Back in 1996, he (Jon Foreman) started his music career heading an unassuming San Diego-based band, now known all over the world as the multi-platinum Grammy-winning alt-rock group Switchfoot. Echoing an early oughts American existential crisis of faith, his spiritually-oriented rock band tapped into the cultural zeitgeist, and endured as defining sound-makers for a generation filled with unanswerable questions of their own. He later went on to form a long-term collaboration with Sean Watkins, releasing their first home-brewed collection of love ballads in 2009 under the name Fiction Family.
On Sunlight, Jon surrenders to the wipe-outs of an unpredictable world, articulating in the dappled harmony of his vocals and acoustic guitar, the feeling of regaining bearings under saltwater, and floating back up towards the sun.
“In songs you can have all these metaphors to hide behind, but there’s a strength in honesty that can’t be found in cynicism or detaching from an emotional element.”
Born from solitary introspection, then opened to the world, Sunlight’s 24 tracks blossom with the diverse yet cohesive contributions of 24 different producers, each interpreting the meaning of Jon’s vocals through their own instrumental vision.
“Through song, I’m trying to explore the physical space of music. I wanted to create a place that would exist only when you press play; a place of light and shadows, tension and release, things that you know and things that you don’t know. It’s incredible that you can create a mood, almost a structure of feeling. All 24 songs will correspond with different moods of the day. At the end I’m going to do 25 concerts in 24 hours.”
You can experience Jon’s sound on October 4 at The Loft in Midtown. You can purchase your tickets HERE