order to create its future music independently. Watch for a new record in 2008, along with several solo EPs from Jon Foreman.
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Switchfoot is an alternative rock band from San Diego, California. The band was formed in 1997 with the brothers Jonathan Foreman (lead singer/guitarist) and Tim Foreman (bass). Long-time friend Chad Butler (drums) joined soon after. Eventually the band evolved to what it is today with the addition of members Jerome Fontamillas (key/guitar/electronics - formerly of Mortal and Fold Zandura) and Drew Shirley (guitar - formerly of All Together Separate).
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Switchfoot has a special gift: when they soar, they really soar. Their biggest hit of '03 "Dare You To Move" made even the most cynical radio listener feel, well, dared. On their newest release, this gift is still with them -- and when they take their songs to those impressive heights, they do it like to no other band on the radio today. However, when they withhold that manic intensity from their choruses, or try to keep a more constant, mellow tone, their songs often fall flat.
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Outside their charitable focus, Switchfoot and Relient K have plenty of common ground. Both play energetic modern rock with lyrics that touch on social criticism and issues of faith. Both groups openly use their Christianity as a touchstone for their music, while shying away from the "Christian rock" label.
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Switchfoot kicked off their Columbia Records deal in 2003 with The Beautiful Letdown imploring each individual to seek a more meaningful life through faith and service to others. Their upbeat combination of rock and pop has been well-received and their message will never be outdated. If Bono has indeed transcended the role of rock star to social activist, the inspiration of Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman, Chad Butler and Jerome Fontamillas strikes at the apathy that possesses much of the world. Just as one must start back with Joshua Tree to fully appreciate Atomic Bomb, one must journey through The Legend of Chin, find a New Way to Be Human, and therefore graduate from Learning to Breathe 101 to see the intricacies of the Letdown. I’ll tackle some of those ‘inspired’ songs from the first three CDs, brought together in The Early Years: 1997-2000(released 2004), and then reflect on Letdown in light of Switchfoot’s lyrical history.
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When Switchfoot singer/guitarist Jon Foreman cries, "I don't know that I ever felt so alive" on the band's sixth album, he's probably describing a new peak in his relationship with Jesus, since that's usually what Christian bands like Switchfoot sing about. But Foreman could ... be referring to the San Diego outfit's sound: Oh! Gravity is their liveliest record, full of dive-bombing guitar fuzz, juicy arena-alt choruses, and the art-rock ear candy Chris Cornell favored in Soundgarden. Your turn, Satan.
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