Switchfoot Requests Prayer for Band Member with Cancer

Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman shared a letter via social media this morning, informing fans of some "sobering news" concerning band member Jerome Fontamillas. "He has cancer. One of Jerome's kidneys has a large mass on it that has been growing for quite some time. The good news is that the cancer has not spread to his other organs. Removing one of his kidneys will hopefully be the first and final cure for Jerome's fight with cancer. The surgeons and the medical team have been incredibly accommodating, making sure that the surgery was scheduled as soon as possible," Jon shared.

"At the end of the month, Jerome will undergo surgery. He is making the best out of a hard situation. He's in good spirits and is facing all of this bravely, (with his signature smile and laughter intact!). He wanted me to reach out to the beautiful community that has supported our band in the highs and lows to inform all of you of the situation. We hope that many of you will join us in praying for Jerome and his family during this difficult season. I'm always blown away by the incredible community that sings these songs with us. Time and time again you will find ways to encourage, strengthen, and rally around the folks that need it the most," Foreman concluded.

The letter wrapped up with a note from Jerome: "I wanted to tell this community firsthand what is going on. It's hard to think about being on the sidelines while we release this album. But the songs have meant so much to me, even through this experience. We've been through so much as a band. This is just one more mountain to climb, one more storm to weather. I know we'll get to the other side.  And I look forward to having more reasons to be thankful when all of this is behind us. We will give you an update when we have news to tell you. Thanks again for years of love and support. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you, we look forward to telling you some good news in the near future."

Click here to read the full letter, and follow Switchfoot on social media for continued updates as we join Switchfoot in praying for Jerome.                  

Switchfoot Ends Hiatus; Teases New Music

Much to the excitement of fans, today Switchfoot announced that they are officially ending their hiatus. Through a series of social media teaser posts over the past few days and a video first unveiled to their email list today, it seems that the band is gearing up for their 11th studio album.

"I've loved every minute of my time off, but the music is chasing us down. I've heard it said that beauty is a battlefield for God and the devil. For us, music is how we throw punches. And it's time to step back into the ring," frontman Jon Foreman shares in the video. Though we don't have any details yet about exactly what's to come, we're left with a promise to close the video: "to be continued...10/19/2018."

Jon Foreman, Dustin Kensrue (Thrice), Propaganda and Aaron Marsh Perform for Mental Health Charity

Jon Foreman (Switchfoot), Dustin Kensrue (Thrice), Propaganda and Aaron Marsh (Copeland) performed a live collaborative cover of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down." 

The performance occurred as part of Heavy and Light, an annual concert event hosted by the organization To Write Love On Her Arms. All of the musicians have been longterm partners with the charity, which aims to raise awareness, support and fund treatment around issues of mental illness and addiction. 

Each of the vocalists took a section of the song, and Propaganda added a freestyle spoken word verse to the Tom Petty classic. Also on stage with the musicians were opening band Nekokat and Josh Morales, an audience member and amateur guitarist who Jon Foreman had invited to share the stage with him.

After the completion of "I Won't Back Down," which was the encore for the evening, Jon Foreman suggested the artists all stay on stage for a group performance of "Lean On Me," which concluded the night. Foreman, who has been involved with the event since it began a decade ago, said of the evening "What an amazing night! My favorite #HeavyAndLight ever."

You can find a full stream of the entire evening on TWLOHA's Facebook page by clicking here.          

                     

 

Switchfoot Disbanding?

Switchfoot recently celebrated 20 years together as a band this year, and now the guys are announcing "For the first time in twenty years, we are taking an extended break...As this year ends, we're entering into a new season, a season of home." Drummer Chad Butler wrote in a blog entry on the band's website this week.

The band posted a handwritten copy of the blog post announcement on their Facebook page. "It has been an honor to be YOUR band. These are YOUR songs, not just our own. Thank you. Truly. You have no idea how much you've inspired us through the years."

"We are brothers, sons, husbands, fathers, and for now, we are home. We're embracing this new season with open arms and excitement, strengthening the roots that have made us who we are. We do have a few shows already scheduled for next year that we will play but beyond that we will be off the road for the foreseeable future...this hiatus is a celebration of where we've been together. Thank you for being such a huge part of our journey."
 

