Alt Press posted a new entry in their “In The Studio” series – with our favorite San Diego band! Check out all this awesome Vice Verses info!:
EXPECT IT: September via Atlantic
To record their eighth studio album, Vice Verses, Switchfoot spent time at their San Diego studio and at Paramount Recordingin Los Angeles. Neal Avron, who’s worked with acts such as Yellowcard and Anberlin, is producing the album. Avron’s résumé made him a logical choice to guide Switchfoot’s pop-rock—which is something that vocalist/guitarist Jon Foreman says his friends have been telling him for years.
“Sean O’Donnell from Reeve Oliver, who’s now in Yellowcard, [and] Jordan [Pundik] from New Found Glory [have talked up Avron],” he explains. “They’re both just like, ‘You gotta meet him, and you’re going to work with him.’ I’m really glad it worked out for both of our schedules to make a record together, it’s been so much fun. I feel like everyone’s pushed each other in a really good way.”
Indeed, Foreman says that Vice Verses will “surprise people in a lot of ways.” Switchfoot’s ever-prolific nature—they wrote 80 songs alone for 2009’s Hello Hurricane—means that “there’s all these songs and colors that we never actually show to people,” he says. “On this album, we’re actually showing a few of those colors that we’ve never actually shown off before.” For instance, Foreman notes that the verses of the song “Selling The News” are “almost spoken-word,” while “The War Inside” de-emphasizes electric guitar in favor of driving rhythms.
The latter song is a good representation of Vice Verses’ sound. “We set out with this record to make an album that was driven by the bass and drums, the rhythm section,” he says. “A couple of my friends who heard the record said it almost sounds like dub. We all grew up listening to hip-hop records, stuff that has a lot more of the motor coming from the rhythm section rather than the electric guitar. That’s something we wanted to try out [to] see how far we could take that.”
The name of the album comes from a Switchfoot song that should be familiar to fans—Foreman’s been performing it live for years–although the band found it challenging to fit the tune’s “acoustic, singer/songwriter” instrumentation into Vice Verses’ rhythm-heavy vibe. Still, they aren’t shying away from thought-provoking material, especially lyrically. Foreman says some songs address the idea of “selling the news”—e.g., how money or “ad-driven corporations” can influence the stories you hear about or read—while “The War Inside” is “examining the darker stuff within. I’ve tended to come to the conclusion that none of the external wars can be won without first confronting whatever demons you’re fighting inside.”
Vice Versesstarts with “Afterlife” and ends with “Where I Belong.” The two songs form lyrical symmetry that Foreman finds appealing. “For me, [‘Afterlife’ is] speaking about the idea that I want to live my life right now, I’m not waiting for the afterlife,” he says. “The flipside of that coin is the idea that this world isn’t really a place I feel all that comfortable with; there’s a lot of things I still don’t understand. I’m still trying to figure out where I belong in the world. To have ‘Afterlife’ start the record and ‘Where I Belong’ close the record, it feels like it brings it full circle.” alt
Wow! One of the best scoops yet – what do you guys think about that wealth of information? What are you most excited about? Are you feeling the flutter of trepidation? Share in the comments below!
Also, Switchfoot sent out a new e-mail with some exciting news for Tim!:
Tim Throws the 1st pitch!
Tim will be joining the San Diego Padres at their game on Saturday, May 7th. Look out for his fastball as he throws the first pitch. Tim will also be joining the team for batting practice prior to the game. Good luck brother!
First Pitch: 5:35pm PSTInternational Recap
We want to thank all of our fans and friends for coming to our shows in Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia. We had an amazing time hanging out with all of you and can’t wait to come back!
