Whether you're a fan of alternative music or Christian rock, Switchfoot provides wholesome entertainment with an edge for the entire family.

The Grammy-nominated alternative rock band has teamed up with the band Copeland for its "Oh! Gravity" tour. Switchfoot is in Europe performing at sold-out venues and will return to the U.S. next week to make its way up the West Coast.

The group will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, at VIBES Main 1, 821 N. Riverside Ave., Medford.

"Oh! Gravity" is a musical and lyrical experimentation on sound. While producing the album, Switchfoot drew on Motown sounds, Brit pop, Middle Eastern instrumentation and alternative country as inspiration.

The band was founded as a Christian group in 1996. It gained mainstream popularity when four of its songs were included in the 2002 movie "A Walk to Remember," starring Mandy Moore.

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In 2003, the band released "The Beautiful Letdown," its major label debut with Sony BMG. The album sold more than 2.6 million copies and went double platinum. Two of Switchfoot's best-known singles, "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move," are on "Letdown."

The San Diego-based band got the inspiration for its name from members' favorite pastime — surfing.

"We all love to surf and have been surfing all our lives, so to us, the name made sense," lead singer and guitarist Jon Foreman told the Web site Jesus Freak Hideouts. "To switch your feet means to take a new stance facing the opposite direction. It's about change and movement, a different way of approaching life and music."

The surfers classify themselves as an alternative rock band, and they shy away from being labeled as a Christian band, even though they have won eight Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, including Song of

the Year and Artist of the Year.

Switchfoot's first three albums were signed under re:think Records, a Christian label, but members' dreams were realized when Columbia Records, a subsidiary of Sony BMG, signed their fourth album, "The Beautiful Letdown," and they were able to reach the masses without fear of constraint.

"For us, it's a faith, not a genre," Foreman told the Boston Globe. "We've always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from. For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us 'Christian rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them. And that's not what we're trying to do. Music has always opened my mind — and that's what we want."

Critics have called Switchfoot's lyrics, written by Foreman, thought-provoking, weighty and intelligent. Other band members are his brother and bass player, Tim Foreman, drummer Chad Butler, keyboardist and guitarist Jerome Fontamillas and guitarist Drew Shirley.

Some of the band's influences include U2, Miles Davis, Johnny Cash, The Beatles and the Dave Mathews Band.

In addition to its double platinum record, the band also has two gold albums, including 2000's "Learning to Breathe," which also received a Grammy nomination under Best Rock Gospel Album, and 2005's "Nothing is Sound."

The Alternative Press calls "Oh! Gravity" a "sparkling, focused album bursting at the seams with giant hooks and even bigger ideas."

And The Associated Press said, "This is an outstanding record in every sense."

Tickets are $20 and are available at Bad Ass Coffee in Medford, Music Coop in Ashland, Listen Here in Grants Pass and Jam's Audio in Klamath Falls. Tickets are also available at TicketsWest, 1-800-992-TIXX.

Call 618-VIBE to reach VIBES Main 1.