Switchfoot Collaborates with Lauren Daigle

Switchfoot recently released a re-imagined version of their single "I Won't Let You Go" as a beautiful collaboration with Lauren Daigle. I first discovered it prior to the airing of Mully in its limited run in theatres.

Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman shrared on Instagram: "@lauren_daigle has one of the most beautiful voices on the planet. She visited our studio to write some tunes and collaborate a few months back...WARNING: listen in a safe place where you can quietly shed tears of joy. You're amazing, Lauren!" Foreman posted the cover for the single, along with a link for a temporary free download of the song.

The idea for the collaboration began at Switchfoot's BRO-AM event, an annual benefit concert for homeless and at-risk youth in San Diego, when the band persuaded Daigle to sing with them on stage. Several songs were thrown in the mix while they were deciding which song to sing together, but in the end, "I Won't Let You Go" was chosen.

"For me, when I wrote that song, I was thinking of Love Himself -- the transcendent maker of time and space -- singing 'I won't let you go' to me. To be able to hear somebody else singing those lyrics -- and Lauren's voice is so amazing -- it felt like a beautiful chance to kind of enter into the song in a different way," Foreman said about the collaboration.

Lauren described the experience on her YouTube channel, "As we were singing the song all together, there was just such a feel in the air... the guys were just so encouraging about all of it and they said, 'Hey, would you like to come jump into the studio next week and we can record this just for fun?'... I think as the time unfolded, as the experience unfolded, we realized, whoa, this has the potential to be something a little bit more than just us messing around in the studio." She continued, "I just loved their openness to collaborate. It was so much fun! There was so much excitement in the room that we just had to share it with all of ya'll."

Switchfoot's New Release Debuts At #10 On Billboard Top 200

Switchfoot's 10th studio album Where The Light Shines Through debuts at #3 on the Rock, Alternative and Overall Digital Albums charts and #10 on the Billboard Top 200, with more than 29,000 albums sold in the first week. Where The Light Shines Through was produced in collaboration with John Fields, who helmed the multi-platinum breakthrough The Beautiful Letdown.

Where The Light Shines Through marks an important milestone in Switchfoot's successful career. The band’s journey began in 1997 with the first of three indie releases before signing with a major label in 2003. Since then, the San Diego, CA based outfit have sold 5.7 million copies worldwide of their nine studio album. Where The Light Shines Through marks the band's return to the indie world.

Switchfoot will embark on a fall co-headline “Looking for America” Tour with Grammy-nominated alternative rock band Relient
K

Jon Foreman Gives TEDx Talk On Living Life as a Song

Switchfoot singer Jon Foreman took the stage at University of Nevada to give a TEDx talk on the subject of wonder & living your life that only you have been given.

Foreman performed "Only Hope," "Terminal" and "Dare You to Move" with cellist Keith Tutt in addition to sharing his thoughts. The talk centered around the idea of living life like a song-- a concept previously expressed in Switchfoot's "Where I Belong." You can watch the talk below.



The singer explained "Music is a metaphor for the human story here on the planet. Your song is important, needed, and no one else can sing it for you."

Evan McKeel Performs Switchfoot's "Dare You to Move" on The Voice

Evan McKeel performed Switchfoot's "Dare You to Move" on The Voice during a critical round of the competitive show.

Colony House to Perform on CONAN

Nashville rock trio Colony House will perform on CONAN tomorrow. The appearance will kick off the band's third single "Waiting For My Time To Come" from their debut full length album When I Was Younger which charted #3 on Billboard Heatseekers Chart and #7 on iTunes Alternative Rock Charts.

As a special preview, today Wall Street Journal debuted the new revamped version of the song which they will perform on CONAN.

LISTEN: Colony House - "Waiting For My Time To Come" via Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1JkOs37

"When we originally wrote and recorded 'Waiting For My Time To Come,' we took a slow-building, raw, cinematic approach," explained frontman Caleb Chapman to Journal. "With the reworked version, we took a more energetic approach. Live, this song has always been a highlight for both the crowd and the band. We thought that perhaps we could capture a little bit of that live energy."

