Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, British Columbia, May 29, 2011: In a tiny dressing room beneath the stage, Drew Shirley and Chad Butler of Switchfoot are all smiles.
As far as rock musicians go, these guys are probably as nice as they come. It’s always interesting to meet the men behind the music. Some artists make you feel like you’re wasting their time, others are borderline zombie-like, but these guys are different. They are totally down to earth and humble despite their success.
“It’s our most soulful album yet,” says Shirley of their latest record Vice Verses. “It really is a follow up of Hello Hurricane. I know for me this was my best work. We had all these songs but [we asked ourselves] what are the songs only we can sing? What are the ones that were kind of meant for us?”
This choosiness certainly paid off for Vice Verses. “A lot of times those things are difficult to talk [about] to a stranger but in a song you have that artistic license to explore the world and explore the issues.”
This is exactly what Switchfoot, and all good artists for that matter, have been able to do so well. They are able to turn the personal into the universal. “We do talk about honesty being the most important thing in a song,” says Shirley. “People will identify with it because it’s honest but a lot of times it’s things you wouldn’t tell anyone.”
Today Switchfoot is a seasoned veteran band that is respected both in the rock world and in Christian circles. But back in the nineties, they were just your average garage band playing music that they loved. “The goal was never to make music a career. It was to play music for the love of playing music together, playing music we believe in,” says Butler.
The band was originally signed with re:Think records under the guidance of industry legend and fellow Christian Charlie Peacock. Together they hoped to market their music both inside and outside the church, all the while reflecting kingdom principles beyond the walls of contemporary Christian music.
Although the band did gain a small following, their music was not getting the reach they wanted. It was a chance encounter with Switchfoot’s music that really helped them take off. An assistant of Jon Leshay (Mandy Moore’s manager) had stumbled across one of their songs on Napster and knew instantly that they were worth bringing to Leshay’s attention.
After hearing them, Leshay decided he wanted their songs featured in the movie A Walk to Remember. He later became the band’s manager and was able to market them successfully to the secular world. Soon they were signed to Columbia records. The first record with Columbia, The Beautiful Letdown, ended up going double platinum.
In a 2004 interview with The Boston Globe, Foreman was very clear about the band’s purpose. “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,” he said.
That has always been the band’s mandate, to play honest songs for real people. And they do it because they love it. “As an artist if you aren’t excited about what you’re doing today, then you should probably go get a real job,” remarks Butler.
While their faith definitely informs the kind of music they play, unlike a lot of other Christian music, theirs doesn’t have an agenda. This honesty has proved to be a major factor in the band’s success. Not only have they won Dove awards, they also recently won a Grammy for best rock gospel album. Their lyrics have a universal quality and are written in a way that Christians identify with but also in a way that does not alienate non-believers.
Now on their eighth album, the band’s sound seems to be evolving. Vice Versesis different than anything they’ve done in the past. It’s still rock, but it’s slightly funk infused. While previous albums
had somewhat of a pop-friendly quality, this one is different. The guys seem to be exploring different genres but also growing and searching out life’s big questions. It is an album that really goes deep in terms of spiritual themes.
The reason for the band’s long lasting success could be the fact that they’re willing to be so open with their fans. With many artists, there’s a wall that is built, but not this band. Switchfoot has always been open with the people they make their music for. “The goal in the beginning, the idea of success was playing in a living room for 10 of your friends and that was totally fulfilling and still is in many ways. The big stages are not the goal,” states Butler. “Communication has always been the goal and that interaction and that energy and that dialogue.”
That dialogue has been essential to them. Butler recalls lead singer Jon Foreman handwriting replies to all the letters they got in their earlier days. Today they do a lot of communication over Facebook and Twitter. The medium may have changed, but their efforts haven’t. “Bands we grew up listening to, the shows we went to, there was no barrier between the band and the crowd,” says Butler. This intimacy is what has kept the band so popular all these years. They know how to connect with people and to remove the blockade between artist and fan.
Along with performers, they are also students of their craft. Collectively Switchfoot has cited musical influences as varied as Keith Green and Dave Grohl. According to Shirley, the band’s resident DJ, as far as artists go today, it all boils down to talent. “I’m glad Arcade Fire won a Grammy this year. Finally a band that’s a real band acknowledged with a real record and with a real award. I’m glad the pop industry is trying to look for some talent,” says Shirley bringing the example of U.K. singer Adele to the discussion.
Shirley also thinks that we shouldn’t discount talent even if it does come from some unorthodox places or from people we don’t completely agree with. Although many believers may have an issue with Lady Gaga’s lyrics and presentation, Shirley says that maybe Christian artists could learn a thing or two from her. “She purposefully tries to do shocking things,” comments Shirley. He thinks that artists should be pushing the boundaries in the things that are true, right, righteous, and beautiful. “If you are taking that same attitude and applying it to the direction that you want to apply it, that could be a really cool thing,” he says.
Unlike their pop music contemporaries who seem to grace the stage for a while then disappear completely, Switchfoot seems to have outlasted their fifteen minutes of fame. Over the years they have gotten more candid with their music and as a band their chemistry has grown stronger.
When asked where they think they’ll be in ten years Butler says, “Whether we on stage or off it you’ll know we’ll be playing music. I think that’s a passion, something you do outside a career. But we have no plans to stop. Right now we feel like we’ve really gained a feeling, a momentum, a confidence with the last record.”
To see the band live is an experience like no other. You can almost hear the years of practice in Foreman’s voice, it’s strong with a slightly raspy quality that’s achingly beautiful. The band together is like a well-oiled machine — striking perfect chords that come at you fiercely with power and purpose. It’s almost as if they’re playing for something greater, something bigger — perhaps someone bigger.
Switchfoot’s eighth album dropped on September 27th. Click here to buy a digital copy on tunes.
