Switchfoot's Jon Foreman
Before climbing the pop charts with hits like “Meant to Live,” off the double-platinum album The Beautiful Letdown, power-pop quartet Switchfoot was making waves on the local scene from its home base in San Diego's North County. Named after a surfing maneuver, the band—featuring brothers Tim (bass) and Jon (guitar/vocals) Foreman—most recently released Nothing Is Sound, which went to No. 3 on the Billboard charts on the strength of the single “Stars.” Now, frontman Jon's gone solo for a series of four EPs, one for each season. Fall and Winter, released last year, carry a tinge of moody melancholy, while the latest pair of discs have us itching for another San Diego summer. WHERE caught up with hometown boy Jon to talk about mariachis, driving with the top down and where to get the city's best Thai food.

Why did you decide to release these EPs according to the seasons?
The songs seem to have a strong sense of season in both the lyrical content and the melody, so I felt like that would make the most sense. I wanted to release them in EP form because every song gets equal treatment, whereas with a record of 14 songs, the ones at the end don't get heard as often. None of these songs are really single-type songs; they're all just stories, so I wanted to give every story a context.

Talk about Summer and how it differs from the previous three discs.
Summer and Spring have the most in common. Summer has more of a wistful feel to it; Spring is a bit more sprightly—I wanted to get the flowers popping up. Summer is characterized by the longer days, more time to think about things. One song has kind of a mariachi-band horn section on it, almost like a Ring of Fire-type thing. For me, that comes from San Diego; that definitely feels like summer.

If the Summer EP were the soundtrack to a San Diego day, what would you be doing?
It's got some variations­—one song was inspired by my trip to India, so maybe you'd have to visit some Indian food somewhere along the way. You'd be driving with the top down, in a convertible maybe—not that I have a convertible, but if you had one that's what you'd be doing. At some point you'd probably find yourself in Old Town, and at some point you'd be on the beach, maybe having a conversation with a friend.

Being on the road so much, what do you miss most about S.D. (besides the weather)?
I miss my family. I miss surfing. I miss going down to my local haunts, and the simple little things like waking up in my own bed.

Care to mention some of those favorite haunts?
The Pannikin Café in Leucadia; Swami's in Encinitas. Seaside Market­­, the deli there, in Cardiff. Taste of Thai and Fidel's in Solana Beach. When in Rome in Encinitas. Outside of the North County, Extraordinary Desserts in Hillcrest; Brockton Villa in La Jolla for lunch, because it's cheaper then [laughs]. The Guild in Barrio Logan; the Prado in Balboa Park. And there's a spot up in Encinitas that I forgot to mention: El Q'ero. Peruvian food. It's amazing.

Describe a perfect San Diego day.
You should probably surf at Black's Beach, then go to Lou's Records, which is the best indie store in San Diego, in my humble opinion. You could go to Torrey Pines and hang out at the Gliderport or hike the reserve, and then see a Padres game. Maybe have a campfire at Moonlight Beach in the evening.

Jon Foreman's Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer EPs are in stores now and available online at iTunes.

where
Pannikin Café 510 N. Coast Highway 101, Leucadia/Encinitas, 760.436.0402
Swami's Café 1163 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, 760.944.0612
Seaside Market 2087 San Elijo Ave., Cardiff-by-the-Sea, 760.753.5445
Taste of Thai 15770 San Andres Drive, Del Mar/Solana Beach, 858.793.9695
Fidel's Little Mexico 749 Genevieve St., Solana Beach, 858.755.5292
When in Rome 1108 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, 760.944.1771
Extraordinary Desserts 2929 Fifth Ave, Hillcrest, 619.294.2132
Brockton Villa 1235 Coast Blvd., La Jolla, 858.454.7393
The Guild 1805 Newton Ave., Barrio Logan, 619.564.7584
The Prado 1549 El Prado, Balboa Park, 619.557.9441
El Q'ero 564 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, 760.753.9050
Black's Beach Between La Jolla Shores and Torrey Pines State Beach, La Jolla, 619.221.8824
Lou's Records 434 N. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, 760.753.1382
Torrey Pines Gliderport 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, La Jolla, 858.452.9858
Torrey Pines State Reserve 12600 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, 858.755.2063
San Diego Padres at Petco Park 100 Park Blvd., East Village, 877.FRIAR.TIX
Moonlight State Beach B Street west of Highway 101, Encinitas, 760.633.2740