Our favorite Barron (Andy) has been working hard, as evidenced by parts 1 AND 2 of the Switchfoot in the Philippines podcast (you can download the podcasts from itunes, view them on youtube, or view them from the switchfoot.com homepage by clicking on "videos" in the lefthand column), as well as mutliple new Daily Foot entries. And yes, the Evansville entry is up, for all of you who were in this big purple venue:
Thanks, Andy!
There have been a few new blog entries from Jon on his myspace, and on the Switchfoot myspace. an excerpt from jon's latest reads,
who knew mobile would be so cool!? or that "woof-stock" would be around the corner from the venue. Yes folks, it was awesome... Dogs in halloween costumes, and humans dressing up too. A ten dollar charge to get in. For human adults, that is... I'm pretty sure the dogs got a free ride. There was a sweet breakfast place across the street and a band playing for the dogs and humans alike. I'm not sure how to tell whether or not the dogs were digging the band but I think the dogs were having a good time
To read other recent Jon blogs, click here, and to read the recent Switchfoot blogs, click here.
...and speaking of myspaces (and since it's halloween), check out Jon's current profile pic:
This picture was sent by a creative carver to To Write Love On Her Arms. Click the link to find out more about TWLOHA, and click HERE to read Jamie's blog about the pumpkin, etc.
Andy mentioned in the Houston DF entry that the guys worked on a Habitat For Humanity build on Saturday. Jon Schneck, a member of Relient K (current tour buddies), blogged about the event, and put up a few pics as well
Lastly, the biography section of Switchfoot's Youtube page has some new words. Including the following:
In order to cut down on the distance between the listener and the music, we have decided to do our music independently under the banner of Lowercase People Records. ...Since music plays such a crucial role of connecting people with important issues around the world, we wanted to be a part of a label that gives directly to social justice causes, one that is more eco friendly. Lowercase People Records is our attempt to do all of this and more.
Lowercase People is our attempt to better serve this community that has supported us through the years without a middle man in the way. As a band, this is the dream of a lifetime: to have no boundaries in our songs or in the ways that they are presented. So here's what you can expect... Over the course of the next few months we are going to release several diverse projects culminating in a new switchfoot release that will redefine who we are in a new independent era.
and that's not even all that it says. Seriously, go read it HERE. (Thanks, rose!)
Andy's on top of it, though, and you should definitely go check out his Daily Foot entries (in brand new format). Click HERE (or if you are viewing from switchfoot.com, click the Daily Foot box in the upper right corner). He put up some high-quality pictures (including one of an a-maz-ing sunset. whew!). I like this one because the only place where there's actually a "31" is in the reflection on the paper towel dipenser. heh..
Thanks, Andy!
Lots of people like to interview the guys when they go on tour, especially people who like the idea of benefitting Habitat For Humanity.
An online Michigan newspaper, mlive.com, did a phoner (phone interview) with Chad a few weeks back:
"I figured I'd go and swing a hammer and be part of creating a home," Butler said in a phone interview from a tour date in Tulsa, Okla.
"But I had the experience of being shoulder to shoulder with the homeowner of that house, who was working on that house and on his neighbor's. Putting in the extra time to create community was something special."
Another phoner was conducted with Tim by one of my very own hometown radio stations, and you can go listen to that HERE.
Time for some tour videos.
First live performance of Rebuild, in Columbus, Ohio:
I chose this one because it has the fun conversation at the beginning, but for slightly better audio, check out this one.
First live performance of Head Over Heels, in Charleston, West Virginia:
(Thanks, Vicky!)
Also recorded by Vicky, Jon talks about being independent, and Habitat For Humanity:
If you recall from the Columbus, OH Daily Foot entry, Andy wrote,
so i remember on mtv awhile back, there used to be this show where bands would go and surprise a group of people and play an impromptu show somewhere like a mall or a skatepark or something. well, switchfoot kind of did that today at a highschool somewhere in the greater columbus area. they set it up that a guy was supposed to come out and pretend to forget how to play guitar, and then switchfoot would come and save the day. the kids flipped out, it was pretty awesome.
well, the guy who pretended to forget how to play guitar was a guy named Matt Nystrom. He posted an entry on his blog about this event, complete with mp3's of Meant To Live, Head Over Heels, and Dare You To Move (all acoustic). Go check it out HERE. Thanks, Matt!
