Switchfoot is an American Alternative Rock band from San Diego, California.

According to Jon Foreman, the name "Switchfoot" is a surfing term. "We all love to surf and have been surfing all our lives so to us, the name made sense. To switch your feet means to take a new stance facing the opposite direction. It's about change and movement, a different way of approaching life and music".



The band's members are Jon Foreman (vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drums, percussion), Drew Shirley (guitar) and Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), who joined in 2002.

Known for their energetic live shows, the three guitarists in the line-up often operate simultaneously, building on the pop sensibilities of Jon's songwriting, and, rounded out by Jerome's work on the synthesizer, bringing his industrial roots to the sound, the band works up "the Switchfoot sound" - a melodic crunch of densely layered sound featuring some electronic experimentation, and often driven by hard-charging guitar riffs, while throwing in a few softer, spacey ballads as well.

Switchfoot first gained mainstream recognition after the inclusion of four of their songs in the 2002 movie A Walk to Remember. This recognition led to their major label debut, The Beautiful Letdown, which was released in 2003. It went on to sell over 2.6 million copies and produced the band's best-known singles, "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move".

Switchfoot was founded in 1996 as Chin Up, consisting of Jon and his brother Tim, along with Chad on the drums. After playing only a few shows, in 1997, the band was contacted by Charlie Peacock, and eventually signed to his indie label Re:think Records under the current moniker Switchfoot. They performed as this group at their university, UCSD, notably at their 1997 Sun God Festival. Re:think would distribute the first three Switchfoot albums, The Legend of Chin, New Way to Be Human and Learning to Breathe. Because Re:think was bought out by Christian giant Sparrow Records before Switchfoot's first release, however, the band's and Peacock's intentions of being marketed outside of the CCM scene were put on hold.

Of Switchfoot's first three albums Learning to Breathe was the most successful. The album was certified gold by the RIAA, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Gospel Album.



In 2002 Switchfoot's music was featured prominently in the movie A Walk to Remember. Singer and actress Mandy Moore, who starred in the movie, sang Switchfoot's song "Only Hope" during a scene in the movie. The movie's sound track also featured a duet with Mandy Moore and Jon Foreman, and as many as four other Switchfoot songs, in addition to Mandy Moore's cover of "Only Hope".

In 2004, following the commercial success of The Beautiful Letdown, a compilation titled The Early Years: 1997-2000 3 CD Set: The Legend of Chin • New Way to be Human • Learning to Breathe, was released. It featured all the indie albums released under re:think records and included the original artwork for all the albums.