WBFJ presents Switchfoot & Mike Mains & the Branches as a part of the WBFJ Summer Concert Series. Tickets are on sale now!

Who: Switchfoot

When: Saturday, July 17th, 2021 at 7:00 PM, Doors open at 6:00 PM

Where: Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex

Parking: $10 at Coliseum Lot off Deacon Blvd

Tickets: Click here

Bio: 

Jon Foreman – vocals, guitar
Tim Foreman – bass
Jerome Fontamillas – keyboards, guitar
Drew Shirley – guitar
Chad Butler – drums

“We try to approach every record like its our first and our last, but this one feels extra special,” Tim Foreman says of Where the Light Shines Through, SWITCHFOOT’s tenth album and Vanguard Records debut. “The process of making it was a huge struggle, but it was cathartic, and I think that comes through in the music.”

Indeed, the thematically ambitious, sonically adventurous dozen-song set—which marks the band’s return to the indie world after a lengthy major-label run—makes it clear that, two decades into their remarkable career, the beloved San Diego-bred quintet remains as compelling and uplifting as ever, delivering inspired, infectious songs that resonate with passion, insight and melodic craft.

Such vivid new tunes as “Holy Water,” “Float,” “If the House Burns Down Tonight” and the poignant title track address and illuminate timeless spiritual struggles and philosophical dilemmas, while boasting some of the band’s catchiest hooks and most imaginative arrangements to date. The resulting album is a significant addition to the rich body of work that’s already established SWITCHFOOT as a consistently vital musical force.

‘We’ve learned that the best stories to tell are the ones that are hardest to live, and that was definitely true with this album,” adds Jon Foreman, Tim’s brother, bandmate and songwriting partner. “The stories in this album come from experiences that weren’t really fun at the time, but I don’t think we could have gotten here any other way.”

Produced by SWITCHFOOT in collaboration with John Fields (who helmed the multi-platinum Beautiful Letdown), Where the Light Shines Through reflects the emotional gravity of its turbulent, yet ultimately rewarding, birth cycle.
“We went through a lot, individually and as a band, in making this record,” Tim states. “Not to be melodramatic, but it was a dark season for us, and this record became a source of light in the middle of a dark season. It rose organically out of the ashes of adversity and surprised us all. That’s how we landed on this idea that the wound is where the light shines through; this album is about being surprised by hope.”

“A thing that we talked about a lot with this record was moving forward while looking back,” Jon explains. “How do you arrive at a new place while also taking stock of where you’ve been? That can be very tricky to do, to look back and still feel like you’re arriving somewhere new.”

“We really pushed ourselves, almost to the breaking point, for about a year and a half, which is the longest we’ve ever spent on a record,” Tim asserts. “We wrote and wrote and wrote, not thinking about what was going to be commercially viable or what we thought other people would like. We just kept writing and getting lost in the music, and using the music to help us navigate our way out of this dark place we were in. Then we came up for air at the end, and we found the themes that connect all these songs.”
“The songs on the album were culled from a list of 80 or 90 songs,” Jon notes. “These are kind of the chosen ones, as it were. My favorite songs are the ones that feel like they’ve been given to you, where you don’t necessarily see your own fingerprints on the canvas. I equate songwriting with archaeology; some days you dig up a bottlecap, and other days you dig up a lost city.”

SWITCHFOOT has been unearthing all manner of musical gems since their 1997 debut The Legend of Chin, steadily expanding their global fan base and critical reputation through such releases as New Way to Be Human (1999), Learning to Breathe (2000), the multi-platinum breakthrough The Beautiful Letdown (2003), Nothing Is Sound (2005), Oh! Gravity (2006), the Grammy award-winning Hello Hurricane (2009), Vice Verses (2011), and Fading West (2014). The latter album doubled as the soundtrack to the band’s documentary of the same name. Along the way, SWITCHFOOT established itself as a world-class live act with a series of sold-out world tours, while racking up a string of radio hits, including “Meant to Live,” “Dare You to Move,” “Stars” and “Mess of Me”.

Beyond their career achievements, SWITCHFOOT has been active in a variety of philanthropic efforts, raising over a million dollars to aid kids in their community through the band’s own Bro-Am Foundation, a long-running annual benefit surf contest and concert that’s held every summer in Encinitas, CA. They’ve also maintained a deep commitment to a variety of humanitarian causes, lending their support to such worthy organizations as DATA, the ONE Campaign, Habitat for Humanity, Invisible Children and To Write Love on Her Arms.

In recent years, various SWITCHFOOT members have taken the opportunity to explore creative pursuits outside of the band. For example, Jon Foreman recently released a series of solo EPs under his own name and recorded with Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek as Fiction Family.

“Where the Light Shines Through comes on the heels of various side projects and other little things that were taking away from the band’s time, for better and for worse,” says Jon Foreman. “We were trying to do a lot of different things, but to me, this is a celebration of what we love and what we do best, which is play rock ‘n’ roll with this band.”

The Winston-Salem Fairgrounds presents John Michael Montgomery with Whiskey Fox Trotas a part of the Classic Country Series in partnership with 98.1 WBRF.

With the health and safety of our guests, participants and community as our highest priority, the Fairgrounds staff have implemented multiple changes in line with state and local restrictions. Some of these changes include seating is spaced 6 feet between parties, less than 50% capacity, masks are required at all times for all guests and staff (see policy below), all staff and vendors will undergo health/safety screenings, and additional sanitation stations will be available throughout the Annex Theatre.

Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Face Covering Policy:

Per the City of Winston-Salem all public facilities such as the Fairgrounds require the use of a face covering at all times for anyone over the age of 4. A face mask with ear loop is the preferred method, however due to underlying conditions patrons may choose to wear a face shield in lieu of a mask if it extends and covers both the nose and mouth. For the health and safety of you, our guests, and our employees there are no exceptions or exemptions to this policy at the WS Fairgrounds.

Who: John Michael Montgomery and Whiskey Fox Trot

When: Friday, May 14th, 2021 7:30 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM

Where: Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex

Parking: $7 at Coliseum Lot off Deacon Blvd

Tickets: Click here

Tickets already purchased for the June 26 performance are still valid for the May 14, 2021 performance. If tickets were purchased at the box office please call 336.734.1582 and leave a detailed message.

Tickets for the 2020 Classic Country Series are still on sale, with tickets for individual show tickets starting at $25 and a 4-show bundle starting at $72. All other remaining concerts are scheduled to be at their original dates and times.

Bio:

John Michael Montgomery has turned an uncanny ability to relate to fans into one of country music’s most storied careers. Behind the string of hit records, the roomful of awards and the critical and fan accolades that have defined his phenomenal success lies a connection that goes beyond his undeniable talent and his proven knack for picking hits. Since the days when “Life’s A Dance” turned him from an unknown artist into a national star, John Michael’s rich baritone has carried that most important of assets—believability. Few artists in any genre sing with more heart than this handsome Kentucky-born artist.

It is readily apparent in love songs that have helped set the standard for a generation. Songs like “I Swear,” “I Love the Way You Love Me” and “I Can Love You Like That” still resonate across the landscape—pop icon and country newcomer Jessica Simpson cited “I Love The Way You Love Me” as an influence in a recent interview. It is apparent in the 2004 hit “Letters From Home,” one of the most moving tributes to the connection between soldiers and their families ever recorded, and in “The Little Girl,” a tale of redemption that plumbs both the harrowing and the uplifting. It is apparent even in the pure fun that has always found its way into John Michael’s repertoire—songs like “Be My Baby Tonight” and “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident),” where John Michael’s vocal earnestness takes musical whimsy to another level.

John Michael’s origins lie in deceptively modest beginnings. He was born in Danville, Kentucky, to parents who imparted a lifelong love of music.
“Where most people have chairs and sofas in their living rooms,” laughs John Michael, “we had amplifiers and drum kits.”

The family band played on weekends throughout the area, and John Michael and his brother Eddie eagerly soaked up everything about it.

“To a certain extent,” he says, “my dad always had a natural ability to draw fans and entertain people; I don’t care if it was on the front porch, the living room, or on a stage. I think that transitioned to me and my brother being able to do that on stage.”
John Michael took over lead singing chores after his parents divorced, and he performed for a while in a band called Early Tymz with Eddie and their friend Troy Gentry. Nashville talent scouts began hearing about and then seeing John Michael perform and by the early ‘90s he had a record deal.

The hits followed steadily, with songs like “Rope The Moon,” “If You’ve Got Love,” “No Man’s Land,” “Cowboy Love,” “As Long As I Live,” “Friends” and “How Was I To Know” establishing him as one of the elite acts of the era. He received the CMA Horizon award and was named the ACM’s Top New Vocalist, setting off a long series of awards that included the CMA’s Single and Song of the Year, Billboard’s Top Country Artist, and a Grammy nomination. Heavy touring meant he kept the close touch with fans he had begun in the clubs back home.

“You get to know your fans and what they like more and more through the years,” he says, “and you kind of gravitate towards one another.”

Indeed, he has always had an extraordinarily close relationship with his fans, and they have stayed with him through good and bad times.

Asked what he thinks gave him the edge in a career that calls millions but gives stardom to just a few, he pauses, then thinks back to the legacy of his parents.

“I reckon it was good genes and good blood,” he says with a smile. Few who know the depth and breadth of his own growing legacy would disagree.

The Winston-Salem Fairgrounds presents Jo Dee Messina as a part of the Classic Country Series in partnership with 98.1 WBRF.

Who: Jo Dee Messina

When: Saturday, August 17 at 7:00 PM. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Fairgrounds Arena

Parking: $10 at Coliseum Lot off Deacon Blvd

Tickets go on sale Friday, March 22: Jo Dee Messina Tickets Aug 17, 2024 Winston-Salem, NC | Ticketmaster

Ticket Pricing:   $85, $70 $65, $50, $40.

Where: Education Building (For parking:  569 Fairgrounds Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27105)

When: Saturday, January 29th, 12pm-4 pm

Tickets: $20 at the door, 50% in advance online: https://33bride.com/show.html?show.id=7461#tickets

Where: Education Building (For parking:  569 Fairgrounds Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27105)

When: Saturday, August 28th 12pm-4 pm

Tickets: $20 at the door – tickets available for purchase online: https://33bride.com/show.html?show.id=8414

Where: Education Building (For parking:  569 Fairgrounds Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27105)

When: Saturday, January 21st 12pm-4 pm

Tickets: $20 at the door – tickets available for purchase online: https://33bride.com/show.html?show.id=8414

Where: Education Building (For parking:  569 Fairgrounds Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27105)

When: Saturday, January 27th 12pm-4 pm

Tickets: $20 at the door – tickets available for purchase online: https://33bride.com/show.html?show.id=8414