The guys played their new song, This Is Home, at the GMA Dove Awards this past Wednesday. Here's your chance to get used to watching battles and lions while a rock band plays:
pretty sweet to see electric guitars and a drumset alongside a grand piano.
Esteemed percussionist and possessor of much wisdom, Chad Butler wrote to us on the official message boards a few days ago:
Greetings comrades!
As a band we have held firm to the idea that music can bring us together to accomplish much more than a show. Ideology, race, genre: we put these distinctions aside to play music for everyone.
So with that in mind we are proud to announce our involvement in one of the most diverse lineups we've ever been a part of. We dreamed up the The Music Builds Tour along with a few friends of ours whose main commonality is a dream to see this world change for the better. Different bands, different backgrounds, one goal: A traveling festival to raise money and awareness for Habitat for Humanity.
This is a new model for touring that we are really excited about, it is so much bigger than the music itself. This is about seeing the world change. In keeping with that dream, the "Music Builds Tour" is a traveling festival that will benefit Habitat for Humanity, an amazing organization providing homes to needy families around the globe.
We all know first hand the powerful impact that a night of music can have, how much more so when the emphasis is put on doing something lasting for people in our own communities. Thanks for partnering with us in the mutual effort to bring people together to do just that.
We think very highly of the people who listen to our music. We are grateful for the open minded audience who have embraced our songs and allowed us to push the boundaries of where the music can go. We invite you to put differences in musical taste aside and focus on our commonalities: we all want to see this world change for the better. We hope that you'll come with us on this next part of the journey and get involved in something much bigger than ourselves.
See, the guys care about us so much, they explained matters to us before any of this was officially announced. Just yesterday, CMCentral.com wrote that:
GRAMMY® award-winning band Third Day and multi-Platinum rockers Switchfoot will team up with the acclaimed Robert Randolph & the Family Band and GRAMMY award winners Jars of Clay for the “Music Builds” tour, which will kick off on August 21st in Detroit, MI and conclude in Denver, CO on October 12th.
To kick off the tour, Third Day, Switchfoot and Robert Randolph & The Family Band will perform at a special kick-off party on April 21st at The Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, TN.
For info on ticket sales and presales (beginning May 9th), how specifically the tour will benefit Habitat For Humanity, and band bios, read the rest of the article HERE.
And now, the dates:
“MUSIC BUILDS” TOUR Fall 2008
Third Day Live with Switchfoot, Robert Randolph & the Family Band and Jars of Clay
*Dates, markets and venues subject to change without notice.
AUGUST:
Thu 8/21 - Detroit, MI, DTE Energy Music Theatre
Fri 8/22 - Indianapolis, IN, Verizon Wireless Music Center Indianapolis
Sat 8/23 - Chicago, IL, Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island
SEPTEMBER:
Sun 9/7 - West Palm Beach, FL, Cruzan Amphitheatre
Thu 9/11 - Cleveland, OH, Blossom Music Center
Fri 9/12 - Virginia Beach, VA, Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
Sat 9/13 - Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center
Sun 9/14 - Washington, DC, Nissan Pavilion
Thu 9/18 - Birmingham, AL, Verizon Wireless Music Center Birmingham
Fri 9/19 - Raleigh, NC, Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
Sat 9/20 - Atlanta, GA, Lakewood Amphitheatre
Sun 9/21 - Nashville, TN, Sommet Center
Thu 9/25 - Phoenix, AZ, Cricket Wireless Pavilion
Fri 9/26 - Irvine, CA, Verizon Wireless
Sat 9/27 - San Diego, CA, Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
Sun 9/28 - Sacramento, CA, Sleep Train Amphitheatre
As many of you may know, Switchfoot has a new song, entitled This Is Home, which is set to appear on the soundtrack for Disney's next Chronicles of Narnia film, Prince Caspian. The guys have played it live a few times, and thanks to a few camera-toting concert-goers, you can watch it on Youtube. Check it:
Lyrics as transcribed by, um, me:
I've got my memories They're always inside of me But I can't go back, back to how it was I believe you now, I've seen too much But I can't go back, back to how it was Created for a place I've never known
[Chorus] : This is home Now I'm finally where I belong, where I belong Yeah this is home I've been searching for a place of my own Now I've found it Maybe this is home, Yeah this is home
Belief over misery I've seen the enemy And I won't go back, back to how it was And I got my heart set on what happens next I got my eyes wide it's not over yet We are miracles and we're not alone [chorus]
And now after all my searching After all my questions I'm gonna call it home I got a brand new mindset I can finally see the sunset I'm gonna call it home [chorus] Now I know Yeah this is home
I've come too far Now I won't go back This is home.
So there's a first glimpse of the new song. Exciting stuff.
Seeing as how tour is still happening, phoners keep popping up here and there. In Missouri, the Joplin Globe talked with Tim:
Switchfoot’s first album was released when Foreman was still in high school.
“We started writing very specific songs about things that related to us and a handful of people,” he said.
Their latest album continues their trend of exploring the values, concepts and ideas of the modern world. Popular with young adults, Foreman believes that his band’s music connects with the age group, who are at a point in their life where they are asking questions and exploring a new world that has been opened up to them.
“We never stop learning,” he said. “The Western world struggles so much with material things. It’s pretty much a parade from the store to the trash can. So often, we’re reduced to mere consumers that we forget what’s important and our vision becomes so small.”