Check out some photos at: http://www.facebook.com/switchfoot?sk=photosCanada Tour
We’re stoked to be coming back to Canada this month. We have a lot of awesome shows lined up. Head over to our tour section to see our Canada dates along with the rest of our upcoming tour dates.05/16/2011 Toronto, ONT, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
05/17/2011 Greater Sudbury, ONT, Radisson Hotel Sudbury – Palladium Ballroom
05/18/2011 London, ONT, London Convention Centre
05/20/2011 Barrie, ONT, Georgian College – Conference Centre
05/21/2011 Kingston, ONT, The Grand Theatre
05/22/2011 Montreal, QC, Pierre Charbonneau Center
05/23/2011 Winnipeg, MB, Pantages Playhouse Theatre
05/24/2011 Saskatoon, SK, Odeon Events Centre
05/26/2011 Calgary, AB, MacEwan Ballroom
05/27/2011 Edmonton, AB, Rexall Place
05/28/2011 Vernon, BC Wesbild Centre
05/29/2011 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre
06/17/2011 Del Mar, CA, Del Mar Fairgrounds
06/18/2011 Encinitas, CA, BRO-AM
06/23/2011 Mineral City, OH, Atwood Lake Park
07/05/2011 Milwaukee, WI WLUM Summerfest
07/09/2011 Doswell, VA Kings Dominion Kings Fest
07/13/2011 Willmar, MN, Willmar Civic Center Grounds
07/22/2011 Enumclaw, WA, Enumclaw Expo Center
07/30/2011 Chicago, IL Ignite Festival 2011
08/05/2011 Midland, TX Rock The Desert Festival
08/06/2011 Gilford, NH Soulfest
08/11/2011 Mukegon, MI Unity Festival
09/10/2011 St. Louis, MO, Six Flags St. Louis, MO
09/23/2011 Leesburg, VA Awakening Festival
09/24/2011 Hickory, NC Metro CenterFOR ALL TOUR INFO, CLICK HERE!
Bro-Am
Bro-Am is quickly approaching and this year is going to be bigger and better than ever! This year’s event, presented by Hurley, will feature a pre-event auction night (Thursday, June 16), charity surf contest and concert (Saturday, June 18), and Belly Up after-party (Saturday, June 18) — all to benefit San Diego-based chapters of StandUp For Kids. We will be announcing the talent lineup in the next few weeks as well as some great opportunities to donate to StandUp for Kids. Stay tuned!
Link: http://www.switchfoot.com/switchfoot/c/bro-am
Merch Store Blowout!Merch store blowout!
Head over to our merch store for exclusive sale items, limited edition T-shirts and our Collector’s Deluxe Edition of Hello Hurricane! There are only a few of these left so make sure to get yours now.Link: http://www.switchfoot.com/switchfoot/c/storeFree yourself
-Jon, Tim, Chad, Drew, Jerome
Awesome! Congrats Tim! Can anyone get that first pitch recorded for us?
Holy Crap, Afterlife is gonna be the album opener, I always pictured it as an epic slower song at the end of the album like “Sing it out” was on Hello Hurricane. Its gonna be crazy to have that starting things off and “where I Belong” closing. Im really hoping it works out well and sounds amazing.
Yeah, I thought “Afterlife” was going to be a smooth song, but maybe it’s kinda “Neede and Haystack Life”. I can’t wait to hear “The War Inside”, could it be the new Dark Horses?, What do you think?
Makes sense, and im also curious about the “Expect it in September”?
I don’t think VV is going to be anything like HH. There may be a few similaries- it is the same guys playing- but every album has taken the boys to a different landscape.
Each album has reflected my life, which is why I as well as most fams love Switchfoot. The first 3 albums were just boyish joy and innocent faith, TBLT opened up my eyes.
And if NiS got me through the valley, HH showed me grace…. I’m hoping VV is the opening of a new life and the death of my old one.
Can’t wait to hear these tunes!
I loved your comment.
Couldn’t have said it any better.
That was beautifully put – I think most of us feel the same way
Thank you so much for commenting; you said it perfectly.
