(Acronyms are so handy). Hey friends, we've got another September "birthday"! Indeed, on this day 8 years ago, Learning To Breathe was released as Switchfoot's 3rd studio album.
The final album released on the label "Re:Think," and the final album as a 3-piece band, this was a whole different creature than the previous New Way To Be Human, and even showed some signs of sounds to come on The Beautiful Letdown. Of course, this was much more than just a transition album, even if it did have a theme of movement. With songs like "Learning To Breathe," "The Loser," the original version of "I Dare You To Move," and not to mention one of my personal all-time favorites, "Love Is The Movement," you have to admit it - this is a great disc. Here's what one of its creators had to say about it:
“’Learning to Breathe’ felt like we were beginning to hit our stride as a band. Two albums and five years of touring had matured us as a band. This was the most prepared we had ever been before entering the studio. These were songs we’d been playing live as a band, trying out new ideas. There was a sense of confidence upon entering the studio that we’d never felt before at the beginning of a project. This was an enjoyable album, recorded in six weeks with long-time friend/producer Charlie Peacock and newcomer Jaquire King. This album felt like we were turning the corner -- we had finally demystified the recording process, and we were no longer intimidated by it.” -Tim
This record also has the unique quality of having its album art designed by an actual band member (good on ya, Tim). The words on the inside of the lyric booklet really sum up LTB well:
"Welcome to the fallout: where the truth and the shadows have become blurred. This is the incompletion... and we are holding our breath. But look! The winds of redemption have come to within the confines of our frozen fists. "Behold, I make all things new." And in this newness there is hope for the hopeless, where the eternal lines of the heavens collide with our own humanity. In the divine comedy where up is down and down is up we lose ourselves to find ourselves. Love is the movement. This is the revolution."
This album opened my eyes to a lot of new ideas, and even though that was back in 2000, it continues to do so today. It's been a good 8 years, LTB. If any of you guys have favorite moments from this disc, feel free to share 'em.
Hats off to a stellar selection of songs. Happy birthday, Learning To Breathe!
P.S. If you don't own this one, do yourself a favor and order a copy HERE.
The conducting of interviews over the telephone (read "cell phone") is a common occurrence during tours. For example, there are 3 right here.
Ex. 1: Tim spoke with HamptonRoads.com on Sept 11th, discussing his years of living in Virginia Beach, and re-dealing with some of the same old issues:
...lead singer, Jon Foreman, and bassist, brother Tim, lived in Virginia Beach in the 1980s.
Tim, 30, remembers it well. "We were just surf punks, so we would just spend all of our time in the North End."
The area has changed a lot since then, he said.
"I've been to town maybe once or twice a year since we've been touring for the last 12 years, so I've been able to watch it. It's really a fun, hip place these days."
They don't worry about labels, either. Do the Christian rockers make up a "Christian rock band"?
That label doesn't quite work for Foreman.
"I think it shrinks what, to me, is the most important aspect of who I am. I think my faith is bigger than a genre, and genres were invented to sell records."
Ex. 2: Jon talked to RedOrbit.com before the Holmdel, NJ show:
Jon Foreman, who writes nearly all the band's songs, uses them to explore themes of soul-searching and socio-political consciousness.
"Everyone is on their own journey, and whenever you try and define people ... it puts them on display like [they are] in some sort of a zoo cage," he said. "[These songs] are basically signposts on the road of the journey that I'm on, where I'm learning the need to understand the world around me."
Ex. 3: Chad told AlternativeAddiction.com a few pieces of information about the new album, due out spring '09.
“It’s some new territory for us musically,” Butler told Alternative Addiction in a recent interview. “I think people are going to be surprised when they hear it, that it’s Switchfoot. I’m thrilled about it, to finally have the capacity and the freedom to do it.”
This is a great little interview for any of you who want to hear more about how the album might turn out. Chad goes on to mention maracas, timpani, pianos, etc. Read some of it HERE, and for more detail, scroll down and find the link to listen to the whole interview.
Also common for tours, people like to go to shows and review them. Jesusfreakhideout did that for the Sept 13th show in NJ.
