ISSUE #32 MMUSICMAG.COM Q&A Chris Burkard

Chad Butler, drew shirley, , tim foreman, Jerome fontamillas the surfing rockers travel the world in search of waves—and inspiration

After 17 yeArs And seven studio why is challenging yourselves vital? this is your third working with records, Grammy-winning switchfoot looked At the end of every record we reassess. you producer . to shake things up for their new album, make a record, tour behind it, travel around neal’s a great musician who’s excited about . the longtime surfers—the the globe, and return home. then you ask, finding your vision rather than imposing his band’s name is a surfing term—traveled to “How are you going to challenge yourself?” own vision on you. the other thing is the exotic global destinations to ride waves and for us that question became even more sonic landscape he brings as an engineer. compose. “the concept was, ‘What if we apropos now that this is our eighth album. i’m When you’re in the studio, to know the went to these spots around the planet to continually looking for the good, the true and palette is that wide is reassuring. find that place between danger and safety the beautiful, whether that’s in somebody and the songs that would be written in those else’s art form, a rock show, or out surfing. You and tim also co-produced. environments?’” says frontman Jon foreman. the best songs are those that feel like you yeah, and sometimes there’s definitely “All the songs were born from the journey.” didn’t write them at all—they just came to you. arguing. i used to think that was a failure, but Along the way, foreman and his bandmates— now i feel you argue about the things you love brother tim foreman, Jerome fontamillas, how did the film project develop? passionately. through the years, the biggest drew shirley and —decided to it’s funny because our manager watched the hurdle is trying to leave ego aside and figure film the experience. movie and was like, “you guys just wanted out what’s best for the song. that becomes to go surfing, and then you said, ‘Let’s make more important than whose idea it was. what was the goal of the album? a movie’ and talked everyone into it.” you to challenge ourselves with instrumentation. can see the songs being written in the film. Any moments that tested your resolve? drew—the other player—and i had a A great example of that is in south Africa oh man, so many. every blessing is a curse, rule: only as a last resort. nothing where we got to hang out with a children’s and the curse of having your own studio is says America or more than a choir. these kids have the darkest struggle letting things go. it’s impossible because you fender guitar. But when you’re in Bali or with Aids and other issues, yet they have have the ability to go back and re-record. south Africa, it doesn’t seem to fit the this incredible, unassailable hope and joy. the danger is you could lose the magic. you landscape. How are you going to express that was probably more inspiring than any could take something that’s magic, beautiful yourself with another instrument? that waves we would come across. you can see and human, and turn it into something was a great challenge: to find new ways of that song taking form in the film we’re calling impeccable that loses the humanity. expressing melody. The World You Want. –Steve Rosen

‘the biggest hurdle is trying to leave ego aside and figure out what’s best for the song.’

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