Dang! I knew June was too good to be true, but I’m guessing the content of VV will cancel out the long-wait disappointment;) SO excited!!!!!!!!! And since when did Tim play baseball?:)
Tim’s a big baseball fan
Remember that one interview?
interviewer: “What’s one thing you’ll never hear a girl say?”
the guys: “…..”
Tim: “Hey, let’s go to a baseball game”
Oh!;) must’ve missed that one, hahaha *feeling stupid I didnt know Tim was a huge baseball fan*
I wonder how fast his fast-ball is?
maybe they’ll clock it…
NOW i made the connection of tim saying that!
*of WHY
Sounds like dub?! Ok, I admit I had to look it up but yikes! getting so very excited! I love that they are pushing themselves and trying something new. And Jon saying they’ll play album front to back; I can only hope to be in that audience.
Im scared! This album will rock, im sure of it, but it just sounds so bizarre and different!…. I dont know how to describe the feeling… im excited and anxious
EXACTLY how I’m feeling! But if it’s SF, it’s gotta be good!;)
they would never let us, or themselves down….. This album is gonna be good, It’s Switchfoot we’re talking about guys!
Anyone else here a dredg fan? Because they were saying some fairly similar things in the run up to their latest record and that didn’t turn out too well, to put it lightly. Still, I have more confidence in Jon and the gang and I’ll be happy so long as Against the Voices and Dark Horses/Rise Above It sound good.
You bet I am!! Love ‘Bug Eyes’!!
That whole album’s really good.
Get excited everytime I hear something new about ‘Vice Verses’!! Just heard ‘This Is Home’ on an NBC commercial for a t.v series coming out in 2012 titled ‘Chimpanzees’. Haha Don’t know why they played it but it’s cool!
WOW TIM YOUR SO AWESOME!!!!!!! Im so gonna watch this game ^_^ im not really into baseball but i’ll watch just to see timmy play!
record it! record!
hahahaheheheha!!! maybe, not really i was thinking about watching it on some sporty website. hopefuly it comes out on my tv cause i dont have cable. i have to remember to watch it!
I think we’ll have a recording!
If it really does sound like “dub”step, I will have a freaking brain meltdown. That would be SO GREAT.
Job… ARETHEYFINALLYPUSHINGIT!?!?!
Dub Step and Dub are NOT the same thing. Dub is actually a bass-heavy spin-off genre of reggae. If Switchfoot went dub-step, Tim would be pretty bored during concerts.
To be completely honest – I’m pretty much devastated that the release date has been pushed back yet again *mourns*
If I remember correctly, in 2008 they said their new album would come out in like March 2009 which got pushed back to July 2009 which got pushed back to August 2009 which got pushed back to September 2009 to October and they finally settled on November so I am totally prepared this time. I half expect them to put it off till December.. as much as I want to tear my clothes and put sackcloth on, I realize it’s because they want the album to sound as great as it possibly can
HAHA! *applauds* well said. I’ll leave my sackcloth behind
I know – you’d think I would have learned from Hello Hurricane. And really, I’m not that surprised by it… But still, we were THIS close to having that new album in our hands!
Lol. Sackcloth.
Well, it’s not an official release date. The album still might be released in the summer, so don’t be completely devastated.
Me too! I was SO excited the first time I heard June, cuz I’m going to their concert in Doswell, VA July 9th, and I was so happy that the album would be out by then. *sad face*
I think that if they had the motto “if you aren’t crying then why are you singing it” for the last record and judging from the songs i’ve heard so far from VV I think this record is going to have the most meaning of all of them yet.
