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 |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica |
| Years active | 1996-present |
| Associated acts | Switchfoot, Fiction Family |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Gibson SG Gibson Firebird Angus Young signature Gibson SG Paul Reed Smith Mira Custom made Oh!Gravity. SG Fender Telecaster American 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 his brother Tim on bass. He writes or co-writes the music for all of Switchfoot's songs.
Foreman was born in San Bernardino County, California, but his family then moved to Massachusetts and Virginia Beach during his childhood. After moving to Encinitas in North County San Diego in his junior high years, he went to Torrey Pines High School in Carmel Valley, California, and he became fast friends with Todd Cooper who encouraged him to learn guitar. [1] Cooper was later a guitar tech for Switchfoot, eventually leaving in 2005 to pursue his own musical career. Foreman attended UC San Diego and later dropped out to follow his singing career.
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[edit] Personal life
Like the rest of the band, one of his favorite pastimes is surfing. When not on tour he lives in San Diego, California with his wife, Emily Foreman.
Foreman, along with the rest of the band, is a committed Christian. However, Foreman's goal has always been to make music for the rest of the world. "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".[2].
For more on Switchfoot and Christian music, see Switchfoot article.
[edit] Influences
Foreman cites Elliott Smith, U2, The Police, James Taylor, The Beatles, Radiohead, Bach, Ronny Jordan, Miles Davis, Keith Green, Nirvana, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and of course Led Zeppelin as some of his larger musical influences. 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.
[edit] Side projects
Besides being the main songwriter for Switchfoot, he has also done some work away from the band, including collaborations with Mandy Moore (for her movie A Walk to Remember), San Diego/Orange County based singer-songwriter Molly Jenson, and Noise Ratchet. Foreman has also contributed to the books The Art of Being and New Way to be Human, 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," later renamed "Fiction Family." [3] The duo plans to have an album released before the end of 2008, and it will feature a version of Foreman's song called "Betrayal". As of September 2007, they had seven tracks completed.[4] The album has been completed already, and the duo are just looking for an opportune time and outlet for release, as Foreman wrote on their original myspace page.
[edit] Solo project
Foreman has also worked on a solo project of his own. On August 10, he revealed via his blog that he was independently releasing four EPs, titled Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. His MySpace profile currently features six songs from his recently released EP Spring, which is now available for download at his website, Amazon.com and on iTunes.
For his solo project, Foreman has teamed with Credential Recordings in a unique partnership with Switchfoot's imprint, Lowercase People Records. Credential currently handles marketing, manufacturing, and distribution for the ep's.
[edit] Solo discography/Singles
[edit] EPs
[edit] Singles
- The Cure for Pain (2007)
[edit] Compilations
- 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
[edit] Album Chart Positions
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||||
| Heatseekers | Billboard 200 | Billboard Top Christian Albums | Billboard Top Internet Albums | Top iTunes Albums | ||
| 2007 | Fall | 15 | ||||
| 2008 | Winter | 9 | ||||
| 2008 | Fall & Winter | 24 | 33 | |||
| 2008 | Spring | 12 | 14 | |||
| 2008 | Summer | 10 | ||||
[edit] References
- ^ Interview with Todd Cooper
- ^ Switchfoot steps toward stardom - The Boston Globe published January 9, 2004 (retrieved August 9, 2006)
- ^ Nickel Creek Official Website
- ^ Change your name, change your life - The San Diego Union-Tribune published September 14, 2006 (retrieved September 21, 2007)
[edit] External links
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