Lastly, a blogger named DC Curry posted some nice pics of the Merriville, IN show:
most of you are probably already aware, since this has been all over the news, but for a few days now dozens of devastating wildfires have been raging across (mostly southern) California. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated, and thousands of homes have been destroyed or are being threatened. Jon wrote in a myspace blog:
So I find it strangely appropriate that we're touring to support habitat for humanity, an ironic twist in the plot, with the homes burning back on the west coast. It's so strangely fitting that I wrote a song with Thieson for this tour on a bus that burned down a few hours later. But you see, this plot, this divine comedy strays awfully close to tragedy...
...The good guys get gunned down. The bad guys do fine. That can't be the end of the story... But the fires are still burning back home... and this thought kept running through my mind all day, "Oh God, have mercy on me a sinner." I think that's the prayer in franny and zoey... But St. Paul says the same thing
So this is just a request/reminder to keep the guys, their families, and all other southern Californians in your thoughts/prayers.
for more info on the fires, you can check out foxnews, cnn, or probably any other news source
...Pretty sure someone related to this page was born over thirty years ago today. Yup, I think it was Jon. Jo-nathan. Trogdor. Missing-passport-broken-strings-guy. Yeah, that guy! And I think it's pretty much unanimous that we all have an immense amount of respect and appreciation for who he is and what he does. So without further ado, this is a post wishing you a happy birthday, Jon!
Here's what a few people had to say over on the boards:
"Happy wishes, friend. We're grateful to have you around, here's to many, many long years long years of happiness to you and your family. Thank you for staying humble, for being so gracious and caring so much. We're praying for you always, and we love you very much. I'm remembering a proverb I heard somewhere I can't recall...It goes something like, "The older the fiddler, the sweeter the tune." Though the other day I came across this one, which I thought was more relative (jokingly): "Everything I know I learned after I was thirty." - Georges Clemenceau." -rose
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jon! You are one amazing individual. Never stop being such an inspiration. Thank you for challenging me to think and dream everyday." -veronica (Speakbutawhisper)
"Happy Birthday Jon! Ah, the big 3-1. Well, in dog years you're the big 2-1-7. Holy cow! In cow years you're 310. Anyway, thanks for all you do, and I hope your birthday was the best one yet. Be well, Hailey"
"Thanks For Continuing To Do What You Do Best My Friend. Happy B-Day Jon, May It Be Truly Wonderful." -scott (redragonfire16)
"happy birthday friend! thank you for being you." -standupkindofgirl
Now, we know you're into cows and you aspire to be a cowboy, so we got ya a little somethin'
Maybe next birthday you'll get a horse or a lasso or something...or maybe a cow?!
Anyhow, amigo, as everyone else said, thanks for challenging us, encouraging us, making us laugh, making us question, being an example of humility, love, and class, and for pointing to something bigger than yourself. Even if all's you gots are songs, you're doing a heck of a job with what you've been given. Here's to you.
Jon playing acoustic Only Hope gets hysterical at 2:45-ish. Keep watching:
Gellie linked you to the rest of the Shippenburg coffee shop show videos in her review post. Be sure you check them out because they are all really great.