Well I hope this isn’t their last record! That would be devastating. But if it is then they should have concerts a lot or they should go live with their family even tho I would miss them. But I think the motto would be great for VV. cause I remember for LtB had one. and I love to read it. I hope it’s close to what you said cause I really like it.
no, he mean “FROM their last record” – referencing Hello Hurricane
lol oops oh well, it goes well with both
Hahaha Trevor lol that would be devastating if it was their last album. I would eventually get tired of playing all of their songs over and over…
i doubt this is going to be their last record. from the “making of hello hurricane dvd”, you hear them say that they’ve produced 80-90 songs during that time period, it’s worth like okay, they say 4 albums songs (but i think it’s more than just 4 albums lol). and jon is a song-writing machine… so song-writing and composing for the group never stops there.
so in other words, those 80-90 songs, and the songs jon writes while in the studio, on the road, after reading fans’ letters (i.e. the recent LOBH project, Love in a Jar) – their career as a musician and together as band is not going to die down anytime soon.
not if the world’s really going to end in december 2012.
so
Good point. I wasn’t really scared that they weren’t going to continue. I was just wondering. But I know Jon won’t die down. lol when he’s so old and he can’t get out of his house, he will still be writing songs. But yeah. I guess SF will be going on for a longer time. So thanks for the reassurance
=)
September??? *dies*
I am nowww super PUMPED for VICE VERSES!!!
SF, PLEASEEEEEEE DON’T MAKE US WAIT UNTIL SEPTEMBER!!
what no way not september, it cant be september it has to be during this summer
@fight_ain’t_over: Did ya check U2 out yet? No pressure, just wonderin’;)
oh haha, sorry i reply so late!
actually, that day before your song recommendation, i was checking out U2′s “The Joshua Tree” on wiki, then i youtubed the song “with or without you”? and i thought that song was pretty good?
and then i got carried away by writing a song review on sf’s songs for one of my profs, while watching some show on tv! =P
but i’m definitely checking their songs out! don’t worry! =P
Sorry if I’m like pestering you about listening to them! It’s just they’re SUCH a good band, and it’s always exciting to know that you could possibly get someone else interested too! (P.S. I just bought their newest album, “No Line On The Horizon”, and I’ll honestly say I’m not too impressed with it, I’ll always love U2, but I’ve heard SO much better from them, so I wouldn’t suggest that album as a beginner.)
naaahh no you weren’t/aren’t pestering me about listening to them. it’s just that i got side-tracked/distracted easily!
i’ll let you know which ones i like after checking them out!
If this album turns out to be a hip-hop album, I’m going to keel over and die. Hip-hop just isn’t that great. It’s all about beat, sure, but repetitive beat and often rapping (which can be pretty good if done well, but I don’t that rapping would fit in Jon’s niche – he’s a singer, and a great one at that). I’d love it if we hear more bass and drums (I admit it has been lacking in past albums – we need more songs like “Learning to Breathe” [which has an amazing bass part, especially in the bridge]), but I don’t want it to be repetitive beats and rhythm – and I’d absolutely hate to lose the awesome guitar riffs that Switchfoot has made in previous albums (i.e. “Meant to Live”, “Politicians, “Awakening”, “The Sound (John M. Perkins’ Blues)”, etc.) – which is what it sounds like they’re doing. Also, I don’t want to lose the “acousticness” that Switchfoot (specifically Jon) is good at doing (i.e. “Twenty-Four”, “Daisy”, “You”, “Enough to Let Me Go”, etc.) either. Switchfoot is not a hip-hop group, they are a rock band; what are they doing in that area? Please don’t disappoint me, Switchfoot – I’d rather have some pleasant surprises!
sorta my thinking! mainstream music is all rythm driven and i dont like any of it. I like what weve heard with vice verses, restless, and where i belong! More of that! I trust them though!
Listen to the songs that we already know of… Restless, Against the Voices, Vice Verses, the part of Where I Belong… do those sound like hip-hop?
I think this album is just going to have some more beat-driven influence. And as far as the spoken word lyrics go, I don’t expect it to sound like rap. Honestly, I think some people are taking them too literally when they say it’s going to be their “best attempt at a worship record” or that “as close to rapping” as they’ve ever come. Can you really imagine them doing all they’ve done, then suddenly plunging into hip-hop or praise & worship music? I’m convinced that they’re just talking about flavors you’ll hear on the new music, not saying that they are changing styles.
