THE BAND--Everything about Switchfoot points to unlimited possibilities, from the stylistic diversity of the group's music to the very title of the its second album, NEW WAY TO BE HUMAN. Even the band's name suggests a stance that changes one's outlook. Switchfoot's three members -- drummer Chad Butler, bassist Tim Foreman and guitarist Jon Foreman -- approach their music with wide-eyed, youthful openness and the wisdom of old souls. They incorporate everything from modern rock riffs to acid-jazz grooves into songs that can pound like the California coast or turn quietly introspective. Like musical families that create their own unique harmonies, brothers Jon and Tim display an almost telepathic ability to communicate on their instruments and play off the rhythmic foundation Chad provides.
THE LEGEND OF CHIN, Switchfoot's 1997 debut, made such an impact in the group's hometown that they won the San Diego Music Award for Best New Band, an honor that went to Jewel shortly before she rose to superstardom. The popular television dramas Dawson's Creek and Party of Five have featured the group's songs. The Newsboys played Switchfoot before and after every show on their nationwide fall tour. Not bad for a trio of musicians that met because their fathers pastored churches in the same area -- and all that's just the beginning.
Using the best qualities of their debut as a springboard, Switchfoot leaps forward with NEW WAY TO BE HUMAN, produced by Charlie Peacock. The band's gotten even tighter, their songs more clever and compelling. Switchfoot has indeed found a NEW WAY TO BE HUMAN, and it's a path that looks very bright.
The Album--There's no sophomore slump here.Switchfoot's 1997 album THE LEGEND OF CHIN introduced a promising modern rock band and drew praise from critics, fans and musicians alike. It even helped the trio take Best New Band honors at the San Diego Music Awards.
NEW WAY TO BE HUMAN makes good on the debut's potential, assuring Switchfoot's status one of the most exciting young bands around. Its 10 thought-provoking tunes take a refreshing approach to themes of yearning, human frailty and redemption. Songs like "New Way to Be Human" and "I Turn Everything Over" burst with enthusiasm, while "Only Hope" and "Under the Floor" develop the meditative aspect of the band's sound. Switchfoot's growth becomes evident not only in the spirited rhythm section of bassist Tim Foreman and drummer Chad Butler, but in the increased clarity of guitarist Jon Foreman's songwriting vision.
"Our first album basically consisted of songs I wrote in my room, for my room," says Jon, who's also the group's lead vocalist. But Jon notes that Switchfoot's experiences since that album's release have expanded his perspective, both personally and musically. "Now, we actually have a voice," he says. "We had to decide what we wanted to say. We tried to be much more focused with our songs for NEW WAY TO BE HUMAN."
"The first time I went to the Foreman house, they had everything set up in one 10' x 12' bedroom," recalls producer Charlie Peacock, who signed the group to his indy re:think label after hearing a rough demo recorded in that room. "That was their reality. Since then, they've traveled all over the U.S. and Europe. They've seen there's a whole big world out there. The new music reflects that, and there's a new maturity to this album."
That maturity's apparent from the exhilarating lead track and first single, "New Way to Be Human." It's easily the catchiest tune the band has recorded. It also possesses new levels of depth and subtlety, from the multiple guitar tracks and layered harmonies to a whistled intro that slyly quotes Ramsey Lewis and Dobie Gray's 1965 pop smash "The In Crowd." Other songs use samples, combine Chad's playing with drum loops and incorporate sounds concocted in the Foreman brothers' San Diego home.
"We've been really experimenting at home with different things -- like putting a trumpet through a delay with distortion," says Jon, pointing to a sound used at the start of "Sooner or Later." "That sounds nothing like a trumpet, but it sounds great!"
Jon's songwriting shows a similar openness to ideas. Switchfoot chose the 10 tracks on NEW WAY TO BE HUMAN from some 50 songs Jon wrote after recording THE LEGEND OF CHIN. "Obviously, you're going to write songs about everything," he says. "Which ones make the album? Those are the ones you really fine-tune."
Those songs show a strong grasp of songwriting crafting and lyrical intent. "Amy's Song" makes bittersweet reflections on the impact of a friend's life. "Company Car" cleverly lampoons materialism, driven by a buoyant horn section and ringing power chords. While "Company Car" and "Incomplete" are as modern as the latest Tom Wolfe best-seller, other songs draw inspiration from the writings of 19th-century Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard ("Sooner or Later") and fourth-century Christian teacher Augustine ("Something More").