Manila interview part uno:
Manila interview part dos:
I'm a sucker for piano covers, so I had to post this for you guys. Quite impressive:
I'll wrap up this super long Scoop 10 with a video that I think we can all appreciate. The guys recently did some shows in Virginia ("some" if you count WV) where the Va. Tech shootings took place just a few months ago. This video is a tribute to the victims of the tragedy, and is set to Yesterdays. (thanks Rose!)
as promised, the 2nd installment of my weekend concert experience. All pictures by Luke unless otherwise noted.
the burg of lynch:
[large, round sports stadium] Once again arriving early-ish with my merching ride-giver, I occupied myself while waiting in line by trying to teach myself how to juggle, and exchanging card tricks with some people who were sitting behind me. I also got some free pizza from a friendly guy standing nearby, and heard bits of the guys soundchecking “Head Over Heels” inside. Drew came out for a bit and signed/took pics patiently with a few people, and a local radio station set up speakers across the street, pumping out switchfoot songs at incredibly high decibel levels. All these events made people more and more anxious and rowdy, to the point where the venue staff were probably a bit scared to open the doors. I know I would've been.
Finding my seat near the front when the doors opened, I noticed that the front row was about 12 feet from the barrier, and the barrier was about 12 more feet from the stage. The space inbetween the stage and the barrier was filled with more than enough security guards in red “volunteer” shirts, unaware of the fact that in only a few hours they would be chasing a sweaty man through the aisles and watching helplessly from below as he climbed stage-side structures. Needless to say, this was pretty close to the opposite of the night before. Also unlike the previous show, there was no opening band. Yes, Switchfoot was the main and only act of the night. So weird.
When the lights went down, people rushed the barrier, so naturally I went up to claim a spot, right to the right of the little walkway that Jon would inevitably venture out onto. Strangely enough, although everyone else was mashed together pretty tightly, I had lots of room. No body was even touching me. In fact, during Company Car when Jon told us to put our arms around the people next to us, I turned to the girls to my left but was rejected, and then to the boy on my right, who also gave me weird look. So I swayed by myself... Hey! if any of you go to a concert where they play Company Car, it's ok to sway with the weird girl next to you. We're all family for a night. Anyway, back to the order of things. The set was the same as the night before (different order) with Ammo instead of Lonely Nation, and Learning To Breathe instead of Yesterdays. Once again beginning with Oh! Gravity, right off the bat the energy in this place was amazing. Jon couldn't even keep his hat on for the whole first song! (ok so maybe there's no correlation there...) Romey was jumping around, Drew was coming up near the front more often, and Tim was getting really into it despite being sick.
That crazy huge SF symbol with the lights on it also adds an enthralling new dimension to their live show. It even pauses with them on American Dream. Impressive. And whoever said that you can see Chad better these days, they were right. I'm not sure if it was the lighting or the setup, but it was a lot easier to see him going crazy back there, making expressive faces with every hit. I'd have to say that Chad's job looks like the most fun, to me.
As usual, Jon would pause every now and then to introduce a song, a bandmember, or just to say something random. He introduced Drew by saying that he had alien noises, but then left us extremely disappointed when they weren't working that night. There was also the classic intro of Tim as his biological brother, and before Awakening (which he began from the crowd after his trip out there during On Fire), he told us, “See my little brother over there? He's got a cold so you gotta sing it out. I'm coverin' your back, Timmy!” And boy did we belt it out. I think those might've been the loudest “yeah-ah-ah-ah”s I've ever been a part of.
Inbetween the verses of On Fire, Jon paused and mentioned that he couldn't see all the people in the far seats. He asked that they wave something bright in the air, and then decided that for the next verse, they would be the light source. He made the light tech people turn off all the stage lights and everything, until all that was left were the people and their cellphones in the crowd. Definitely a cool moment.
Jon dedicated Company Car to his 15-passenger van, waiting in a dark driveway in San Diego, and also to long-time fans. At this point he grabbed Kim's (mikster from the boards) sign from the audience, which stated that she had been there 10 years ago when Switchfoot first played a show at Liberty University. After Learning To Breathe, he confessed, “Now I'm going to try something we've never done before...I'm going to try to rhyme with 'Virginia'.” I think it worked rather well:
(Thanks, Lindsay!)