"When we talk about writing a song, we don't talk about putting it into a certain genre," Fontamillas said. "Whatever the song is going toward, we put all our efforts into making the song what it was meant to be. We're going to let it grow and speak for itself."
and Chad answered some questions for Iowa City's Gazette Online
"Why can't we all stick together?" Butler says. "Our band's signature is to not be afraid to ask questions and start a dialogue."
One dialogue Switchfoot's members surely are tired of at this point is whether or not they are a Christian band. The group's first three albums were released by a Christian record label and the group consistently was found on the contemporary Christian charts.
Butler says Switchfoot's members never have been shy about their shared Christian faith, but they don't feel their music should be categorized based on their beliefs.
"We've always just called ourselves a rock band," Butler says. "Our approach always has been to make honest music for thinking people. We're really grateful to see people of all different races and religions listening to our music."
Also, Live From Shift posted a great little podcast with 90% of the band, Jerome and Drew. The podcast description says,
Drew and Jerome discuss the ways in which they've seen student culture change over the past 10 years, as well as how those changes have redefined their relationship and connection with their audience. They also share quite a bit about the starting place for the music they create, and the motivation for being in a band, recording and touring.
They had some good things to say, so you should all go have a listen.
Lastly, there was a Switchfoot TV special on 8tv with exclusive footage from when the guys were in Kuala Lumpur. You can watch that in 3 parts on Youtube: Swithfoot Hearts KL Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
They captured some great moments, including radioactive corn, surfing in chlorinated water, certificates of insanity, and more. Videos Courtesy of 8tv and Jia Ling Yong. Thanks to Jeanna of LOBH for the upload.
Jon played this brand new song at an aftershow, and plans to put it on Summer EP. In my humble opinion, this song is one of Jon's finest moments. Piercing, timeless prophetic utterances:
we don't 'aaave to slow back doown!" Well, the Up In Arms tour is off to a smashing beginning, and word from the stage is, Love Is The Movement has once again found a place on the setlist. Yeah, for serious. I, the doubter, never thought they'd actually do it, but they've done the work of re-learning (with the help of an old friend Chad dug up)
and now we even have videos as proof. (here's the best quality/most complete one I could find so far) :
Such a great song, isn't it?
Also displaying some of the sweetness of tour beginnings, are some well-captured shots by our friend Gigi
Check out Gigi's whole photoset at her Flickr page
Point Loma Nazarene University invited Jon to their 13th Annual Writer's Symposium By the Sea, where he talked about the art of writing songs and such. The video of it is about 30 minutes long, and he plays War In My Blood and Southbound Train
And last but not least, the Peoria Journal Star interviewed Drew in preparation for their April 11th show. Excerpt:
Let's talk about your current tour, which is promoting the not-for-profit organization To Write Love on her Arms. What made you get involved with this cause?
It's an amazing, amazing cause. They basically deal with people - mostly young people - that are involved in depression, and maybe even suicide or cutting. Our friend Jamie (Tworkowski) started it a few years ago. Our history with him goes way back. We've always felt strongly about his cause but never have been able to do a tour alongside him. He got an amazing response from people on MySpace and the Warped Tour and everything and had no idea how widespread this issue was and how many people basically thought they were alone. What we want to do is bring hope wherever we can, whether it be with Habitat for Humanity, like our last tour, or Write Love on Her Arms, here. The message of hope is the same.
Who are some of your influences as a guitarist?
That's kind of funny; I don't see myself as much as a guitarist as I do just a musician. So my influences are quite varied. I've always liked Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page has been a great influence on me. And Miles Davis and even Michael Jackson. I listened to the older stuff like "Thriller" and "Beat It." I also very much like a lot of new music - Band of Horses, My Morning Jacket, even Death Cab for Cutie.
For any of you who thought we were done with the birthdays for a while, think again. We had a break on like, April 2nd. But now we're back on the Birthday Run. And today, as the title indicates, is the birthday of none other than the master of six strings, Andrew Shirley.
So, Drew, in celebration of this day, we'd like you to know how appreciated you are. I for one am grateful for the fact that you joined Switchfoot a couple years ago, and now it's difficult to imagine the band without you. Thanks for using your musical talents to benefit others selflessly, and thanks for being the caring, hilarious, laid-back, easy-to-talk-to, humble guy that you are. You almost always have a smile on your face, and you have a knack for putting one on others' faces too. You set a great example for those who look up to you, and you do so with class. Since your bandmates know you pretty well, I'll quote what one of them said about you:
"Of the five of us, Drew is the most skilled on his instrument, and we all have a lot of respect for that. Adding a fifth guy to the band is, I think, a really tricky thing to do. How you get along with each other and live together is more important than how you make music together, ultimately - because you spend a lot more time living together than you do making music. I can't think of a better fit. I'm amazed at how, without sounding too "Tom Cruise," Drew completes us. Drew is one of the funnier guys in the band, aways cracking jokes. He has an extravagant supply of shoes. Every day, you really await what pair of shoes he'll don that day. He's a classy fellow. You want him as your wingman if you're going to be rubbing shoulders with some classy folks. We played a show early on with Sheryl Crow, for example. We were ready to leave, couldn't find Drew - "Where's Drew?" - which is a common question in the band. We thought about making a shirt that says "Where's Drew?" Turns out, he's in Sheryl Crow's dressing room, talking about guitars, eating her food. He's that type of guy. He can rub shoulders with anyone." -Tim
(Thanks, Andy, for the pic.)
Here's to a stupendous day, and a blessed year ahead. Keep it real, man.
