Originating from San Diego, California, USA, and formed during the mid-90s, this Christian rock band was the brainchild of brothers Jon Foreman (b. Jonathan Mark Foreman, 22 October 1976, USA; vocals/guitar) and Tim Foreman (b. Timothy David Foreman, 15 August 1978, Lake Arrowhead, California, USA; bass/vocals). Like many San Diego teenagers, the Foremans were avid surfers and it was via the surf world that they met drummer Chad Butler (b. 24 March 1974, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Taking their name from surfer lingo, the trio began rehearsing in a garage before live performances followed. Shortly thereafter, Switchfoot signed a recording contract with the indie label re:Think, and issued their debut, The Legend Of Chin, in 1997. School work, surfing, and a band member’s wedding (Butler) held up the completion of Switchfoot’s follow-up, New Way To Be Human, that was eventually released in 1999.
Deciding that the band needed a fourth member to beef up their sound, multi-instrumentalist Jerome Fontamillas joined the line-up and debuted on 2000’s Learning To Breathe. Having sold a combined 400, 000 copies of their first three releases, a major label recording contract was the next step for the band, with Columbia Records subsidiary Red Ink winning the race for their signatures. Switchfoot then donated several songs to the hit motion picture soundtrack, A Walk To Remember.
Switchfoot’s major label debut, The Beautiful Letdown (2003), was an immediate hit on the US charts and went on to achieve double platinum status. The band subsequently launched a sold out three-month headlining tour. Touring guitarist Drew Shirley (b. 3 April 1976, California, USA) became an official member in 2005, and was present to help record the band’s fifth album, Nothing Is Sound. The album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200.
Switchfoot is also an outspoken supporter of the DATA organization (Debt, AIDS, Trade for Africa), a group created by U2 leader Bono that offers aid to developing nations, as well as promoting AIDS awareness.
