(antiMusic) Surf inspired Christian rockers Switchfoot have bailed on their deal with Columbia Records and plan to move ahead independent of the major label machinery. The band made the announcement earlier this month on the Myspace page. They won't let a little thing like leaving Sony behind stop them as they have extensive tour plans (including heading over to rock the troops) as well as some solo projects in the works and a new studio album for next year. Here is their announcement: I've got some exciting news: after several years of trying to make things work over at Columbia we have officially severed our ties with sony to pursue making music independently. We are thankful for the incredible success that our partnership has produced over the years, yet within this ever changing business there can arise differences in vision and goals. These differences have now come to a point where we feel like parting ways would be best for us, and best for sony.
As a hands-on band, we feel so grateful for our newfound freedom. We are continually dreaming up ways to bridge the gap between the audience and the stage; this feels like an incredible step in that direction. A huge thank you to bob, amy, nicole and tim over at columbia who were there from the beginning. We would also like to thank our musical family here in the states and abroad for sticking with us through these columbia years. We couldn't have done it without you!
We'll have more information for you as things shape up. In the meantime, here are several projects already in the works for the next year:
four jon foreman solo ep's (tentatively titled fall, winter, spring, and summer) -the real sean jon (a collaboration between jon foreman and sean watkins of nickel creek fame) -a new switchfoot record in '08 (the first tracks 13 tracks were cut this week!)
Here are their road plans:
8/17 Sedalia, MO / Missouri State Fair
8/18 Des Moines, IA / Iowa State Fair
8/24 Louisville, KY / Kentucky State Fair
8/25 Valdosta, GA / Wild Adventures
8/31 Perth, AU / Challenge Stadium
9/1 Sydney, AU / Sydney Showground
9/5 Auckland, NZ / Telstra Clear Pacific Events Centre
9/6 Melbourne, AU / The Richmond Auditorium
9/7 Paradise, South AU / Paradise Auditorium
9/8 Brisbane, AU / Australia Brisbane Entertainment Centre
9/10 Manila, Philippines / Cunesta Astrodome
10/4 Weatherford, OK / Southwest Oklahoma State University
10/5 Tulsa, OK / Tulsa State Fair
10/12 Shippensburg, PA / Shippensburg University
10/13 Lynchburg, VA / Liberty University
Tour with Relient K begins...
10/16 Charleston, WV/Charleston Municipal Auditorium
10/17 Columbus, OH / Veterans Memorial Auditorium
10/18 Holland, MI / DeVos Fieldhouse
10/19 Cedar Falls, IA / University of N Iowa
10/20 Saint Paul, MN / Concordia University
10/21 Fargo, ND / Fargo Dome
10/23 Merrillville, IN / Star Plaza Theatre
10/24 Evansville, IN / The Centre
11/9 Springfield, IL / Prairie Capitol Convention Center
11/10 Green Bay, WI / UW-Green Bay - Campus Grounds
11/11 Moline, IL / The Mark of the Quad Cities
11/13 Ypsilanti, MI / EMU Convocation Hall
11/14 Cincy, OH / Cincinnati Gardens
11/15 University Park, PA / Penn State Bryce Jordan Center
11/16 Bethlehem, PA / Lehigh Univ-Stabler Arena
11/17 New York, NY / Hammerstein Ballroom
11/27 Irvine, CA / Bren Events Center
11/28 San Luis Obispo, CA / Cal Poly Recreation Center
11/29 San Jose, CA / San Jose Civic Auditorium
11/30 Davis, CA / UC Davis
12/1 Medford, OR / Jackson County Expo
12/2 Salem, OR / Oregon State Fair
12/3 Everett, WA / Everett Events Center
12/9 -12/18 IRAQ/KUWAIT/ TRIP
