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New Albums & Releases

All the latest details, rumors, facts, speculation and info on upcoming Switchfoot, Jon Foreman, and Fiction Family releases.

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TITLE: Fiction Family Reunion
ARTIST: Fiction Family
TYPE: New Studio Album
RELEASE DATE: January 29, 2013
LABEL: Rock Ridge Music
COVER: Click to View
PRE-ORDER: iTunes | Deluxe Packages + CD
TRACK LIST:

  1. Avalon – 4:02
  2. Guilt – 2:43
  3. Up Against the Wall – 4:56
  4. Give Me Back My Girl – 4:43
  5. Damaged – 2:38
  6. God Badge – 5:43
  7. Never Call – 2:37
  8. Just Rob Me – 2:54
  9. Reality Calls – 2:19
  10. The Ashes of Rock and Roll (Fools’ Gold) – 5:00

INFORMATION: Shortly after the release of the first Fiction Family album, the band was already talking about recording a follow-up, and the new song “Just Rob Me” was said to possibly appear on the next album. In February of 2009, Sean Watkins stated in an interview that, “We haven’t written anything new on the road but we’ve been working on some songs we’ve already written for the next record. So there’s no new writing, but we’ve been working on stuff.” In an interivew with Christianity Today, when asked about the future of Fiction Family, Sean said that, “I would love to continue. Jon and I talked about more Fiction Family stuff; it’s kind of open-ended when we have time. I also have this band called Works Progress Administration [including Toad the Wet Sprocket's Glen Phillips, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' Benmont Tench, Nickel Creek's Sara Watkins, and members of Elvis Costello's band]. We just meet as friends in the studio with everybody having fun and just sort of experimenting with music. We have a record and are now trying to figure out what to do with it, but it will probably come out in late summer. So that’s the next thing, but we’ll definitely Fiction it up!” Jon went on to promise that, “The Family reunion is coming!”

In an article on Switchfoot in the October issue of CCM Magazine, they wrote, “And just like the clear skies after the storm, the future is bright for Switchfoot. The band’s nearly finished it’s eighth record, Vice Verses, slated to release in 2010, and Foreman’s re-entering the studio next month to make more music with Fiction Family, his collaboration with Nickel Creek guitarist, Sean Watkins.”

This was later confirmed by Twitter posts from Jon and Tyler Chester, the bass player for Fiction Family. Jon twittered that he was, “tracking fiction family tunes today and tomorrow, first up: a tune called “against the wall” so amped!” Tyler also posted, saying “Very productive rehearsal today with PW, now off to track some new Fiction Family songs. Same thing tomorrow. Good way to spend a day!”

In December of 2009, Tyler Chester posted this to his Facebook and Twitter pages:

In January 2010, Tyler Chester posted the following on his Twitter: Last minute Fiction Family recording? Yes please! How many songs can we pump out in 10-12 hours? I’m guessing 5. The other members of Fiction Family began posting Twitter updates as well, with Jon posting: Fiction family rock: a tune of mine- “my forgetful baby” and a tune of sean’s – “notch on the tally” amped! with a photo of the lyrics to the song.

Sean Watkins then tweeted about the recording process, saying: Drummer drumming on the old doghouse bass, and jon at the protools helm for fiction family. Fiction family song number 8 to be recorded. Notch on the tally.

Early September 2010 found the Family back in the studio recording. Sean Watkins posted on Twitter, saying: “Great productive day recording with fiction family. Tracked 2 new ones of mine, and finished off two of jon’s that needed touching up.” Tyler Chester later tweeted, “Time to finish up this Fiction Family recording. This record is turning out so, so good.” In response to a fan question about when the album would be released, Tyler ventured “Spring perhaps?” Jon then posted on his Twitter, saying: “got some great fiction family jams recorded this week. Now boarding… plane sweet plane“. Later, Tim Tweeted on from his account, sharing his first experience of listening to the new tunes: “@jonforeman is playing some new @fictionfamily jams on the bus on our drive to Kentucky. They sound great, dig em.”

In October 2010, Jeanna spoke with Jon about the near future of Fiction Family and previewed the album on his iPhone. Jon mentioned that they’re shooting for a Spring 2011 release and that they are presently still recording. According to Jeanna, the tracks on the new record have a “fuller sound with additional instruments, with Sean and Jon taking turns on lead vocals throughout the songs.”

January 2012 found the family back in the studio as they mixed and recorded final songs for the record. On March 30, 2012, Sean Watkins tweeted that they had finished the record:

During an April aftershow, Jon announced the title of the new record:

In November 2012, a press release was put out under the band’s new label, Rock Ridge Music, announcing the release date of the album (January 29, 2013), the first single (Up Against the Wall), and confirming the rumors that Fiction Family would be touring with organization TWLOHA in their upcoming “Heavy and Light” Tour.

Fiction Family’s official website also received a makeover:

Fiction Family Website Screencap

Soon after the press release, the album cover and track listing were both put out. TWLOHA began putting out dates one by one for their upcoming “Heavy and Light” Tour featuring Fiction Family. The tour kicks off on January 28, 2013, and Jon Foreman (of Switchfoot) & Fiction Family are playing every night, with the exception of Anaheim. Dates are listed below and more information is available on TWLOHA’s website HERE.

