Jon Foreman
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| Jon Foreman | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jonathan Mark Foreman |
| Also known as | Jon |
| Born | October 22, 1976 |
| Origin | U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, piano, trumpet, Mandolin |
| Years active | 1996-present |
| Label(s) | Lowercase people records |
| Associated acts | Switchfoot, Fiction Family |
| Website | jonforeman.com |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Gibson SG Gretsch BST1000 Taylor acoustic guitars |
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Jonathan Mark Foreman (born October 22, 1976) is the lead singer, guitarist, and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman (Jonathan's brother). He writes or co-writes all Switchfoot songs, and is the lead vocalist for the band.
Foreman was born in San Bernardino County, California, but his family moved to Massachusetts and Virginia Beach during his childhood. There he became fast friends with Todd Cooper, who encouraged him to learn guitar.[1] Cooper was later a guitar tech for Switchfoot, although he left in 2005 to pursue his own musical career. After several years, Foreman and his family moved back to Southern California, this time settling in San Diego. Foreman attended UC San Diego and later dropped out to follow his singing career.[2]
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[edit] Personal life
One of Foreman's favorite pastimes is surfing,[3] and when not on tour, he resides in San Diego, California with his wife, Emily Foreman.
Jon Foreman is a committed Christian. However, his goal has always been to make music for all people. "For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us 'Christian rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them. And that's not what we're trying to do. Music has always opened my mind — and that's what we want".[4].
[edit] Influences
Foreman cites Elliott Smith[5], U2,[6] The Police[7], James Taylor[8], The Beatles, Radiohead[9], Bach, Ronny Jordan, Miles Davis, Keith Green, Nirvana, Johnny Cash,[10] Bob Dylan,[11] and Led Zeppelin as some of his musical influences.[12] In 2001 he was awarded the "Les Paul Horizon Award" for the most promising up-and-coming guitarist at the annual Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards in Los Angeles.[13]
[edit] Side projects
Besides being the main songwriter for Switchfoot, Foreman has also made musical contributions away from the band, including writing with San Diego/Orange County based singer-songwriter Molly Jenson.[14] Foreman has also contributed to the books The Art of Being [15] and New Way to be Human, [16] the latter written by producer Charlie Peacock. He also appeared on Relient K's 2007 album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago, lending his vocal talents to the song "Deathbed."
[edit] Fiction Family
In 2006, Foreman and Nickel Creek member Sean Watkins started collaborating on a duo project originally called "The Real SeanJon," which was later renamed "Fiction Family."[17] Their self-titled debut was released January 20, 2009.
"The album was recorded and written in parts because Nickel Creek and Switchfoot are both hard working, touring acts, we were rarely home from tour at the same time," says Foreman. "Consequently the tracks were passed back and forth between Sean and I. Whoever was home from tour would chip away at the songs with no real expectations at all, mainly just for ourselves and for the love of the song I suppose. We came up with a few cowboy rules for the project: No double tracking. No pussyfooting. No tuning of vocals." [18]
[edit] Solo project
Foreman has also worked on various solo projects, independently releasing four EPs, titled Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. For the project, Foreman teamed with Credential Recordings in a partnership with Switchfoot's imprint record label, Lowercase people records.[19] In October 2008, Foreman released a collection of songs from his seasonal EPs along with two new tracks. The collection is entitled Limbs and Branches. In April 2009, he was GMA Dove Award-nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year.[20]
[edit] Songwriting style
Foreman's songwriting tends to be very musical, and often uses a wide range of different instrumentation, including, but not limited to: violin, cello, trumpet, sitar, flute, saxophone, clarinet, synthesizer, piano, miscellaneous percussion, and harmonica. Foreman has always aimed to use interesting instrumentation when writing for Switchfoot, even on some of the band's first albums such as The Legend of Chin, New Way to Be Human, and Learning to Breathe.
Foreman's lyrics tend to be very poetic, and also tend to fit in with the mood of the song he's writing for. This attribute is part of Foreman's unique style.
[edit] Solo discography
- Fall (November 27, 2007)
- Winter (January 15, 2008)
- Spring (March 25, 2008)
- Summer (June 10, 2008)
- Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer (Vinyl Collection) (October 28, 2008)
- Limbs and Branches (October 28, 2008)
[edit] Singles
- "The Cure for Pain" (2007)
- "Your Love Is Strong" (2008)
[edit] Compilation appearances
- Your Cheatin' Heart (Hank Williams cover) - Sony/ATV Nashville Classic Covers: Volume One
- Someday We'll Know (New Radicals cover with Mandy Moore) - Sony - A Walk to Remember Soundtrack
- Deathbed - Relient K's Five Score and Seven Years Ago
[edit] Album chart positions
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||||
| Heatseekers | Billboard 200 | Billboard Top Christian Albums | Billboard Top Digital Albums | Top iTunes Albums | ||
| 2007 | Fall | 15 | ||||
| 2008 | Winter | 9 | ||||
| 2008 | Fall & Winter | 24 | 33 | |||
| 2008 | Spring | 12 | 14 | |||
| 2008 | Summer | 162 | 6 | 12 | 9 | |
| 2008 | Spring & Summer | 34 | ||||
| 2008 | Limbs and Branches | 36 | 48 | |||
[edit] References
- ^ Interview with Todd Cooper
- ^ JON FOREMAN BIOGRAPHY - retrieved April 21, 2009
- ^ JON FOREMAN BIOGRAPHY - retrieved April 21, 2009
- ^ Switchfoot steps toward stardom - The Boston Globe published January 9, 2004 (retrieved August 9, 2006)
- ^ Jon Foreman -- interview page
- ^ JON FOREMAN BIOGRAPHY - retrieved April 21, 2009
- ^ Jon Foreman -- interview page
- ^ Jon Foreman -- interview page
- ^ Switchfoot Evicted By Radiohead, Embraced By Rock Radio - Published February 5, 2004 (retrieved April 21, 2009)
- ^ JON FOREMAN BIOGRAPHY - retrieved April 21, 2009
- ^ JON FOREMAN BIOGRAPHY - retrieved April 21, 2009
- ^ QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GUYS
- ^ Switchfoot
- ^ Molly Jenson - Published March 6, 2009 (retrieved April 21, 2009)
- ^ The Art of Being Book - Published September 21, 2004 (retrieved April 21, 2009)
- ^ New Way to Be Human: A Provocative Look at What It Means to Follow Jesus - Published March 2004 (retrieved April 21, 2009)
- ^ Nickel Creek Official Website
- ^ Exclusive: Nickel Creek, Switchfoot Members Start New Band - SPIN.com published October 3, 2008 (retrieved October 17, 2008)
- ^ Jon Foreman from Switchfoot to release solo EPs + MP3 - Published November 27, 2007 (retrieved April 21, 2009)
- ^ Kim Jones. "40th Annual Dove Awards Nominees & Winners". About.com. http://christianmusic.about.com/od/doves/a/09doves.htm. Retrieved on 2009-04-24.
[edit] External links
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