When the madness of Dirty Second Hands ensued, he brought the cymbal really close to us out on the walkway. I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't just a bit frightening having a guy wail on a cymbal with wreckless abandon only inches away from my face. You never know if he might drop the cymbal or let go of the drumstick by accident. Thankfully all that happened was that Luke got a sweet picture:
Meant To Live was a great moment that night. Jon prefaced it by saying (this may not be word-for-word), “Life is about sacrifices. You pick something up, you put something down. If you pick up a guitar, it means you're not going to play the bass. That's a tremendous responsibility for a bunch of kids like us. The way I see it, life is short. Life is a gun, life is a bullet. It ends so quickly, so while I'm still here I wanna be living for what matters most.” When he began singing, the crowd was singing so loudly that I couldn't even hear Jon, and when he let us sing by ourselves, it felt so loud and clear and unified. It was sweet. Jon told us that his favorite moments are when we're all singing the same song together. I would have to agree.
(Thanks again, Lindsay!)
After M2L the guys left the stage, and the crowd was deafening. People started stomping and jumping around so much, the entire floor of this huge arena was shaking. It was pretty insane, but the guys responded with the equally insane encores of Dare You To Move and We Are One. When the show was over, the guys once again signed autographs at a table next to the merch (which, by the way, sold out in everything except for about 3 shirts!), and then had to leave pretty quickly (the lady in charge of the venue basically kicked them out, hehe) for a meeting with their management. Afterwards I hung out with some boardies, but that's not interesting so I'll spare you those stories. Except for the part where the general consensus on favorite picture taken by Luke was this one of Drew:
It was an amazing show, and the arena setting that I was so hesitant about turned out to be a cool experience after all. Those of you going to upcoming shows, I'm sure the energy level can only go up once Relient K joins the tour, so get excited!
For more of Luke's pictures from the show - which are stellar by the way - check out his flickr, for Lindsay's pictures, check out her photobucket, and for her vids of Stars and Learning To Breathe, click HERE.
This past weekend, thanks in large part to the generosity of a few boardie friends (Tommy, Mandy, Luke, Kim. Wow it takes a lot of people to get me to concerts...), I attended the last 2 shows before tour: 10.12 in Shippensburg, PA, and 10.13 in Lynchburg, VA. So I figured I'd give you a firsthand account and try to make it sound as exciting as it actually was.
The burg of shippens:
[large, seated venue.] Arriving early-ish with my ride (who was helping with merch), I got to hang around the ticket booth by myself for a few hours while trying not to get in the way of the frazzled Luhrs Center staff (this place is pretty new), who didn't know what to do with the surplus of volunteers that kept appearing from different organizations. As other concert-goers gradually trickled in and stood with me, I was reminded by their excitement why I was there (waiting around for a while makes you forget things), and realized how lucky I was to actually be there (this whole weekend just barely came together for me at the last second). After a while, the staff didn't know what to do with us all, since we didn't really fit in the space inbetween doors anymore, so they let us into the lobby where we perused the display of Switchfoot and Ruth merchandise. There are a few new switchfoot shirts you can get excited about (sorry I didn't take pictures, but there's one that reminds me of something you'd see Tim wear on stage...And you can sort of see another one on this little dude:)
(Thanks, shanghai_stinger)
Ruth's merch was pretty neat as well. When they let us in to find our seats, I took my place in the frontest of the front rows, in just about the middle. Whew, not sure how I pulled that one off! For a while there was no one around me, so I surveyed the clean, new condition of this place. It reminded me of a concert hall where I might have gone to see a symphony on a school field trip a few years ago. I noticed that there was nothing for Jon to climb on, unless he had wanted to scale the large black curtains on either side of the stage...yeah, good luck with that one. The seats were cushioned, and the “railing” (it wasn't much of a railing - more like a short wall) in front of the stage was made of refinished wood. There were no security guards, and no place for security guards had there been any, so when I stood up against this “railing,” I could've touched the mic-stand in front of me. Crazy new experience, let me tell you. I'd never been in a seated venue before, so it blew my mind that I didn't have to stand while waiting for everything to start, nor was I squished next to numerous miscellaneous people, holding my ground for dear life. What was also weird was that the place was not very full at all. From what I heard, the show was barely half sold out. I guess lots of people just didn't want to get their faces rocked off that night? Ok, onto the concert.