  • Jan 28 – Anaheim
  • Jan 29 – San Diego
  • Jan 30 – Los Angeles
  • Feb 1 – Salt Lake City
  • Feb 2 – Denver
  • Feb 4 – Houston
  • Feb 5 – Dallas
  • Feb 6 – New Orleans
  • Feb 8 – Nashville
  • Feb 9 – Detroit
  • Feb 10 – Chicago
  • Feb 12 – Philadelphia
  • Feb 13 – New York City
  • Feb 14 – Boston
  • Feb 15 – Washington, DC
  • Feb 16 – Atlanta
  • Feb 18 – Orlando

Official pre-sale for Fiction Family Reunion went live on December 10, 2012, revealing several options and a few new goodies. Click HERE to pre-order from the offered packages, which include Deluxe Package, Deluxe Digital Package, Reunion Tee + Vinyl Package, Reunion Tee + CD Package, Reunion Vinyl + Digital Package, Reunion CD + Digital Package, and Reunion Digital Package. The two bonus tracks offered in deluxe packages are stripped recordings (called “Living Room Mixes”) of two songs from the album, “Up Against the Wall” and “Never Call.”

The iTunes pre-sale began on December 18, 2012, and offered two new, exclusive tracks with the order – “Notch on the Tally” and “Monster.” Click HERE to order from the iTunes store.

SOURCES:

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TITLE: Fading West
ARTIST: Switchfoot
TYPE: Movie/Soundtrack
LENGTH: Around 80 Mins
RELEASE SCHEDULE:

  • Fading West Album – May/June 2013
  • Fading West Premiere – July 2013 (Bro-Am)
  • Fading West Tour – September 2013
  • Fading West DVD – Released After Tour (December 2013)

LABEL: lowercase people // Atlantic Records
COVER: N/A
SONGS: Tracks that might be appearing on the album:

  • Airy Anthem
  • Back to the Beginning
  • Slipping Away
  • Skin & Bones
  • Liberty
  • Saltwater Heart
  • Ba55
  • The Hard Way
  • Against the Voices
  • Slow Down My Heartbeat
  • Halftime
  • Innocence
  • Fading West
  • What It Costs
  • World You Want

INFORMATION: During the Facebook Hurley Takeover on September 27, 2011, Tim made the first comment about Fading West - “All the unreleased songs will see the light of day eventually… we are really excited about working on the soundtrack for our next project which will be a film called Fading West.”

LOBH talked exclusively with Chad about the movie two days later, and this is what he said:

  1. The movie is called “Fading West” and it will feature the Switchfoot guys.
  2. It’s not really a documentary – Chad described it by saying it was right in between “Endless Summer” and “Rattle & Hum”
  3. The movie will follow the guys around the world during the course of several months, following their touring, their surfing, etc.
  4. The guys are hoping to write and record new songs in each location that they visit.
  5. They’ll also be writing the soundtrack. Chad thinks that will be a mix of songs with words and songs with just music.
  6. Chad estimates the movie won’t release for about 2 more years.

The title track, “Fading West”, was originally planned to be on Vice Verses. It was found on early press release copies and listed on iTunes as a pre-order bonus track. An early demo version of “Fading West” can be found during the credits of the 2008 movie Highwater - although it’s somewhat difficult to hear as interviews are playing during the song.

On January 23, 2012, Tim tweeted that Fading West planning had begun:

From that point on, the Fading West filming crew has been spotted all over the globe, from California to Australia. During a March 2012 interview with May the Rock Be With You, Tim revealed more details on the movie:

And as far as the music component, you will be writing new music I assume, have you started that aspect of the documentary yet?

Tim – Yes, the concept of the movie is basically what we live.  We are always writing, always touring and always surfing, so we will be just diving into the journey as it unfolds.

15 years you guys have been together, so what led to you starting this project now?

Tim – We’ve been talking about doing this for years now and it came to the point where we were finally like, are we going to do this thing or not?  If so, let’s make it happen.

LOBH interviewed Switchfoot with a series of videos in May 2012, and in part 2, Chad confirmed that the band had been working a lot on the fan-favorite live song “Against the Voices”, commonly played at jon’s aftershows, and that they were planning to release the track on Fading West.

More details uncovered during the interview were that the soundtrack has “very cinematic qualities”, longer songs, and most of it will be score. The movie may also be seeing a limited theatre release in San Diego around Bro-Am in July 2013.

Switchfoot set out during Summer 2012 to exotic locations around the world, from South Africa to Bali. From surfing with Rob Machado to reuniting with the Kuyasa Kids, the guys were busy shooting throughout the season for the film, which they’re hoping to premiere at the 2013 Bro-Am in Encinitas, CA. A few photos of the Summer trip, courtesy of film crew members Matt Katsolis, Jesse Cook, and Steve Bender:


On October 28, 2012 in Anaheim, CA, the band wrapped up filming for the movie. After filming epic crowd-surfing shots with the VIP fans, premiering a trailer for the movie before the show, and shooting out confetti for three minutes straight, Switchfoot entered the studio and worked to record the album from start to finish, while tracking score for the film.