The crux of NEW WAY TO BE HUMAN comes in the space between "Let That Be Enough" and "Something More." "Let That Be Enough" brings all the album's longing and loneliness into one spontaneous, naked plea. It was written and recorded the same day -- one day before Jon's 22nd birthday. "When I played it for Charlie, he immediately said, 'All right, let's record it,'" says Jon. "I sang and played the guitar, and we got it the second take."
THE PLAYERS Jon Foreman -- guitar, keyboards, trumpet, lead vocals The 21-year-old lead vocalist and songwriter for Switchfoot wrote some 50 tunes preparing to record NEW WAY TO BE HUMAN. Now, he's looking into writing songs for other artists and mentoring younger musicians. "Every time I'm home, I work with kids who are in bands," says Jon. "There's a lot of kids who'd love to have a demo of anything, and I've got the capabilities to produce some pretty cool stuff at home."
He is also an avid soccer player and surfer who also enjoys painting and reading. And, in his spare time, he’s been working on a degree in music at the University of California at San Diego.
Tim Foreman -- bass, vocals In addition to penning "Incomplete" with his brother, 19-year-old Tim -- like Chad Butler -- writes his own parts for Switchfoot's songs. He's studied the styles of Claude Debussy, Charles Ives, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, though he claims Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder as important influences. He's also been dubbed Switchfoot's unofficial photographer while on tour.
Tim's passion for rock climbing, baseball, surfing and fishing make him arguably the group's most athletic member. "We had an opportunity to go to Alaska with the last album," says Tim. "We went on a fishing trip while we were there, and I'm proud to say I'm the one member who caught a fish. I was pretty excited about fishing from that point on."
Chad Butler -- drums, percussion, vocals At the ripe old age of 24, the oldest member of Switchfoot, Chad also became the band's only married member in November 1998. Jon and Tim's father performed the ceremony for Chad and Tina.
Chad brings an artistic sensibility to the group: One of his drawings graced the cover of a promotional single for "Chem 6A," from he first Switchfoot album. He also has a degree in the History of Science from UCSD. "Basically," he says, "I could tell you all you need to know about Galileo and the rise of modern science." In his spare time, the former surfing instructor currently works towards a master's degree in business and has a particular interest in marketing.
THE BOOKS--"It's frustrating when your job description becomes writing songs, because then how do you relax?" wonders Jon Foreman. Jon once wrote songs when he needed a break from his studies at the University of California at San Diego. Now, Switchfoot's success requires that what was once a hobby takes up more of his time.
"It kind of switched on us," Jon notes. "So now all of us have been reading more books." Here are some of the band's favorites, a few of which even influenced the songs on NEW WAY TO BE HUMAN.
Saint Augustine - Confessions (Inspired "I Turn Everything Over") Walter Brueggemann - Hopeful Imagination: Prophetic Voices in Exile Soren Kierkegaard -Either/Or (Inspired "Sooner or Later") C.S. Lewis - The Four Loves C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis - Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold George MacDonald - Lilith George MacDonald - Phantastes John Piper - Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist Frances A. Schaeffer - The Francis A. Schaeffer Trilogy: The 3 Essential Books in 1 Volume (The God Who Is There/Escape from Reason/He Is There and He Is Not Silent) Dallas Willard - The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God (Inspired "Under the Floor")
THE SONGS--My English teachers would always tell me, "Remember your audience!" For most of my life my audience has consisted of professors, family, and friends. But a couple of years ago my brother (Tim), my friend (Chad), and I (Jon) had the incredible chance to record a CD that would be heard by people that we've never met. But, they weren't originally written with Alaska or New Mexico in mind. The songs were written in my bedroom, never imagining anyone else would ever hear them. They were recorded with the energy that can only come from three guys in a tight enclosure. We titled the CD LEGEND OF CHIN, giving kudos to our friend Willis Chin and. voila! there it was: 11 songs that you could go buy in a store! O.K. So we hit the road and played everywhere we could: from London to Hawaii, from our home in San Diego to Alaska.
When the time came to record our sophomore album we thought back to the days of old, the days of Chin, when our English teachers would tell us, "Remember your audience!" And we set out to record a new set of songs knowing that people from all over the world might hear these tunes.
Now that we've been given a voice, what do we want to say? What do three guys from San Diego want to tell the world? We've decided upon three themes. First, the inability to find significance within the marrow of pop culture. There is a magnificence to life that is veiled behind the facades of America. Second, is our personal confession of the inability to find wholeness within ourselves. Third, is that our only hope for completion is in Christ. These are the themes that have been prominent in our lives, rumors that we've heard, and which contradict our post-modern world. This album resounds. "The rumors are true. The rumors are true!"-- Jon Foreman
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Discography
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