Jesus freak Hideout: What's the story behind the name "Switchfoot"?
Jon Foreman:
Switchfoot is a surfing term. We all love to surf and have been surfing
all our lives so to us, the name made sense. To switch your feet means to
take a new stance facing the opposite direction. It's about change and
movement, a different way of approaching life and music.
Jesus freak Hideout: How did you get started in music?
Jon:
My brother and I have been playing music together as long as I can
remember. I've known Chad since high school. Chad and I were at the same
college when the bands that we were in went their seperate ways. That's
when we decided to try to do something together.
JFH: How would you describe your sound?
Jon: Guitar driven pop that might make you whistle, tap your foot, or think.
JFH: What bands have influenced your sound?
Jon: The police, the beatles, U2, James Taylor, Keith Green, elliot smith, and
Heavy Vegetable
JFH: What kind of changes, if any, were you looking to make for your new
album, Learning to Breathe?
Jon: We have never really tried to emulate "a sound." We try to tackle each
song separately. The production was more of a planned change however.
Musically, we wanted to start from a three-piece foundation and build
from there, maybe throwing the kitchen sink on top instead of using the
kitchen sink as a starting place.
JFH: What is the song "I Dare You to Move" about?
Jon: The song is fairly straight-forward. We have been given a new day. Our
eyes open and our choices begin. Will we live half asleep? Or will we
change our world; will we be Christ's hands and feet, the salt and the
light of the world? I sing this song to myself and all others on a planet
where complacency reigns supreme.
JFH: Can you tell us a little about the title track off your brand new
album Learning to Breathe?
Jon: I've been through a lot of growth this year, learning of my deep needs
and of my human depravity. But deeper than all of this is Christ's love
for me. "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according
to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth so
great is His love for us." This is the spiritual world that we have been
called to and the kindom of the heavens is here. We are learning to
breathe in the atmosphere of grace.
JFH: What is the story behind, and what inspired "Poporazzi?"
Jon: The pop world is a funny thing. We can satirize it and poke fun and say
that superstars have no relevance in normal lives. But no one is immune
and we are all very effected by the media, the T.V., and, of couse, the
Backstreet Boys.
JFH: What is the hardest thing that you've found about your job as a
musician in the Christian music industry?
Jon: I must start by saying that what I do is an incredible gift, and I am
very thankful to be playing music for people who want to listen. But
every job has it's difficulties. One hard thing is that we seldom get to
attend our home churches because we are normally out of town on the
weekends. The travelling can be very detrimental to relationships. But
probably the strangest thing is the contradiction of being on stage and
trying to be the least. The tendency in todays culture is to want to be a
"star," but I want to be a servant.
JFH: If you weren't doing music, what do you think you would be doing
instead?
Jon: Finishing my college degree, traveling, or teaching kids.
JFH: What is your favorite Switchfoot song?
Jon: This always happens to be the one that I just wrote the day before!
JFH: What is your favorite movie?
Jon: Dumb and Dumber is pretty funny.
JFH: What has been your favorite on-the-road moment?
Jon: Singing with charlie peacock, sarah masen, tim and chad in Amsterdam.
JFH: What does the future hold in store for Switchfoot?
Jon: We have tried not to make many assumptions about the future. I'm pretty
sure I'm going to be playing songs with Tim and Chad for a while, though.
JFH: The Jesus freak Hideout website was started out of appreciation for
good Christian music. We've set a goal to try to use the site to spread
Christian music, as well as God's Word, & show others how good Christian
music really is. Do you listen to Christian music? If so, what bands?
Jon: Matt redman, Delirious, Five Iron, Michelle Tumes, Nicole Nordeman,
Jennifer Knapp, Sarah Masen, Third Day, Earthsuit
JFH: I really appreciate you taking out the time in your busy schedule to
answer some questions for us. Are there any last comments you'd like to
make?
