SWITCHFOOT will head out with The Almost this fall on a tour that launches October 1st in Lynchburg, VA. Pre-sale tickets will be available through Friends of the Foot beginning Wednesday, September 1st. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, September 2nd. For ticketing information and further details, visit www.switchfoot.com. The band, which just wrapped up a summer outing with Goo Goo Dolls, will also perform at Celebrate Freedom Atlanta, the largest free one-day concert in Atlanta, on September 4th, and the Austin City Limits Festival on October 10th. (See below for itinerary.)
“The Sound (John M. Perkins’ Blues),” the band’s current single, is one of eight songs included on the new Switchfoot iTunes Session, available beginning today. (Link for purchase: http://bit.ly/a1yMFI.) “The Sound” is a Top 10 hit at Modern Rock radio and the accompanying video has been added to Fuse’s “#1 Countdown” and MTVu. The song was inspired by civil rights activist John M. Perkins, who appears in the video. Jon Foreman, lead vocalist/guitarist for SWITCHFOOT, has penned nine articles for The Huffington Post, including one detailing his recent meeting with Perkins:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-foreman/the-living-blues-john-m-p_b_613733.html
“The Sound” has been featured in television spots for Walt Disney Pictures’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, as well as promotional spots for Bravo and Verizon Wireless’ fall 2009 ad campaign for the BlackBerry® Storm™ 2. It follows SWITCHFOOT’s hit, “Mess of Me,” which the band has performed on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” “Your Love is a Song,” another track from Hello Hurricane, is currently climbing the charts at HOT AC and Christian AC radio.
“On their seventh album, Switchfoot set the mood with U2-esque shimmer, fuzzed-out rockers that would make Dave Grohl green with envy, and jangly garage-rock,” said Alternative Press while Rolling Stone noted: “the group added some heft to its super catchy alternative rock…‘Mess of Me’ is a stop-start rocker that kicks off with a serrated guitar scrawl, and ‘Bullet Soul’ is a crescendoing punk rager.” “Switchfoot has much in common with arena-rocking peers like Coldplay and Snow Patrol…wrapped around huge hooks and intercut by Foreman’s incisive, discontented lyrics,” observed Paste.
SWITCHFOOT is Jon Foreman (vocals/guitar), Tim Foreman (bass), Chad Butler (drums), Jerome Fontamillas (keys/guitar) and Drew Shirley (guitar)
SWITCHFOOT – UPCOMING NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
Date City/State Venue Support
9/4 Marietta, GA Jim R. Miller Park Celebrate Freedom Atlanta
9/5 Lexington, KY Questapalooza
10/1 Lynchburg, VA Liberty University The Almost
10/2 Cheswick, PA Ches-A-Rena The Almost
10/3 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory The Almost
10/5 Richmond, VA The National The Almost
10/6 Norfolk, VA The Norva The Almost
10/7 Montgomery, AL Huntington College Top Stage The Almost
10/8 Baton Rouge, LA Varsity Theatre The Almost
10/10 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Festival
10/14 Omaha, NE Sokol Auditorium The Almost
10/15 St. Charles, MO TBD The Almost
10/16 Kansas City, KS Memorial Hall The Almost
10/29 Avila Beach, CA TBD The Almost
Switchfoot iTunes Session Track Listing
1. The Sound (John M. Perkins’ Blues)
2. Learning to Breathe
3. Daisy
4. Dare You to Move
5. Mess of Me
6. Meant to Live
7. Only Hope
8. Your Love is a Song
Tooth & Nail/Virgin Records (EMI) rock band, The Almost, is gearing up for the Monster Monster tour beginning September 14th in Montgomery, AL through September 26th in Indianapolis, IN. With the tour namesake from the band’s highly successful sophomore album, The Almost will bring along special guests: Chasen, House of Heroes and Between the Trees for the Compassion International sponsored tour.
"We are so excited and happy to go out and be a part of local communities,” shared Aaron Gillespie. “I believe that the heart of our community as Christians lies in the local church, and we as The Almost are excited to get out and meet everyone in their home town/homechurch setting. Let's get excited!!"
In addition to their headline tour this fall, The Almost will be appearing in October on Switchfoot’s tour (dates and locations TBA). The Almost will also be performing at two high-profile festivals over the Labor Day weekend: Revelation Generation Festival (Sept. 4th) and Lifelight Festival (Sept. 5th). For the complete Monster Monster tour schedule along with additional dates in your local area, check out their MySpace for updates.
LOS ANGELES, CA -The Almost's (Tooth & Nail/Virgin/EMI) album Monster Monster doesn't come out until Nov. 3, but the band and label have partnered with lifestyle retailer Hot Topic in an innovative promotion for the Oct. 6 release of a limited edition, five-track EP, that will be available exclusively at the Hot Topic, the band's website (http://www.thealmostmerch.com/) and on the group's upcoming tour. The package will include the full length packaging for Monster Monster, two CDs, one of music (three album cuts and two b-sides) and a second blank disc to download the full album with a promotional code the day of release (11/3) from Hot Topic website ShockHound.com. HERE'S exclusive access to the band's lead singer Aaron Gillespie presenting the preorder to fans on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEnFD828LNI
"This is a great innovative way to create a continuous fan-friendly music experience, while redefining how consumers purchase music," adds Greg Thompson, EVP of Marketing & Promotion for EMI North America.
As another bonus for fans, The Almost will preview their new lead, anthemic rock single, Hands today (10/6), at www.myspace.com/thealmost.
On November 25th, Tooth & Nail Records will release No Gift To Bring, an EP from The Almost. The five-song collection, which will be available in stores and online, is an eclectic one offering up a brand new song from the band (the achingly introspective "Awful Direction"), a cover song, radically new versions of two tracks from 2007's Southern Weather and a little Christmas surprise. Fans who take advantage of the online pre-sale, which is currently underway, will receive free limited edition merchandise along with the EP. For further details, visit: http://www.audiblediversiongroup.com/TheAlmost
"It was actually a friend of ours idea," recalls Aaron Gillespie, The Almost's founder and lead singer. "She said 'why don't you guys put out an EP with a Christmas song on it?' I said, 'That's a really great idea - it would be a good way to get some cool things out that don't really fit within the context of a full-length album."
No Gift To Bring was produced by Tim McTague, lead guitarist for Gillespie's other band, Underoath. It was McTague's idea to re-imagine Southern Weather's country-leaning "Dirty And Left Out," imbuing this raw reflection on the baffling nature of unconditional love with a sparse, electronic vibe.
"Tim did all the sequencing on the song, then had me sing over it," says Gillespie. "We wanted to strip it way down - it's a complete and utter departure."
Southern Weather, The Almost's debut album, entered The Billboard 200 at No. 39 in April of 2007. The band scored a Top 10 hit at Modern Rock radio ("Say This Sooner"), was selected as an MTV/MTV2/mtvU "Discover & Download" artist and went out on the 2007 Vans Warped tour as well as tours with Paramore, The Starting Line, Say Anything and, most recently, Emery, Envy on the Coast and Army Of Me. Alternative Press tapped Gillespie for a cover story and Spin gave Southern Weather a three-and-a-half star review, noting: "Gillespie wails on the sort of hard-charging anthems that will probably make Switchfoot seethe with jealousy,"
Gillespie, who's currently touring with Underoath in support of its new Top 10 album, Lost in the Sound of Separation, has already begun writing songs for The Almost's next full-length album. The band will begin recording next spring.
