Ode To Chin & Todd

Ever wondered the mysteries behind the respective CD and song titles "The Legend of Chin" and "Ode to Chin"? Or why Switchfoot's former name was Chin Up?

Here's the man that inspired it all: Willis Chin. Born on September 2nd 1977, Willis Chin grew into a fine young man, a close friend to the members of Switchfoot, and an inspiration to all.

"Willis is definitely one of our heroes," says guitarist-songwriter Jon Foreman. "He's so real and so consistent in living out his faith. He's no fake. And that's what we hope our album [Legend of Chin] is all about—about being real, no matter what the situation or circumstance."

"We called our album Legend of Chin out of respect for our friend back in San Diego," says drummer Chad Butler. "He's such a great guy. A real smiler, too. The kind of guy who always has his chin up!" (Pun intended.)

Quotes from and article printed Jan/February of 1998 in Campus Life Magazine, find the rest of the article (midway down the page) here: http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/8c4/8c4022.html

Find out more about Chin at Learning To Breathe, to which I owe a big thanks for providing the above information about Chin: http://www.learning2breathe.homestead.com/ode2chin.html

March 18th-25th is Chin Week!!!

Find out more information: http://www.learning2breathe.homestead.com/chinweek.html

What is the history behind Chin Week?

Chin Week was started on the old CCM Chat Switchfoot Message Board (r.i.p.) in the year 2001 by a very kind and creative boardie named firefly. Firefly thought it would be fun to have a week dedicated to the legend himself, Mr. Willis Chin. The date was set for March 18-25, and although only a few lone boardies (it was a small board) participated in the first Chin Week, it was an immediate success. The week's events consisted of using the word "chin" in every post made on said message board, and spreading the word about Chin Week through AOL buddy icons, e-mail postcards, and simply by word-of-mouth to friends and family members resulting in the promotion of Switchfoot, the band behind the legend.

As the years have passed, Chin Week has spread to the Official Switchfoot Message boards and to more and more awesome fans. Although the "chin posting" wasn't such a success at transfering to the much larger setting of the official boards, fans have continued to celebrate and participate in the other Chin Week festivities and have added their own creative flare to spread the word. One example was a boardie singing "chin chin chin chin, chin chin chin chin..." to the "meow mix" commercials on television, resulting in funny looks from parents and siblings, but still quite effective at drawing notice.

How might one participate?

Its easy to get involved in Chin Week! Snag a Chin icon for interneting business and when people ask you what it's about share the news about Chin Week and Switchfoot. Get creative, spread the word in any (safe and respectable) way, shape, or form!

and remember....

Chin Up!