San Diego Reader

Genre: Rock

Sound description: WTFWJD? He'd be Jon Foreman.

RIYL: Switchfoot, Reeve Oliver, This Holiday Life, Creed, U2

Upcoming Local Shows

Discography

Related Links:

• http://www.jonforeman.com/

• Blurt · June 4, 2008

• Blurt · Jan. 2, 2008

• Blurt · May 25, 2006

• Musician interviews · Sept. 22, 2005

• Blurt · July 7, 2005

• Blurt · Nov. 4, 2004

• Website

Synoposis

Influences: Switchfoot, Jesus (Christ, not Jones), U2, Creed, Macbeth, Dick Dale, the Deftones, Styx

Background:

Local-boys-made-good Switchfoot (their website header reads “Diego Rock USA”) earned double-platinum sales with 2003’s The Beautiful Letdown. The album landed two singles in the top-five Billboard charts (“Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move”), as the band scored gigs on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Tonight Show.

“The Tonight Show was extremely cold,” recalls singer/guitarist Jon Foreman. “Other than that and meeting the guest snakes, nothing really happened. However, Conan is a bit of a guitar buff and tried on my Firebird for size. He’s not a bad player, either.”

Switchfoot is in the CD rack right there between Matthew Sweet and System of a Down, and their Live in San Diego DVD has been certified RIAA gold in sales (no small feat for a music DVD).

In October 2008, Jon Foreman released a solo record, Limbs and Branches, on EMI Records and on Switchfoot's original Christian label, Sparrow Records.

Foreman also has a side band with Sean Watkins from Nickel Creek (see Fiction Family).