Explaining the song's history, Chapman continued "About two years ago we had no idea what was happening with our band. At that point, a bunch of opportunities kept falling apart last minute. The peak of our disappointment came in October 2013. We had booked a slot on the Austin City Limits festival and were meant to play the last Sunday of the second weekend. We woke up that rainy morning to a phone call telling us that we would not be playing because the park had been flooded, so we packed our bags and had to make the 15 hour journey home. On that drive home, we decided to write and record an EP over the next month. We were just thinking of anything we could do to help inspire ourselves in a season that was otherwise uninspiring. 'Waiting For My Time To Come' was the first song I wrote for that EP. It deals with the subject of 'things not going your way' and quickly turned into our theme song."

Colony House first captured attention with their lead single "Silhouettes" which became the #1 most played track on SiriusXM's Alt Nation with 50 spins per week and made their national television debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers. They've also been featured on VH1 "Big Morning Buzz", Nylon, NPR Music, TeamCoco, Paste, and A.V. Club. They'll hit the road again in early July on the second leg of the Tour De Compadres featuring Drew Holcomb, Switchfoot, and NeedtoBreathe.

RED Rages into Top 15

Grammy nominated rock band RED debuted this week in the Top 15 on the Billboard Top 200 and is #10 on the SoundScan Top Current Albums chart - with the recent February 24 release their fifth studio album BEAUTY and RAGE. The music video for the "Darkest Part" premiered on Loudwire on February 23, and is also featured on Xbox Live consoles.  of BEAUTY and RAGE marks the fifth consecutive RED album to chart on the Billboard Top 200.

RED has garnered two Grammy nominations, five Dove Awards, two Top 10 Active Rock singles, three Top 10 Mainstream Rock singles, and 10 consecutive #1 hits at Christian radio - and currently hosts more than one million Facebook fans. The band has sold more than one million albums collectively.

Over the last decade, the RED has performed alongside such artists as Hinder, 3 Doors Down, Creed, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, Sevendust, Flyleaf, Seether, Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Saving Abel, Third Day, Switchfoot, Skillet and others.

Everfound's "Take This City" to be featured on ESPN'S Monday Night Football

ESPN's Monday Night Football is set to feature Everfound's "Take This City (feat. Joel of for KING & COUNTRY)" tonight during the matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Giants. Game time is 8:30 PM ET on ESPN.

"We are very honored and excited to have our song featured during one of the most watched nights of television! We can't wait for our family, friends and fans to tune in and experience this with us," says lead singer, Nikita Odnoralov.

The placement and video release adds to what has already been a big year for the band, which has included being featured on WinterJam, and a Dove Award nomination for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year alongside label mates Switchfoot and NEEDTOBREATHE. Everfound is currently wrapping up their headline "Take This City Tour" which hit over 30 markets nationwide and is set to appear on the West Coast run of WinterJam 2014 this November.

Lecrae First Christian Rapper on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

On The Tonight Show Thursday, Jimmy Fallon congratulated Lecrae for his No. 1 album, Anomaly, and invited him to return for another performance.

For the night, Lecrae joined Fallon’s house band, The Roots, for musical interludes between segments. He rapped portions of songs from his new album, including “Nuthin,” “Fear,” “All I Need is You,” “Say I Won’t,” and “Welcome to America.”

James Poyser and Frank Knuckles, both members of the band, posted pictures with Lecrae, as fans and friends tweeted along. #LecraeOnFallon trended nationwide.

“I'm really excited for Lecrae,” tweeted fellow Christian rapper Sho Baraka. “I pray for wisdom for that brother. This can't be easy navigating new waters. ‪#116Circa03.”

The rapper caught the eye of NBC as fans began to hashtag #lecraeonfallon.

“Remember when y'all had #lecraeonfallon trending?,” Lecrae tweeted, “Well guess who is a guest on the show this week?! Tune-in to @FallonTonight on 9/18.”

His new album Anomaly reached No. 1 on albums sold with 88,000 copies.

To celebrate, Reach Records put on a new track by Lecrae called "Non-Fiction."

"We want to celebrate this milestone with 116 everywhere across the world," Reach announced, "You have been a part of the journey God has taken all of us on from the early days until now. Thank you for all the support."

They continued, "Below is a song called 'Non-Fiction' where Lecrae reflects on his journey. It's our gift to you. We are excited about the days ahead and glad to share this moment with you."

The prolific hip hop-soul band The Roots joined Jimmy Fallon when he took over Late Night in 2009, and they’ve invited several legendary artists to sit in with them, including Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford, Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley, and John Oats.

