Jerome Earl Fontamillas (born June 20, 1967)[1] is an American musician. Since 2003, he has played keyboards, guitar, and performed backing vocals for the California-based rock band Switchfoot, with whom he's released ten studio albums. Prior, he has played in several bands, notably with industrial rock[2] band Mortal, and alternative rock band Fold Zandura alongside longtime musical partner Jyro Xhan.
Fontamillas was born on June 20, 1967, in Pasay in the Philippines. When he was three years old, his family moved to the United States, where they lived in Chicago and then California. He started taking piano lessons when he was a child.[1]
In 1988, Fontamillas, Jyro Xhan, Ray Tongpo and Wilson Peralta released a six-song demo tape, titled Wish Fifteen, on Blue Genius Music as Mortal Wish. Four years later, they signed with Intense Records and changed their name to Mortal. Fontamillas would continue to play with Mortal until 1996 and played in Fold Zandura, also with Xhan, between 1995 and 1999.[citation needed]
In 2000, Fontamillas quit his day job and started touring with Switchfoot shortly before the release of their third album, Learning to Breathe. He became an official member of the band in 2003. His first release with Switchfoot was their 2003 break-through album The Beautiful Letdown.[1]
In 2002, Jyro and Fontamillas released a Mortal reunion album, Nu-En-Jin.[1]
Fontamillas is also a producer for the following independent acts:[citation needed]
He married his wife Kristi, who is a photographer,[4] in December 2005. The couple have two sons, Parker Lennon (born in January 2010)[1] and Jackson (born on October 2, 2013).[5][6]
On December 20, 2018, Switchfoot announced that Fontamillas had cancer and nine days later they stated that a tumor has been removed and it had not spread or attached to any organs.[7][non-primary source needed][8][non-primary source needed]
Music
Rock music
