Switchfoot: I simply love their music and messages

I believe I was a given the gift of a musicial ear. This post has little to do with that, but has everything to do with musicial talents.


For those who know me well, I use music to express myself and I usually stick with anything by Switchfoot because I appreciate Jonathan Foreman's thought process and someday I will meet him and the band and we will write a song together. His younger brother Tim Foreman also writes and co-writes with Jonathan. I'm used to calling Jonathan "Jon" but I read somewhere he prefers his birth name and I don't know if that's fact or fiction. I'll probably change it up here and there.



A few great Switchfoot videos:


"Dare You To Move" from "The Beautiful Letdown" (2003) album <---This video reminds me that life is too short to not Move in life and give it all you've got. Note: This song is on A Walk To Remember's soundtrack and when I saw the movie (starring Shane West and Mandy Moore), I heard this song and the band had me at, well,"I dare you to move."


"Stars" from "Nothing Is Sound" (2005) <--- Great, great, great "under water" animation and the opening lyrics just scream at you: "Maybe I've been the problem, Maybe I'm the one to blame, But even when I turn it off and blame myself, The outcome feels the same. Maybe I've been partly cloudy, Maybe I'm the chance of rain and Maybe I'm overcast and maybe all my lucks washed down the drain." "Awakening" from "Oh! Gravity" (2006) <--- If you're having a bad day and you need a new tune to jam to, check out this video. You may dress up in a business suit or at least a dress shirt and tie when you go to work, but when you get home, you might have a little 'punk' in you that needs to be set free. Just sayin. :) "The Sound" from "Hello Hurricane" (2009) <--- I'm just gonna say check it out. It might just make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. If you like Martin Luther King Jr., you're going to like what this song is all about and who it's dedicated to: John M. Perkins.


"Hello Hurricane" also from "Hello Hurricane" <--- If you enjoy metaphors as much as I do, crank this puppy. To understand who Switchfoot is, Jon is the one who seems to do a lot of the talking. I found this video a long time ago and I felt like he was literally talking to me about...life. This video is fun and somewhat informational but it depends on what you're after, in terms of 'what is the meaning of our daily lives?' They write and performs songs about life and what they perceive it to be about, what we're capable of, what we can do to improve ourselves daily and how we can 'slow down'. Obviously the words are only their opinions, but to me, the actions behind the words speak louder than the lyrics. They give their listeners much to think about, IF they choose to break down the lyrics --this is what I do. And it gets really, really, really intense for me sometimes.


These guys aren't always "so serious". Check this out (it's a podcast they've made while on their Hello Hurricane tour which ended June 24 in Del Mar, California) and you'll see what I mean.


Switchfoot had 90 songs (they wrote a new song every day) for their latest album "Hello Hurricane" which dropped November 10, 2009 and you can buy it here. I believe it is their best album yet, I think. To understand Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman, Drew Shirley, Jerome Fontamillas and Chad Butler, you have to be willing to understand that these guys literally sing, play and write from their heart.

That's how it is for any band though; if you're enough of a fanatic, you're going to take the time to learn about the band.


They departed from Columbia records in 2003 I believe (their was change in management at the label) and made their own record label Lowercase people records because they wanted to remove the corporate barrier between their audience and their songs. They wanted to be able to give more back to society and the people who have supported them throughout the years they've been a band and not be marketed as the label saw it to be. They don't think about societies standards, either; they write about how messed up our society is (if you don't agree with me then I'll agree to disagree with you) and how we have the ability to make a difference and be the difference we'd like to see in the world. I honestly believe they write in the rawest form possible and if you're looking/seeking for more meaning in life, they've done the "thinking" for you and break it down metaphorically.


Best part about music in general? You can come up with your own meanings and what you think their lyrics are referring to (or any song for that matter) and for me, this is the best part about a song.


Switchfoot has their own YouTube page and Episode 47 [Surf] is pretty amazing --I'm being absolutely biased obviously. It involves a lot of surfing, a few scoops of ice cream and some live music from their song "Awakening."

They also have charities they support, one of them imparticular is StandUp For Kids. There was a fundraiser at the 6th Annual BRO AM concert in San Diego which supported this charity project. Click on the link for more information.

At the end of the day, Switchfoot is Jon, Tim, Drew, Jerome and Chad; five guys who came together by fate whether it was a life decision, a random phone call or the natural ability to rock out with a powerful meaning very few artists have the raw talent of being able to create, deliver and all the while entertain through the purest form.

I'd say Switchfoot is the easiest yet the most lyrically-challenging band I've listened to. They dig deep and they've done plenty of 'open heart surgery' to get back to the basics (what this life is about and what the times we live in are all about (how we engage with each other)) but I feel like they're just getting started...all over again.

Switchfoot, you're amazing. Oh and I want one of these. Please and thank you!!!