...not only has their band grown in size over the years (with the addition of Jerome, and later with second guitarist, Drew), but their show has grown increasingly more dramatic. While still fun in many ways, front man Jon Foreman's stage presence has grown a bit more theatric in mood. When he speaks about issues - whether carefully brushing elbows with politic topics or spiritual issues - they're often cryptic for the sake of being poetic or poignant. Gone are the days of the college-age trio singing about Chem classes or company cars. I guess these changes stand out so much more when sandwiched between a free spirit like Randolph and the jovial down-to-earth blue collar personalities of Third Day. Regardless, love or hate the changes Switchfoot have made, they still put on a strong indie-flavored pop rock set.
Read the rest of their review and see the rest of their pictures HERE.
Not as common during tours, people release tracklistings for upcoming projects. Common or not, Jon went ahead and disclosed the chosen songs for his solo compilation "Limbs and Branches" (due out in October) on his myspace:
Hola folks, We've settled in on a list of tunes for limbs and branches- thanks to everyone who put their two cents in! I used the votes and my own thoughts on the songs to come up with the following list of tunes:
Your Love Is Strong Behind Your Eyes The Cure For Pain Resurrect Me Southbound Train Broken From The Start new guy 1 House Of God, Forever Instead Of A Show A Mirror Is Harder To Hold In My Arms Learning How To Die Over The River new guy 2
see you out there on the road... peace! jon
New guy 2 makes me think of grandmother's house...
...and the tour progresses on (as is the custom for tours). The fellas were just on the east coast for a few dates, and we have some documentation of their rockage.
From their Sept 12th excursion to Virginia Beach, fabulous photographer Susieq linked us to all the shweet shots she snapped. Here's a sampling of her skills:
I really could keep posting pictures because they're all so good. But instead I'll let you go see them for yourself. (Thanks, Susie!)
The next day found them up in Holmdel, NJ, rockin' the PNC Bank Arts Center. Kweevak.com posted a review of the entire show:
The crowd was on their feet and clapping along by the opening note. The first song featured a catchy chorus and crunchy guitars. It was fast and furious melding into another segment that had urgent riffs and rhythms. Audience members were swaying their arms and the connection lasted the entire set. More potent playing, chord changes, creative keys and some harmonizing followed. Switchfoot was energetic and engaging.
If you check your calendars, they should tell you that today is September 13th, 2008. And that means that Nothing Is Sound, Switchfoot's 5th album, is now 3 years old. Time sure flies, eh?
This was the first record to have to follow in the massive footsteps of The Beautiful Letdown. I think it did so in a totally "Switchfoot" way - it didn't meet anybody's expectations, nor was that its purpose. It went in a whole different direction than people predicted, starting a new chapter all its own, yet not ignoring the past. Even though they didn't try to stick with the same recipe as they used for TBL, this new record was a solid and coherent continuation of their previous works.
I think this album also created a bit of controversy. Many people were scared or unaccepting of the "new" sound. For others it took longer to grow on them than previous albums had. Some listeners loved it instantly. (And of course, there was the whole copyright protection mess...but let's not rehash old catastrophes, shall we?) Somehow this collection of songs has made it through all that, and is still (in my opinion) getting better with age. Here's a bit of what Jon had to say about Nothing Is Sound when it first came out:
A few general thoughts on new tunes and their relationship to our previous four albums: A part of me wishes I could say that our music was formulated and planned out by brilliant, methodical minds who structure entire records out of themes that are independent of anything that has ever been thought of before. In reality, most of these songs are simply the spontaneous ramblings of a man with a guitar who can't sleep- trying to make sense of a broken heart in world that is upside down. In many ways these songs mirror the melodies in my own life: relationships, fears, hopes, insecurities, doubts and so forth all set to the major and minor keys. But it makes sense that these honest songs are the ones that we're proud of; because whether it's Elliot Smith or Stevie Wonder or Pavement or whoever, the honest ones have always been my favorites...
..."Nothing is Sound" is the fifth Switchfoot record. For me, it feels like the next step of a journey, diving deeper into uncharted territories. Because we've lived and breathed on tour for the last eight years, onstage is where our music comes to life, a life that is hard to pin down on tape. If you think this record feels a bit like a "live" record, we're proud to say that these recordings have somehow captured the energy of our live show more than any other record we've ever made. Perhaps the best way to look at this record is as the next chapter in a mystery novel: many of the same characters, the same settings and yet a few more clues come to life. Who knows, it could be a dark chapter revealing even more mysteries to be solved. I'm pretty sure you're the only one who can decide for yourself; I'd be curious to hear what your thoughts are. I certainly have my own... Whatever the theme of this record might be, believe me- it was only partly intentional! Hope you enjoy the tunes. -jon
So here's to an honest group of songs. If you want to, leave a comment with one of your favorite musical or lyrical moments from it. If you do not own this great album, you can purchase it HERE.
