Richland Chronicle

Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: Music For College Students

Media Credit: www.bighassle.com Switchfoot release Hello Hurricane

After two years, a departure from their record label and four albums worth of material, San Diego rock band Switchfoot emerges with their eyes wide open. There is a raw and defiant darker side to Hello Hurricane, which bassist Tim Foreman explains, "There is kind of a hope that comes through because it is set against the backdrop of a storm."

Drawing a lot of their inspiration from their experiences, working with Habitat for Humanity after Hurricane Katrina, the band came across with a message of hope after meeting a local woman who lost her leg in the evacuation process. Foreman recalls that, "It was her, not admitting defeat, that inspired the band that storms come and pass, and I want to be facing the storm and not turning away."

Songs such as "Free" and "Mess of Me" deliver a heavier sound and a darker lyrical connotation which makes you grasp the message of facing our storms. While "Your Love is a Song," which follows a pattern of previous releases, takes us to a deeper spiritual place.

Switchfoot has never been a band to shy away from their faith and according to Foreman, faith plays a large roll in their music. Foreman said, "For us, it is a continual journey where we are continually reminded of how small we are in a bigger story, and wanting to find out where we fit in to all of it. I think that's why we write music."

"Always Yours," a ballad from Hello Hurricane defiantly takes us to why Switchfoot writes music. With a gentle and flowing piano piece melting into soft and subdued strings, the speaker declares, "I am always yours," representing a submission to love.

Switchfoot sets out Nov. 8 on their Hello Hurricane Tour with plans to perform this album in sequence, a journey from start to finish, which Foreman believes, fans are ready for. To continue this journey, do not miss the opportunities to experience Switchfoot as they perform at The House of Blues in Dallas on Nov. 17.

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