“Played a new tune… The Original”; Bro-Am Afterparty Line Up

The BC Local News posted a great article on Switchfoot/interview with Tim:

“I’ve seen it happen with other bands that I admire, which happens when you get pigeonholed,” said Tim. “(Christianity) is a state of mind, and not a genre of music. I am a believer, in that I associate with my beliefs in Christ, but labels can be restricting. Our songs are about life. We connect with all faiths.”

Surfing and music seeped into the Foreman brothers’ lives at an early age –– both their parents are musical and Beatles’ albums as well as U2’s The Joshua Tree were a staple on the family stereo –– so it was only a matter of time before they would form a band.

They started a three-piece while Tim was a junior in high school, and Jon had graduated, and started playing at parties, coffee shops, wherever. Eventually, one of their demo tapes ended up in the hands of a producer of an indie label.

“That’s when we started taking it seriously,” laughed Tim. “And we’ve learned from our mistakes along the way.”

The band has found even more harmony since leaving label, Sony Columbia, and building their own studio to record Hello Hurricane.

“We made it on our own. We needed to do that and go on a journey without a studio giving us all these deadlines,” said Tim, adding the band ended up writing 80 songs in two-and-a-half years, whittling them down to 12 tracks that made the album. “It was the hardest record we’ve ever made, but it was the start of something new.”

With the touring and other business that followed Hurricane, Switchfoot finally found the time to work on their follow-up, Vice Verses, expected to be released later this year with the first single out in July.

And like Hello Hurricane, the new album is expected to delve deep into man’s psyche, an attribution to primary songwriter Jon Foreman’s reading of the works by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and the like.

“Jon is really not satisfied coasting through life,” said Tim. “We’re like-minded and like to dig beneath the surface. We do a lot of talking as a band, and big picture thinking… We like to think about what song we want to be playing in the next two-to-10 years. Our songs often deal with the polarity of life, the light and the dark, the pain and the hope. It shines through.”

And those songs have resonated with people from as far as Australia and Asia, where the band toured last month.

“The biggest compliment is having people tell you from as far away as Asia how your music helped them get through tough times,” said Tim. “It’s no well-crafted scheme to write songs that resonate with people. We write them for ourselves, and if they inspire us, that resonates.”

Read the full article HERE.

Now we head back to Canada!

Ourlondon.ca posted a review of Switchfoot’s concert:

Switchfoot, formed in the mid-90s in San Diego, found major label success in 2002 and have been building a dedicated and widespread following since. Their show last night was incandescent, both literally and figuratively — while the lights in the ballroom were at times spectacular, they didn’t outshine the band.

While they got off to a great start — their songs “The Sound” and “Stars” setting the pace for an energetic performance — they soon transitioned into a catalogue of mainly downtempo numbers like “This Is Your Life” and “Free”, stilling the air in the room. While the band have an obviously devout following, even the energy in the crowd slowed considerably.

The band took a brief pause after playing their massive single “Meant To Live,” returning to the stage to encore with fan favourites “Daisy” and “Dare You To Move.”

“It’s a beautiful thing to play music for all of your tonight,” said front man Jon Foreman. “The past few years for us have been a journey … thank you for being a part of our family.”

Read the full review HERE.

We also have some London show photos for you, courtesy of the insanely talented Jordan McRae – view her full stream HERE, as well as additional Switchfoot photos, and a few of my favorites below!:

Photo Credit: Jordon McRae

Photo Credit: Jordon McRae

Photo Credit: Jordon McRae

Photo Credit: Jordon McRae

We finally have a Sudbury setlist, thanks to the lovely Laura! *Note: The songs are in no particular order:

• The Sound
• Stars
• Always
• One Tonight/Shadow
• Only Hope
• Your Love is a Song
• Gone
• Free
• Needle
• Mess of Me
• Yet
• Meant to Live
• Hello Hurricane
• Restless
• Dare

Skipping back a few days to Toronto now… Your Music Zone published a review of the show along with some really lovely pictures! I’m posting a few of my favorites below the review, but to check out the full set, click HERE.

Switchfoot was welcomed back to Canada by a very enthusiastic crowd at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre as the 2011 Hello Hurricane Canadian Tour commenced on Monday night in Toronto, ON.

Opening with “The Sound (John M. Perkins’ Blues)”, fans sang along to every song and were treated to all the familiar hits that went as far back to the group’s trio days (original set list below – sequence modified during show). Lead singer Jon Foreman kept the crowd engaged throughout the evening and twice ventured out into the audience.

Similar to last year’s Toronto concert, the band obliged with a fan’s request to play a song with the band. This year’s honours went to Kenneth Ng from Unionville who nailed the bass part to “Awakening”.

Prior to the concert, the group spend time with fans during the V.I.P. Meet & Greet signing autographs and pose for photos with contest winners.

Hamilton, ON-based The Reason was the perfect opening act to Switchfoot. With catchy, guitar-based songs, they won the audience over with their energetic stage show.

After the concert, several of the theatre’s security staff remarked how large the crowd was for a Monday night and how well they were behaved; a testament to the band’s on and off stage presence. Backstage, band members took time to meet with fans who had gathered around their tour bus.

The tour continues to travel across Canada and which concludes in Vancouver, BC on May 29th. Tickets are still available. Please visit the YMZ Event listings for show and ticket information.

Photo Credit: Reese Sutiono

Photo Credit: Reese Sutiono

Photo Credit: Reese Sutiono

^ Awww the bromance!

Photo Credit: Reese Sutiono