There's your advice from Jon for today. He spoke with the St. Petersburg Times about the question of Christian bands, how to define success, and surfing in Florida. Here's an excerpt:
You probably get asked this a lot, but are you a Christian band?
I'm a believer. I think it's a tricky one whenever you mix faith with commerce, because the dollar bill is never going to be Christian, and I never want to use my faith to sell records. But at the same time, we've always been very upfront about our beliefs.
Who gives you the most heat about that?
Both sides. Certain people want you to fly their flag. Other folks don't have such an open mind.
Are you challenged by your own songs? What's a song whose lyrics have evolved since you first recorded them?
As far as a specific song, Dare You to Move is definitely a song that has stuck with me. I wrote that one a while back — before I was married, before we had sold a lot of the records and when we were still traveling around in a minivan.
I take it you're not touring in the minivan anymore?
No, thankfully. I think if I was still driving, we'd be dead. (Laughs)
Romey also spoke with an online Florida newspaper, the Orlando Sentinel, about their upcoming record and their current tour.
Although Failure's Ken Andrews and songwriter-producer Charlie Peacock have been mentioned as possible producers, the band is doing much of that work on its own. It's part of a renewed attitude of control, Fontamillas says.
"There was no animosity between the label and us," he says. "What we were excited about, though, is that we can separate ourselves from the middleman and get the music straight to the fans.
"We were really appreciative of Sony and Columbia, but to provide your own songs and put them out on our own terms is really cool."
So will any of the new material make it into the set lists on the current tour? Fontamillas chuckles.
"I wish," he says, "but it's still in the early stages, and it's probably not good enough to play for people."
Another short article, reviewing the Chicago Music Builds show, says of the guys,
...their playing bravado and charismatic audience interaction more than spoke for itself. And the same could be said about opening act Robert Randolph & the Family Band, led by the famed pedal steel prodigy... The two acts are a match made in heaven so to speak and will be teaming together through October.
Lastly, here's a video of Stars from Switchfoot's recent appearance in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Normally I refrain from posting videos that are completely devoid of bass in the audio, but this can still give you a taste of how the guys are mixing up the song a bit:
Hey, folks. Got some audio interviews here for you to listen to. About 3 of them I think....Yup, 3. One with Jon, one with Tim, and one with Tim & Chad. Don't worry, they're all worth your time.
Nuclearity.org interviewed Jon about his EP's. The interviewer was a respectable guy, and Jon had some good words to say, as usual. Listen/download here.
Lifelight.org spoke with Tim in anticipation of the band playing at their festival. Visit this page and scroll down to listen.
Oh, yeah, and I also found a fairly inspiring blog post by a guy who has come to understand more of what Switchfoot and Jon are about:
Monday night, I met Jon Foreman, the lead singer of the band Switchfoot. For the longest time, I never understood Switchfoot.
They wrote about God and Christian topics, but refused to call themselves a "Christian band." I thought that it was a cop-out to make the big bucks and play secular venues.
I saw them several times in concert while I was in college and would always scratch my head as to why they never gave an invitation to receive Christ during their concerts. I mean: no prayer, no twenty-minute sermonette in the middle of their set, and no corny Christian cliches as transitions between their songs?
Surely, Switchfoot wasn't a Christian band...
And yet, I continued to listen to their albums, while slightly judging them at their concerts, chalking up the experience to nothing more than "a good rock show." When they came out with their album Nothing Is Sound, I was sure that they had gone off the deep-end, delving into depressing, pseudo-existential lyrics about the world ending and the stupidity of yuppies. And then, one day in Arizona a few years ago, I was listening to "The Blues," and it just clicked. Jon wasn't singing "Lord, I Lift Your Name On High," but he was most definitely sharing biblical truths in a way that transcended style and culture but still communicated eternal hope.
I realized that it took a lot of depth and soul-searching to understand a song by Jon Foreman.
And in conclusion, no post is entirely complete without a video and/or photos. So how about both? Here's a clip of the beginning of American Dream from the Music Builds show in Chicago. I just liked what Jon said, especially near the end:
Also from the Chi-town show, our friend Erica shared some of her pictures with us:
