Anticipation is building for Vice Verses, and while we don’t have the web cam this time around, KeyboardMag is bringing us an inside look at the studio and Romey’s set up! Check it out!
Synths and Surfing with Switchfoot
In the world of journalism, hanging with bands is usually confined to backstage areas, green rooms, and if you’re lucky, studio settings. Occasionally a meal may go down, but all too often our time is brief, and though we ask all the requisite questions, we don’t always get a great sense for the real people behind the rock star facade. So when I got the opportunity to go check out Switchfoot in the band’s secret studio down in southern California, I took a chance and asked if the guys would be interested in paddling out and catching some waves, knowing that most of them are lifelong surfers from the San Diego area. In fact, the word “switchfoot” is a surfing term that refers to being able to ride in both left and right stances. Plus, the band holds a yearly charity event called the Bro-Am, which brings together the music and surf worlds for great causes such as StandUp for Kids, a charity that helps homeless and street kids across the country. Find out more atwww.switchfoot.com/switchfoot/c/bro-am
More after the videos. Can’t see them below? CLICK HERE.
So I found myself suiting up down in San Diego to paddle out with bassist Tim Foreman and drummer Chad Butler to catch some waves before heading into the studio (keyboardist Jerome Fontamillas is not a surfer, though we’d be meeting up later in the studio to watch him cut some tracks). My good friend Manny Vargas was there with watercam in hand to document the event, and although the waves weren’t huge, we had a sweet session and a chance to chat out in the water. Chad and Tim showed themselves to be more than competent surfers and really nice individuals. Their love of surf rivals their love of music, and they’re truly humble about their success. The Bro-Am event is in its seventh year, and has raised both money and awareness for homeless children. It also presents an opportunity for the band to give back to their hometown and community with this fantastic beach party every June.
Switchfoot started out with a Best New Artist win at the 1997 San Diego Music awards and ASCAP awards and have racked up a host of GMA Dove awards, including 2005 Artist of the Year. And this year (2011), the band won their first ever Grammy in the Best Rock Gospel Album category for their latest album, Hello Hurricane. Though the band’s lyrics aren’t overly religious, they were originally marketed as a Christian rock band during a time singer/guitarist Jon Foreman describes as when “half of who we were was lost.” No matter the categorization, winning a Grammy is a solid validation of the band’s popularity and musical maturation. Though they’re excited by the win, they seem even more driven to keep evolving as a band and as musicians. And lucky for them, they can fit in a few surf sessions along the way both here and on the road worldwide.
After a few hours in the water, it was time to head to the studio to meet up with the rest of the band. After drying off and changing, we followed the guys to their übersecret studio and entered through a nondescript door to find ourselves in an amazing facility where an overdubbing session was in full swing. The multilevel studio was chock full of gear and instruments, and we went to the upstairs lounge to have a post-surf espresso or two. Soon keyboardist Jerome Fontamillas arrived, and we got to talking about his role in the band, both live and in studio, which you’ll soon read about in a full magazine feature. Suffice to say, he was a gracious dude who was all too stoked to show us around. The main studio housed a Minimoog Voyager and an old Rhodes Mark I suitcase electric piano, along with a beat-up Korg Triton and an Arturia Analog Experience “Player” controller/software combo.
With Switchfoot’s modern-rock sound, Fontamillas finds the Voyager coming into play quite often when creating layered parts to bolster the guitar parts. When playing live, the band doesn’t run tracks, a fact they always consider when recording so that they can pull off the songs live. Fontamillas loves the Korg family of keyboards for his live setup, especially the Korg M3. He creates samples from the Moog, and because they are time-sensitive, he trusts the Korgs and their RPPR technology for triggering samples on the beat in real time. (RPPR stands for Realtime Pattern Play and Record.) While we were in the studio, Fontamillas cut a quick part on the Rhodes, and we got to check out some of the pedals that they use to run the keys through. Fontamillas’ favorites are the Roland Space Echo, the Lovetone Big Cheese pedal, and the Malekko B:Assmaster pedal. It looked like a super-fun place to get a lot of work done, and the rocking results will surely speak for themselves, as they did on Hello Hurricane, which was also recorded here.
