Sometimes it takes a miracle to keep things in perspective. San
Diego rock band Switchfoot, whose fourth album recently went
platinum, received a gentle reminder of their human position during
a time when many people might otherwise lose sight of what’s truly
important.

During the March 1 video shoot for their second single, “Dare
You to Move,” a friend of the band suffered only four broken ribs
after being hit by a truck. “It gave us a new meaning for the
song,” said bassist Tim Foreman. “She might not have been okay. We
realized that music can be so trivial in the grand scheme of
things.”

The first single off The Beautiful Mistake, “Meant to Live,” was
inspired by T.S. Eliot’s The Hollow Men. “We are hollow, and we
stuff ourselves with whatever is around us,” Foreman said of the
song, which was written by his brother, lead singer Jon Foreman.
“There’s got to be more than what’s on the TV screen … we were
meant to live for more than that.”

The song responsible for their rise to fame seems to criticize
the culture that embraces them, making the significance behind the
lyrics particularly ironic.

“The irony of the song is brilliant,” Tim said. “It’s a song
that’s not written for anyone else other than ourselves. It’s not
pointing the finger at anyone–it’s autobiographical and was meant
to inspire change within our own lives,” he said. “The ultimate
irony is that it made us a part of pop culture.”

Foreman brothers Tim and Jon have played music together all
their lives. In fact, they formed a Led Zeppelin cover band in the
sixth grade.

“We played at a birthday party,” Tim said, “but some older kids
came who were way better, and they showed us up.”

The brothers befriended drummer and fellow competitive surfer
Chad Butler during their high school days, when they were also
active in the San Diego music scene. They were joined by guitarist
Jerome Fontamillas four years later, when he was on tour with
Switchfoot–playing for a different band.

Switchfoot take its name from a surfing maneuver “that reminds
us of our home,” Tim said.

Although Switchfoot incorporates Christian influences into their
music, “Labels limit us. I hate boxes,” Foreman said. “Labels can
pull people apart instead of pulling them together. We write songs
for everybody.”

Imagining that 1,000,000 people own The Beautiful Letdown is a
concept that’s difficult for Switchfoot to grasp. “It’s a big
number, and it’s hard to picture,” Tim said. “It’s never been about
the numbers for us, though. The best memories are playing to 500 or
1,000 people who are singing back at you with the same amount of
passion.”

The band recently released a live DVD, which chronicles “the
last show of our last tour, which ended in San Diego. We got to
film it in our hometown, which was an amazing experience.”

Switchfoot is back on the road, and they will be at the Pageant
on April 6 with Copeland and The Jealous Sound. Just look both ways
before crossing Delmar Boulevard.