Lecrae's Tonight Show gig follows recent features on MTV.com, the Billboard site, and the front page of the Washington Times.

Previous Christian acts who have made late-night appearances (under Fallon’s predecessor, Jay Leno) include Third Day, Switchfoot, and For King & Country.

45th Annual GMA Dove Awards Announced Today

The GMA announced today the nominees in 42 categories for the 45th Annual GMA Dove Awards. The awards show will take place on Tuesday, October 7 at Allen Arena in Nashville, TN at 6:30pm CT. TBN will air the awards show.

Artists Hillsong United, Lecrae, Mandisa and Matt Maher have 5 nominations apiece.  The full list of nominees can be found here.

The nominees in 20 categories were revealed today during the press conference and below are two of the top categories announced today.

Song of the Year
“Fix My Eyes” - for KING & COUNTRY
“Hello My Name Is” – Matthew West
“Hurricane” – Natalie Grant
“I Can Trust Him” – The Perrys
“Lord I Need You” – Matt Maher
“Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” – Hillsong UNITED
“Overcomer” – Mandisa
“Revival” – Karen Peck and New River
“Say Amen” – Brian Free & Assurance
“That’s Why” – Ernie Haase and Signature Sound

Artist of the Year
Casting Crowns
Hillsong UNITED
Lecrae
Mandisa
NEEDTOBREATHE
Switchfoot

Switchfoot Performing Tonight on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Tonight, Switchfoot will be playing the Late Late show with Craig Ferguson on CBS (12:35am ET).

The band also announced that their movie Fading West will be airing on Netflix starting August 1st!

Michael Phelps and Julio Jones Make Surprise Appearance During Switchfoot Performance

Rock group Switchfoot was joined on stage by 22-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps and NFL star receiver Julio Jones while performing at the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 17. While the band performed their smash hit "Dare You to Move," Phelps joined the ensemble on stage playing tambourine.


Jon Foreman (lead vocals) and Tim Foreman (bass) later tweeted:
@jonforeman: Wow! just played "dare you to move" with @Micheal_Phelps on tambourine - no joke! What a day #Preakness2014

@TimForeman: Had an impromptu jam yesterday with this guy named @michaelphelps playing some mean Tamborine. #preakness http://instagram.com/p/oJoeLwQt2K/

The Morrison Brothers Band posted video of the surprise guest on YouTube and ProVentures a pic here.


The Preakness is the second of the legendary Triple Crown horse races, traditionally occurring in Baltimore, Maryland.

Michael Phelps holds the most medals of any Olympian, earning eighteen gold medals, two silver and two bronze and in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 summer Olympics.

Newsboys' God's Not Dead Digital Single Certified Gold

Newsboys' "God's Not Dead (Like A Lion)" single, from its 2011 project God's Not Dead, has been certified Gold by the RIAA. Selling more than 140,000 tracks since January, the song has experienced a phenomenal resurgence fueled by the popularity of the God's Not Dead movie, in which Newsboys performs the song.

"God's Not Dead (Like A Lion)" was a No. 1 radio hit on the Billboard AC Monitored chart two years ago and has consistently been the top-selling track from Newsboys' God's Not Dead album. Yet it was the box office release of God's Not Dead, which has earned more than $59 million to date, that pushed the single over the 500,000 certified sales mark.

Consequently, "God's Not Dead (Like A Lion)" can now be counted among an elite list of Christian tracks ever to secure such status. The song is included among those by prolific artists like Bob Carlisle, Steven Curtis Chapman, Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Skillet, and Switchfoot.

Switchfoot 'Fading West' Movie Releases Tomorrow and Performing on Jay Leno's Tonight Show

Switchfoot will be releasing their debut feature film, Fading West, tomorrow, Dec. 10 via video streaming platforms including iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox Video, Sony Playstation, Cinemanow, and Vudu with digital entertainment curator FilmBuff.

Fans can also request special screenings of the film in markets around the country in partnership with Gathr.

The band will be on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Dec. 10 to perform "Who We Are," a single from their forthcoming ninth studio album also titled Fading West, set to be released Jan. 14.

"Fading West" follows Switchfoot as they travel the globe in search of new musical inspiration and perfect waves. The film was shot during their 2012 World Tour and as they were beginning to create the new album.

"Part rock documentary, part surf film and part travelogue, Fading West offers rare glimpses of the longtime surfers on their boards and in the waves, captures the frenetic energy of their live shows and, in the end, portrays a journey both epic and intimate," states their press release.

Switchfoot went on a 52-date tour around the country this fall and opened the shows with the movie playing. These concerts included sold out shows in Los Angeles, New York (two nights), Seattle, San Diego, Denver, Portland, Phoenix, St. Louis and Atlanta.

Switchfoot to Share Surfing, Stage and Other Footage in 'Fading West' Film

Jon Foreman. lead singer of Switchfoot, promises that Switchfoot fans will get a different perspective on the band from its upcoming film project, "Fading West," which the band will tease with a trailer at the auction night before the group's 9th Annual Bro-Am surfing contest and concert.

The Bro-Am takes place July 12-13 in Encinitas, California. A charity auction, a performance by Switchfoot and a sneak peek of "Fading West" will take place on the 12th, while the 13th will feature a full-scale beachfront concert, a charity surf contest with surf jousting exhibitions between heats, and the Rob Machado Bro Junior competition. The Bro-Am has raised more than $715,000 for San Diego-area children's charities during its history. More information about the event will be posted on the band's website.

As for the "Fading West" film, Foreman tells Billboard that, "Our goal was always to be professional surfers -- and I'm only partially kidding when I say that -- and if nobody is gonna make a movie about us, let's do it ourselves. We love surfing, so this was kind of a chance to introduce that to the rest of the world and maybe connect a few of the dots to the music as well."

"Fading West" combines scenes of the band surfing at locales around the world -- including the U.S., South Africa, Bali, Australia and New Zealand -- with behind-the-scenes of Switchfoot on tour and in the studio, as well as on stage. "It's about rock 'n' roll and the journey we've been on for the past eight albums," Foreman says. "There's a lot of special moments in the film."

There will be no formal soundtrack for "Fading West;" a new Switchfoot album is due out in September that will include some songs heard in the film. And Foreman says the group has reached out to some friends to be part of it, including his Fiction Family bandmate Sean Watkins and his sister Sara, Karl Denson, Charlie Peacock and others.

"We want to just kind of pull on different people whop lay other instruments and can add colors to the score that we would never be able to add," Foreman says. "It's been a whole lot of fun to dream it up."

Colton Dixon Opens Up on American Idol, Phillip Phillips, and Switchfoot

BreatheCast recently interviewed Colton Dixon on a wide-range of topics.  Here are a few highlights:

How did it feel to see Angie Miller perform your song, "Never Gone" on American Idol?
"First of all, she did a phenomenal job.  I still can't believe that it all happened so fast, it really just felt like I was on the stage yesterday and now a new season already and someone is singing one of my songs, it's just crazy, I can't even wrap my head around it.  It's cool to see what God is doing with this record and the different avenues He has been plugging it in.  So stoked for Angie, she has been doing so well and yea, like I said, she absolutely killed it.  Excited to see what she will be doing in the future." 

Do you keep in touch with anyone from American Idol?
"Yea, we all keep in touch pretty well actually.  If someone has something going on, they will group text us and we will catch up every once in a while.  I'd say the person that I was closest to was probably Phillip just because we have similar interests.  He was a believer as well so we were able to connect on that level.  We were trying to do the same things just with different genres of music.  He was just a great, humble guy and we try to keep in contact as best as we can with our busy schedules.  Phillip actually just announced a tour with John Mayer, so I'm a little jealous right now.  I'm gonna be one of those guys begging for backstage passes (laughs).  They are all doing really, really great.  It's cool to see the different avenues that music is taking them."


If you could collaborate with one Christian artist and one secular artist, who would you choose?
"That is so hard.  Man, I would love to collaborate with Jon Foreman of Switchfoot.  I actually just met him not too long ago, he's such a rad dude.  He promised me a surfing lesson so I'm looking forward to that.  On the secular side (pause), I think doing something with Jared Leto from 30 Seconds to Mars would be amazing.  Doing something with Coldplay would be amazing too.  Man, so many good artists.  I would say between those two artists." 

Switchfoot Performs on Jay Leno

Switchfoot performs "The Original" from their CD "Vice Verses" on Jay Leno.

http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/switchfoot/?roi=echo7-7480604551-27780238-5171f72fc666d069eebd31c0ad2b2f1f&