After a while, we said our goodbyes, knowing the band had work to do and needed to focus. We look forward to hearing the new album when it’s done–the snippets we heard were sounding really good, and the band was excited about the new material. Look for Switchfoot on the road worldwide in April and at the Bro-Am in San Diego in June, and keep your ears open for the band’s forthcoming new album, currently titled Vice Verses. And if you’re lucky, you may get to share a few waves and smiles with Chad and Tim along the way.
Check out Switchfoot on the web at www.switchfoot.com
ROMEY!!!! hahaha, i wonder if the song in 2nd video is on the new record?? interesting, it sounds good!
Wow, nice insider access. Jerome’s work I find is the most underrated in the band. I find his sweet synth & keys like the glue to the songs or else it’d be emptier & drier.
He’s also very down to earth and humble.
Agreed. I think Romey is very talented; he really can play almost any instrument. He has such a sweet personality, too. I remember once in an interview the interviewer was asking the guys what music they listen to when they’re mad. Jon looked at Romey was like, “I don’t think you’ve ever been mad in your life!”
yeah, Romey is SO nice! I went to a concert in December, the show wasn’t over until 11:15 pm…. Jon, Tim, Drew and Romey came out to talk after, and Romey was the very last to go in…..He seriously did not go in until he had talked to everyone, by which time it was well after midnight!
So nice to see an interview with only Romey. That doesn’t happen too often. Why I don’t know.
I love Romey’s cardigan. =p That was really cool actually, I enjoy seeing into their music world a little bit more.
I agree. It’s nice to see what’s going on behind the scenes. Especially since they’re not doing the webcam thing this time.
That was fun! And, yes, the song in video #2 is sounding s-w-e-e-t!!!
osmmm
and very true about not seeing much with mr. fontamillias, shame :/
Jeanna i’ve been checking out other switchfoot fansites and they all suck! i was surprise to see how bad they were, im really happy that we got you
cause lobh is awesome!!!
Word!
creds to Jeanna, and Lisa of course.
Absolutely! We are so spoiled…and I love it.
Romey—what a smile
lovin’ the videos, yes, it is so nice to see Romey talk a bit…..definitely very rare!
Wow, I love the snippet of the song on the second video….sounds like Switchfoot, but has a fresh and exciting tone, I think……Getting more excited every day!
Thanks for keeping us up to date LOBH, don’t know what I’d do without you guys!
OMG I’m getting more and more excited about Vice Verses, every single day! I simply CANT wait!
What awesome videos! Romey is the most beastly keyboard player out there!
He’s the bomb! The new song he was playing sounded FANTASTIC!
totally agree with that, the new song sounds awesomeeeee
Romeeey!!!
he makes me a proud keyboardist. lol
and the second video… oh my goodness… I need to listen this album right now!
So Dark Horses is taking wild turns, and it appears the track listing has been changed from what the guys posted on twitter a few weeks back… interesting. can’t wait to see what happens.
A question: If Switchfoot is now an independent band, how come on the HH CD there is the Atlantic Records label?
Switchfoot isn’t technically an independent band now – they were originally going to be once they parted ways with Sony, and they turned Atlantic down several times while the label was pursuing them. However, they signed an unique deal with atlantic that allows them the power promotion of a major label but still lets them maintain artistic freedom
Yep! Because the power of the internet, artists don’t NEED labels. But labels NEED artists. So this is putting a lot of power back into the hands of independent artists.
Yep! Also, major labels give artists the power to launch their music overseas. Without Atlantic, it would have been tricky for Switchfoot to get their music to other countries
We have to fix them link! But for now: http://z11.invisionfree.com/LandOfBrokenHearts/
Yeah one of the admins can do it!
Paul LOL!!!
Its nice to see an interview with Romey for a change! I can’t watch the second video
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news@landofbrokenhearts.org! I am REALLY bad at answering e-mail