Ruth came out and played a few songs. By the end of their set I was really getting into it. They whip out some good stuff, so you should all be anticipating a great opening act this tour. Keep an eye out for the drummer's expressions, and the bass-player - he's so intense, he can't contain himself. Moves around a lot, singing along when not at the mic, yelling out the drum beats. Crazy guy. Someone in the audience inbetween songs yelled to Ruth, “Can I be your Boaz?!” The singer didn't get it until the drummer explained that in the Bible, Ruth's husband was named Boaz...creative fans, gotta love 'em.
So after Ruth came the main act. Yeah, you know who I'm talking about. Starting off with Oh! Gravity, there was, as usual, no delay in raising the energy level of this half-filled concert hall. From there they ripped into other regulars like Stars, Meant To Live (weird that it was the 3rd song, but they like to mix it up), Awakening, This Is Your Life, On Fire, Gone, Company Car, American Dream, Dirty Second Hands, plus the added bonus of less-common songs like Faust and Lonely Nation. Learning To Breathe was on the setlist, but they crossed it out when before the show, a family requested Yesterdays. Jon played it on a guitar that they lent him, and he dedicated the song to them after identifying them in the audience.
(Thanks again, shanghai_stinger!)
It was pretty powerful to experience the somber mood that the whole crowd adopted during and after the song. No screaming, no yelling things out. Just respectful silence.
During Gone, as I mentioned earlier, there was nothing for Jon to climb on, so he ran about the stage restlessly, yelling at Drew and stuff. He also paused in the middle of this song to recognize Andy Barron, who recently photographed the New Kids On The Block, which Jon thought was “pretty weird, pretty awesome, pretty weird.” That might've been the reason for the fact that he played a few notes of a NKOTB song at a different time during the show, remarking, “I think that's the first time we've ever covered the new kids on the block. And the last time, too.”
Other notable moments include the We Are One/Shadow medley; Romey hitting the kickdrum during Faust; almost reaching complete silence during the American Dream pause (there were a few crowdmembers who just couldn't handle the awkward silence); and two awesome little kids (being held up by their dad) who were holding up “We Are One Tonight” signs in the front row as we all sang the words. Oh, and Phil. When Jon paused before Company Car to say, “this song is caaaalled....” a bunch of people yelled out the name, but then Jon had to stop altogether to get his stubborn pick out of his coin pocket (I don't know if that's what that tiny little pocket in your jeans is called. I never use it because it frustrates me). So he did it again: “this song is caaaallled...” but this time only one guy yelled out “company car!” Jon asked him what his name was (“Phil!” “Will?” “PHIL!” “Bill??” [whole crowd] : “PHIL!!! As in Phillip!” “Ohhhh, Phil! Hi, Phil!”), thanked him for naming the song, and made us all say hi to Phil. So Phil, if you're reading this, hi again.
