“Faith is not a genre….it’s a faith”, says Andrew Shirley, guitarist for the California-bred group, Switchfoot.
It’s an issue the band has been trying to super cede for the majority of their career. It’s not exactly a surprising revelation when your first few releases come from predominantly (if not completely) Christian-based record labels. Over the years though, Switchfoot has been working to establish the notion that their music goes further than their personal ideologies. “We’ve always been open about being Christians. That’s our faith, that’s who we are,” says Shirley. “We’ve always been the same band though.”
People seem quick to classify and pigeonhole music based on immediately available information; it’s just the nature of things. “And we understand that,” says Shirley. “People need boxes and categories to put bands in, but Christianity should not be a genre of music anyway. It should [all] be rock and roll, pop, metal, alternative, whatever.”
Yeah…can’t we all just be musicians?
While the members live their lives based on their religious values, they are not a band to be solely reserved for Christian audiences. One of their latest singles, “Afterlife”, seems to be the logical progression necessary for Switchfoot to assure music fans that they’re just that; another rock band for the masses. “Afterlife” sends the message that people need to treasure what they have going on in the now, as opposed to procrastinating through life for a later payoff.
“We’ve found that some people have the mindset that they’ll wait until later in life or maybe when they’re dead to find some kind of peace or solace or value.” says Shirley. “But we think that you should treasure the things that are important in life right now instead of waiting for later to do that. Make it something that’s happening now instead of waiting for some kind of afterlife to make things right.”
Switchfoot continues to treasure the “now” with their current project, Fading West, a documentary of sorts chronicling their travels across the globe; surfing and playing music the whole way through.
“We’re traveling all over. We’re doing everything from surfing to trying new instruments and tracking songs all over the world,” says Shirley.
Pro-surfers Tom Curren and Rob Machado, among others, have cameos throughout the project due to the “surf-element” of the documentary. After all, the band’s name should be evidence of their affinity for the sport. “We’re hoping that it’s really fun to watch while showing our life and our story in a captivating way.”
Keep an eye out for Switchfoot at the Piazza in Northern Liberties. They’ll be performing on June 2nd at the second Radio 104.5’s summer block party this year.
Written by: Ryan Sullivan
