John Foreman and Timmy Curran

Wednesday night saw Stateside play host – and the Indy help sponsor – the onstage teaming of Timmy Curran and Jon Foreman. While the two solo performers share the fairly well-known tie of musical spirituality, it was Foreman who put it best when he stated, “Music helps me deal with my issues in life.” And throughout both sets it was obvious that Curran and Foreman find a good deal of strength through combining the creation of music with the support of their faith.

Opening for the pair was Josh Damigo, a fun character with some sweet beat-boxing skills. Curran followed with a bit more timid appearance. His sound notably flows better than Damigo’s, sonically hinting at Curran’s other passion: surfing. In his solo acoustic performance, water seemed to drip from Curran’s fingers as he picked at his guitar. Along with his mellow acoustic chords, Curran’s voice came across as both mystical and syrupy, specifically on tracks like “Selfish Ways” and “Slow.”

Following Curran’s set it was Switchfoot lead singer Jon Foreman’s turn on stage. Handing out a song-request list, Foreman started his set with the audience’s first pick, “24.” “I wrote this song the day before I turned 25 with a broken arm,” he recalled. “I had broken my arm to impress this girl. She was not impressed, but she is my wife.” When he wasn’t singing, Foreman dominated the stage with a playful charisma that mirrored his easy-going musical style. Connecting well with his legion of fans, Foreman felt safe to try out a few newer songs, like his quasi-country song, “Just Rob Me.” He even went so far as to invite one young tike named Zach onstage to hold his not-yet-memorized lyrics. Brooke Fraser and Curran were also invited to duet with Foreman mid-set. Winding down the show with what is perhaps Switchfoot’s best recognized single, “Dare You to Move,” Foreman undoubtedly got the message from his audience – he has a grateful and much appreciative fan base here in S.B.