Afterwards the guys went upstairs (minus Tim, who was sick with a cold. I think I'm a curse – the last 5 concerts I've been to, one of the guys was either sick or not there...4/5 of those times it was Tim, though, so maybe it's just him. The other time it was Jon, so maybe it runs in the family) and did a little autographing for people who had won “after party” tickets. It wasn't much of a party, except that we got some energy drinks and chips (Kim: “Hey, those are leftover from Vertical Fest!”). I didn't really want an energy drink at the time, but for some reason I found myself choking it down...strange. Jon then went to a nearby coffee shop (Corner Coffee, for you Shippensburg natives) and played some songs for us. He played Only Hope, during which someone's camera made a quacking noise. For a moment we tried not to laugh but our best efforts failed, especially when Jon himself was laughing too hard to continue singing, and had ceased playing as well. We collected ourselves and Jon restarted from the first chorus, this time inviting us all to join in. He also played Let That Be Enough, Daisy, and 24 all upon request. He prefaced War In My Blood by mentioning The Real SeanJon, and when someone asked him the title of the song, he couldn't think of it immediately. I blurted it out, realizing only after my first 2 words that I felt like a dork for being the only one in the room who seemed to know. But Jon thanked me, and I justified my knowledge by thinking to myself that it'd be pretty ridiculous for me to feed you guys news all the time and not retain any of it...not that that takes away from my dorkiness at all...Anyway, he played it without a capo, since none of us had one handy. He also played Southbound Train, mentioning his fondness of trains, and gave us the honor of hearing a new song (that'll be on his upcoming EP) that he's never played live before. It's called “Equally Skilled,” and has some great Old Testament references:
Lyrics:
How miserable I am I feel like a fruit picker who arrived here After the harvest There's nothing here at all Nothing here at all that could placate my hunger
The godly people are all gone There's not one honest soul left alive Here on the planet We're all murderers and thieves Setting traps here for even our brothers
And both of our hands are equally skilled At doing evil, equally skilled At bribing the judges, equally skilled At murdering justice Both of our hands, both of our hands
Yep, the day justice comes And is even now quickly arriving Don't trust anyone at all Not your best friend or even your wife
For the son hates the father The daughter despises even her mother Look, your enemies arise Right in the room of your very household
And both of their hands are equally skilled At doing evil, equally skilled At bribing the judges, equally skilled At perverting justice Both of their hands, both of their hands
No don't gloat over me Though I fall, though I fall I will rise again Though i sit here in darkness The lord the lord alone, he will be my light
I will be patient as the Lord Punishes me for the wrongs I've done against him After that he'll take my case Bringing me to light and to justice for all I have suffered
And both of his hands, are equally skilled At showing me mercy, equally skilled At ministering justice, equally skilled At loving the loveless Both of his hands, both of his hands are equally skilled
At thwarting the evil, equally skilled At ministering justice, equally skilled At loving the loveless Both of his hands, both of his hands.
You can get an MP3 of that song HERE. (Thanks, Deborah!)
After that song he ended the night with Learning To Breathe, and answered a few of our questions. If you wanna check out other videos from the concert/coffee shop (including bits of the Q &A with Jon), click HERE. (Thanks, jerdang!) Also, for a few more pics of the concert, click HERE. (Thanks, wvSFfans!)
All in all, it was a great night. Even though I could actually breathe, I wasn't covered in other people's perspiration, and I would normally opt for a small sweaty rock club, the guys rocked this place just as hard. I foresee a fantastic start to fall tour this Tuesday!
(This got long, so I'll tell you about Lynchburg in an upcoming post. Maybe I'll wait for some pics or videos to surface...we'll see.)
Since the band just played 2 shows in OK (their first back in the states), there is, as expected, some follow-up information about these events.
Andy filled us in with 2 new Daily Foots (or Daily Feet?) about borrowed harmonicas, news stations, gorilla videos... you know, the usual (plus, he gets us even more psyched for the fall tour).
Thanks, Andy!
We also have a review of the Oklahoma State Fair from a fan named Megan, which you can read HERE. She took some nice pictures, including this one of Chad prepping for the evening:
...and some videos, including one of Tim soundchecking about a nearby foodstand called "Turkey Time," because it's only natural to compose songs about your immediate surroundings.
Thanks, Megan!
In addition, two Myspace blogs written while the guys were in Oklahoma. One on Jon's myspace, about his first EP:
I've had a lot of folks ask about the songs on the first ep... the tunes are pretty honest, my friend thinks they feel almost voyeuristic at times, like looking at things that he didn't want to see. Maybe this is true, and yet they got to get out there. That which is hidden is empowered. So let these songs be the enemy of all that is shadow in my life, let these songs be my hymns to a generous God, the father of lights. Let these hymns be the enemy of the counterfeit.
this just in: Weatherford is the windiest city in OK. Yep... that's what "they" say. Oh yeah... and allegedly, it's going to be super windy tonight. I was going to say something extremely amusing and controversial comparing and contrasting Weatherford with a windy city that I know up north, but I've decided against it.