AbsolutePunk.net published a lengthy interview with Chad in November 2012 where he shared more details on Fading West, “Against the Voices”, and experiences with filming. Read the entire interview HERE. “I think there’s going to be room to breathe on the album that we haven’t allowed ourselves in the past. You know, I think there’s that cinematic idea in the back of your mind that your creating something that doesn’t have to be a 3 minute pop song.”

Jon released the first look at album track listing on December 6, 2012, where he posted an instagram photo of songs the band was working on:

It’s important to note that the 15 songs listed are scheduled to change, as this is not the final track listing.

Land of Broken Hearts received exclusive information from the SF team on Fading West in early December 2012, revealing new information about the project and seeing what 2013 would bring. Click HERE to view.

To start off the new year, Switchfoot released a teaser featuring the first public Fading West footage, set to the title track of the album – “Fading West.” They also shared that they’d be “posting trailers, behind the scenes footage, and more as we lead up the release of the film.”

The movie, which will be around 80 minutes, is expected to premiere in July 2013 at the Bro-Am in San Diego. The album is expected to be out in May/June 2013. After the summer festival season, the band will be taking the movie on tour from September to December in the US and Canada – playing the movie beforehand and following up with the show. The DVD/Blu-Ray will be available after the tour is over. The film will also be streaming on Hulu and Netflix.

SOURCES:

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TITLE: Vice Verses (Acoustic)
ARTIST: Switchfoot
TYPE: Studio Recorded Song
RELEASE DATE: TBA
LABEL: lowercase people // Atlantic Records
COVER: N/A
CONFIRMED SONGS:

  • Vice Verses (Acoustic)

INFORMATION: Jon announced via Twitter on September 15, 2011 that he had recorded acoustics of “Vice Verses” and “Dark Horses”:

“Dark Horses (Acoustic)” was later released on Hurley’s website, and we have not heard word on “Vice Verses (Acoustic)” since it was announced.

SOURCES:

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TITLE: UNKNOWN
ARTIST: Jon Foreman
TYPE: Solo Release
RELEASE DATE: TBA
COVER: N/A
COLLABORATIONS:

  • Ryan O’Neal (Sleeping at Last)
  • JT Daly (Paper Route)
  • Jeremy Larson
  • Darren King (Mutemath)

INFORMATION: For years, fans have been anticipating a follow up release to the seasonal EPs and album released back in 2007. Busy at work with Switchfoot and Fiction Family, Jon has been writing songs and debuting them at aftershows around the country, meanwhile gathering tracks for the sequel release to Limbs & Branches. Anticipation for this record skyrocketed in early 2012, when Jon announced at an aftershow that he was “20 songs deep into some sort of solo project.” Later, at an April 2012 aftershow, he confirmed that Darren King of Mutemath and Ryan from Sleeping At Last would be producers for the project. In early May, Jeremy Larson, a talented cellist, published a blog after playing with jon at an aftershow, revealing more information on the release:

I’ve been keeping something a secret for quite some time, but I think it’s safe to let you all in on this now. Jon is working on a new solo album, and I wrote some string/piano arrangements for two of the songs. Since he tweeted about this the other day, I figured it was safe to talk a little bit about it. I’m not exactly sure when this album is set to be released, but I’m so excited for you all to hear these two songs. Some of Jon’s best songs yet!

Ryan O’Neal of Sleeping at Last published a blog in October 2012 describing his contributions to the project as well:

If you’ve followed the Sleeping At Last Twitter or Facebook over the last several months, you might have seen me mention that I’ve been working on a few “secret projects”… well one of those secret projects is with my pal, Jon Foreman (Switchfoot). Earlier this year, Jon asked if I’d be interested in contributing to his upcoming solo record (release date tba)… So he sent me a song that he had just finished writing and asked if I’d care to add some things… anything I’d like, really. So I spent a bit of time with it (adding anything that popped into my mind… drums, bass, strings, pianos, background videos, etc!) and had an incredible time layering ideas onto his gorgeous song. Soon after, he was kind enough to invite me to contribute to a few more songs. It’s been such an honor to say the least… Jon is one of my favorite songwriters (and people) ever, so to be invited to be a part of his music is just a wonderful privilege!

Although I have no clue as to when these songs will meet the world, I can say that they are some of Jon’s very finest work and I cannot wait for you to hear!

He also stated in another blog post that he had worked on 4 songs for the record.

Jon is currently working on the solo release with producers and friends as he tours with Switchfoot.

SOURCES:

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TITLE: Light & Heavy
ARTIST: Jon Foreman
TYPE: Compilation CD
RELEASE DATE: Unknown
COVER:N/A
INFORMATION: During an April 2012 aftershow in Kentucky, Jon stated that the rare song was likely to be put on a compilation CD for the organization “To Write Love On Her Arms.”As of right now, nothing is in the works, but it may eventually be recorded. A live recording of the song is available for download in LOBH’s media section HERE.SOURCES: