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Behind
the Lyrics: Jon Foreman, Switchfoot
By
Justin WalkerMay 28, 2001 Behind the main stage that has transformed the Bond County Fairgrounds from a barren acre of land into raucous music festival, the members of the San Diego trio Switchfoot are preparing to make their first appearance at the Agape Music Festival. Without a worry in the world, lead singer/guitarist Jon Foreman climbs on the back of a golf cart to be swept away from his latest radio interview with the local Greenville (IL) college station. Casually, he sits down in the golf cart and begins chatting as Relient K rocks out in the background. Switchfoot, the lone remaining member of the re:think/Sparrow record label, is currently comprised of Jon, his brother Tim (bass) and Chad Butler (drums). Jerome Fontamillas, formerly of Mortal and Fold Zandura, has been touring with the band, playing guitar and keyboards. As part of the O.C. Supertones’ Loud and Clear tour (along with Relient K), Foreman is apparently pining to return home to sunny California. Nobody can blame him. And although Switchfoot’s innovative sound is worthy of a larger audience, Foreman and company show true wisdom by sticking to Paul’s advice of remaining content wherever God leads them. 90&9: You and your brother have probably played together your whole lives ... Jon Foreman: Yep.
90&9: Is that where the tightness comes from, or is it producing, or what is it? JF: We practice a lot. We practice the songs a lot before we go into the studio. So that helps. Hopefully practice makes perfect.
90&9: You guys started in college, right? JF: Yeah. My brother (Tim) was in high school.
90&9: Your debut, Legend of Chin, has a lot of “growing up” type songs and now you seem to have more mature, Christian life type songs ... JF: ... retirement songs. Because I’m 83 now.
90&9: A Christian could listen to your first CD and say there weren’t many spiritual lyrics there¾although some songs were definitely spiritual. But some songs seemed geared more toward secular radio. Then the second and third CDs (New Way to be Human and Learning to Breathe) seem more and more spiritual. Is that something you’re trying to do or does it just happen when you keep writing? JF: I think it’s two-fold. I feel like it’s been impressed upon me that as Christians, we need to be edifying the church. If we’re a part of the body of Christ, we have a role to play in that body. And second of all, re:think was originally a record label that was for both the Christian and the mainstream (markets). And now, it’s basically Sparrow, which is very good at selling records within the Christian marketplace. So it’s like, this is going to be heard by what group (of people)? That’s been a big part of what songs have been included on the albums. But certainly, as we’ve grown in our spiritual walks, that’s going to be shown hopefully in the music as well.
90&9: Was there any pressure to write songs that weren’t as spiritual on the first CD? JF: There’s never any pressure on the first album. Those were just songs that we wrote in my bedroom and pretty much stayed the same way, even through production and everything. (laughs)
90&9: And as far as production goes, you guys have been lucky to have some of the top names in the business helping you out. (Jimmy Lee Sloas, Charlie Peacock, Jacquire King) It doesn’t seem like you need a whole lot of help, but that’s when the producer is really doing his job¾when it doesn’t sound like they’re doing anything. Is that a fair statement? JF: Umm ... It can be. Sometimes a producer really needs to step in on a song or two and say, “Hey, this needs to be changed. This is terrible.” But other times, when they’re stepping out of the way, it’s a good thing. I guess knowing when to be there and when to not be there.
90&9: Ready to get back to California? JF: We’ve been on the road since February. So, it’s been a long and winding road. But we’re really big believers in this new album. It’s fun to talk about. My favorite song is “I Dare You to Move.” It’s a really cool thing to hear people say how it’s affected their lives. And I feel as a musician, that’s one of the biggest things that we can be doing. And then as a Christian, beyond that, it’s huge to see God using one of your songs to make an impact on the world.
90&9: Is there a video coming out for that one? JF: No. Videos are too expensive. I’d like to do a video for a couple songs. Our video (“You Already Take Me There”) is playing on MTV right now, so that’s kind of cool.
90&9: In Christian rock music, there’s only a certain height you can really attain and you guys are pretty much there. Unless you’re a dcTalk or something like that, but a lot of people say you don’t want to be that big because that’s a whole other world of trouble. Having said that, are you guys happy where you are? JF: We’ve always been happy where we are. We’ve never tried to be bigger or smaller. It’s always been, “Hey, let’s be thankful for where we’re at.” Because I think that, ultimately, the moment you start looking toward tomorrow, toward fulfillment, you’re no longer trusting in the God of today. And God is certainly the God of tomorrow, but He is desiring to be your All-in-All today more than that.
90&9: There are certain Christian bands that may not be tearing up record charts, but have a fan base that seems to follow them around because they know they’re going to feel God when they hear you guys sing. And that isn’t always the case with so-called “Christian” bands. Do you feel that is something God has led you into? JF: Oh yeah. It’s huge. I feel like invoking God’s presence to be a part of the show is necessary. I mean ... it’s not worth being on the road if God isn’t there.
ninetyandnine.com ã 2001, Justin Walker Justin Walker is a slacker who likes his music loud and thumpy.
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