Welcome, compadres! ...ok, bad choice of word. My condolences to you SD baseball fans. I sympathize with ya - being from Minnesota, I'm well-acquainted with the experience of being let down by a pro sports team.
-I watched the freakin padres blow it in extra innings! ok so this wasn't so great. Hoffman, they know your stuff man. yeah, that was rough. No playoffs, for SD... so I guess I'll go for the Redsox...
Jon also wrote a blog a few days ago about the rat race:
The rats. The race. The "in" and not "of" this world are often hard to separate in my mind. But maybe that's where the real difference lies after all- in your mind, your heart... your spiritual being. That your physical body is in a specific place and time but your treasure is somewhere else. But sometimes the "nowness" of here starts pulling at your heart, away from eternal rewards. For a moment, the flashlight in your eyes looks brighter than the sun. For the moment...
Speaking of Jon, according to this post on GuitarTutee.com, he has "one of the most haunting voices in the industry." The entry also features an old(ish) video of him playing Dare You To Move on acoustic.
On Friday the guys were mentioned in a San Diego local news bit about Habitat For Humanity. To watch the video, go HERE, scroll down and click on "Building Homes." (Thanks, Rose!)
Last up, Air 1 did an interview with Relient K (Switchfoot's upcoming fall tour buddies, as most of you know), and there were a few Switchfoot mentions in there:
Air 1: You’re going on the road with Switchfoot this fall on The Appetite for Construction Tour. That’s going to be amazing! With two huge bands, who’s going to open up?
Matt: We’re opening for Switchfoot. They had a record that sold 2.2 million copies, so they’re the big boys, the big fish. They also put on a killer show and I wouldn’t want to follow it. I think both of our bands draw very similar crowds and both draw some people who might not necessarily to come see one of us, but they’d come to see both of us. And both of our bands are pretty different to watch. Even though it’s going to be a rock ‘n’ roll show, it’s going to be really diverse. There’s going to be a ton of ups and downs. Even with both bands having heavier songs and some chill songs, it’s not going to be boring. I think people are really going to like it.
Air 1: You’d been talking with the guys in Switchfoot about how you could incorporate Habitat For Humanity into your fall tour to help people who didn’t have anything. Then your bus burned down and you found out what it was like not to have anything.
Matt: Yeah, and it’s cool. It was right around that time when they (the Switchfoot guys) were asking, “Hey, will you guys take less money on the tour if you could donate a certain percentage of the ticket price to Habitat. And after the bus burned down, it was an easier decision to make. When you’re going through that yourself, you say, "Heck, yeah! If we can help people out, that would be awesome!" It’s not like we wouldn’t have worked with Habitat anyway, but it was nice that it came a long at that time to teach us all a lesson.
Air 1: You’re giving a $1 from every ticket people buy on your Appetite for Construction Tour with Switchfoot to help Habitat build houses?
Matt: Yeah. There are a couple of other things we’re trying to do to kick them some more money, too. We’re talking about recording a song and selling an EP or selling a single and all of the proceeds of that single would go to Habitat.
Air 1: How did you get interested in Habitat?
Matt: It’s a Switchfoot thing. And everybody is always asking us what kind of mission work we do, and what kind of charities we work with. We’ve done a few things with Invisible Children in the past, but we’ve never really invested as much into the church or other people as we should. It’s honestly, really difficult because all five of us live in different towns. We have two guys living in Nashville, but we’re spread out all over the place and when you’re not on the road touring, doing band stuff, you go your separate ways. You don’t have time to sit down and discuss things that go beyond the band. So it’s kind of nice that this came up. It fell in our laps. And Jon (Foreman of Switchfoot) has always been a mentor to me.
You can check out the rest of the interview here. Thanks, Coralee!