Basically, I’m confident that this will be just as much a true switchfoot album as we’ve ever heard even though there is SOME difference in the sound, and I think pleasant surprises are exactly what we’ll get!
I agree – I think there are going to be a lot of different influences on this release and a lot of surprises and new sounds – but I don’t think Switchfoot is going to abandon their sound completely and try for a completely different genre
As long as the spoken word sounds nothing like that awful Skillet song, “Looking for Angels.”
Well, we haven’t heard all of the songs on the albums. What if the songs we haven’t heard have what we don’t like in them? Jon said that Switchfoot is “showing a few colors [they've] never shown off before” – what if those colors are the things we don’t like? However, “A Commentator”‘s comment of “Dub Step and Dub are NOT the same thing. Dub is actually a bass-heavy spin-off genre of reggae” makes me a bit more optimistic. I am still confident that Switchfoot won’t disappoint.
Wow! so stoked for this album. I think it might end up being their greatest. Not sure if it’s as anticipated as Hello Hurricane, just because they went like three years without an album then, but it feels like we’ve been waiting for Vice Verses forever…
I’m not at all surprised at the push back of the release date. When I heard June, I silently thought to myself “yeah right, I remember when Hello Hurricane was coming out in the fall ’08″. The guys have always been real optomistic with release dates. They’re starting to get like Coldplay
Hopefully VV will be the “must get” album of the year – if it’s not that anticipated, hopefully word will spread from fans going “dude you HAVE to get this… it’s so rad” as opposed to building on pre-record hype
Yeah I would so totally love that! Switchfoot has made great music. Not just like guitar and stuff (which what most people want now days which makes them end up with songs that they shouldn’t hear) but lyrically. I love Jon’s lyrics and I think they need to be heard more. Lyrics like “Always” are really nice tho. I hope they have a slow song like that again
it just occurred to me that they definitely already announced the first and last song of the album via twitter about a month ago
Jacob you are correct!! September wahh
but I’m sure it’s worth the wait! Yay tim!!!!!!! 
well I usually watch the padre’s and giant’s games so I will definitely check in to record it for you guys
you are FANTASTIC!
This made my day. Made me hope for more! VV, you’re one hot record. I can’t wait for you to be in my arms
I’m a huge fan and all, but SF has alwas been one of my favorite modern bands that didn’t revert to to popular beats and NON MUSIC. It makes me sad that even one song would be like that. Ive head about so many different “sounds” on VV. So IS it that Joshua tree sound I head about first? Or ambient? DUB? What?? Some things I’ve heard about this album makes me confused if we are still talking SF, and not some popular radio crap band. Sorry. I had to get that out.
What ever they put out I’m sure we all will LOVE IT. Why? Cause they are good at makin us love it.
Yeah it’s definitely something that I think a lot of fans are raising eye brows over, but I think the guys will make it work – I don’t think they’ll ever sound like a pop radio band!
if they will sound like a ~pop radio band~, then the world’s gonna end. enough said.
Wow. This is good news! I believe every album of Switchfoot has its unique sound of its own which every fan can interpret individually. I’m excited for those new colors to be scattered all over the globe! I’ve been hearing acoustics of the songs for now and we all know not all of ‘em are going to be included in the new album. But I’m so STOKED for Vice Verses that I can’t wait for its release!! HAHA. I thought it was July… now it’s September… who knows, maybe December? GAAAH!
Btw, I love this site. Thanks for putting it up.
Yeah. I love hearing other peoples thoughts on songs. It makes me see life in different ways. Instead of just seeing it my ways. (Even tho I look at songs at different angles there are still angles that I can’t get to without someone else.) For instance, I interpret “This is Home” so many ways. I see it as a song of hope, love, forgiveness, and sticking up for what’s right. So I bet VV will definitely get my mind to places I’ve never thought of. (I saw that your post was lonely so I’m trying to cheer it up.)
I am going tothe Padres game this weekend! I cant wait. And I also cannot wait for Switchfoot Weekend(The Del Mar Fair and Bro-Am.)! =)))
Shannon- That is wonderful. We want to hear about it. That’s a lovely amount of SF to take in! So happy for you.
Thank you! =)
…Eh. Songs talking about how evil corporations are annoy me. Same old, same old.
Where’d you get “evil” corporations? All they said was it was a song about how “how money or “ad-driven corporations” can influence the stories you hear about or read” – I don’t see the word evil in there anywhere. It’s a double-edged sword – that influence can be used for good OR evil. They didn’t say which direction they’d take the song.
Yeah, they’ve done it well enough before, especially with “Politicians” (not so much “American Dream”), but only because they made it more of a personal issue than a political one. Who wants to hear about politics? If they stick to those sorts of lyrics, it could be a great song. I’m just sick of all of this rebellion other bands have been doing for decades. You’re right – the influence *can* be used either way.
My problem is how many people tend to lean towards the negative. OH, THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG HERE OR THERE, IT MUST BE DESTROYED. Meanwhile, “Politicians” is more along the lines of “We’re all a bit messed up, aren’t we? So let’s fix these bigger problems based on the little things.”
We’ll see. ^_^ I’m still psyched about the record – I’m glad to see it’s supposedly darker than the last two – ‘Nothing is Sound’ is my favorite of their releases, and I think someone said…eh, I can’t remember exactly, so it may have been this interview for all I know, but they said that Switchfoot sounds best when they’re a bit dark or mysterious. Can’t help but agree with that, as well as they do everything else.
Can’t wait to hear Selling the News!
VV is going to make us pee our pants!!! lol XD maybe a jk to some of us. But I’m really excited to hear the songs sound and lyrics. I’ve havn’t listened to any of the songs except VV but it was acoustic. So I still havn’t heard any of their new songs much. They sound really wonderful. It’ll just tell us that the pop culture is where none of us belong. But some people choose it. I wish I could go to a bro-am
I am so excited for VV!!! Personally I’m not to worried about what they’re going to do on the album cause I mean, it’s Switchfoot! Whatever they’re gonna do is going be awesome, so if it’s worshipful or rap I’ll still be a huge fan! I respect them a lot as muscians and love their music but one of the main reasons I like them so much is who they are as poeple. They are such an encouragement to me when I see how happy they are and how joyful their outlook on life is! So whatever they do I’ll still love them!
Well said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel the exact same way! Some people are worried, but come on, it’s SWITCHFOOT! Have they EVER let us down? I will admit, I was a bit nervous when I heard about the new musical direction, but I trust that they’re pushing themselves and making VV the BEST that it can be!
“We all grew up listening to hip-hop records, stuff that has a lot more of the motor coming from the rhythm section rather than the electric guitar.”
i can hardly imagine THEM listening to hip-hop stuffs!
that reminds me, the first time that i ever really give hip-hop a try, was about two years ago (summer 2009) when i was backstaging for this live theatre/production… and the song they wrote and composed and choreographed was a hip-hop one. i must say, that opened my eye to a genre that was never interested in, and as a result i liked/like that song so much!
“Vice Versesstarts with ‘Afterlife’ [...] [‘Afterlife’ is] speaking about the idea that I want to live my life right now, I’m not waiting for the afterlife”
makes ME wonder if placing this song as the opening song of the record, has something to do with connecting/echoing with the song “needles and haystake life” from hello hurricane. you know, just like “meant to live” from TBL and “lonely nation” from NIS. (if i am making sense to you guys)
on a side note, so does that mean that their VV album is gonna sound more like rhythm-driven (hip-hop, r&b)? hehe, that sounds exciting! *puppy eyes*