Ahead of their Australian tour as part of Soundwave, Larry Heath caught up with Switchfoot drummer Chad Butler while he was home in San Diego to chat about the tour, the latest record,
How’s the weather (in San Diego) this time of year?
Oh yeah, it’s a good thing to be home. There’s good waves, good surfing, and it’s just been beautiful to be home for a few weeks now.
Oh I bet, 2011 was busy year for you guys – looking back on it what were your experiences like?
Yeah it was busy, we recorded and released the new record Vice Verses, and it was very exciting for us to go out and play those new songs for the last few months. And now we’re getting to go bring it for the first time over to Australia in just a few weeks.
Yes you certainly are, you’re coming down here for the Soundwave Festival, and doing a couple of sideshows. How are you finding the songs from Vice Verses to be translating with your live audiences?
So well, it’s fun. It was a very different type of record for us. We tried to focus on the drum and bass energy, and build the songs from the rhythm section on up. So that goes down very well live, it’s a very rhythmic record. I think it will surprise people, it’s a very different sound for us.
I know it’s been out for a little while now, but you are about to tour here for the first time. How long has it been since you toured Australia by the way?
Yeah, I think we came in 2010 on the Hello Hurricane tour, the last record.
You’re coming down here for the Soundwave festival, have you ever done a festival circuit down here before?
No, this our first time doing Soundwave and we’re really looking forward to it. A lot of great bands, it’s an honour to share the stage with some of our favourite music. It’s going to be a good one.
It’s an interesting experience coming to Australia on a festival circuit because you get to see a lot of the country and you have a lot of time in between. Often when you come and do your own tour it’s very full on then you have to go home, but you’re probably going to get to see the country a bit this time.
Yeah, well we’re doing our own shows in between the Soundwave gigs so we’re keeping very busy, but we do get a couple of good days off so we get to go surfing and do all the little things… so we’re looking forward to it.
Have you had a chance to visit Byron Bay while you’ve been down here before?
Not yet, I’ve heard a lot about that place. But we’ve found some great waves around the Sydney area and Brisbane… It’s fantastic!
Hopefully you get the time to do that then. As I mentioned before with Vice Verses it’s your first trip to Australia with the record. How are you feeling about it now it’s been out for a few months? The reviews were great for it, a lot of positive feedback from your fans…
We’re really proud of it! It’s a record that means a lot to us, the second one we’ve recorded at home in our own studio, and just having that kind of freedom feels like this record came from a position of strength. I feel like we’re own a creative roll as a band. I’m really proud of it, and the most fulfilling part for us is seeing the audience sing the parts back to us and connecting with the music and I think that’s what keeps us going.
Looking forward to the next year, I can’t really see you slowing down. You guys pretty much release albums every other year. Are you working towards new material already, or are you just trying not to think about that at the moment?
Haha, yeah we like to make music. It’s definitely in our blood and we are working on the next project already. It’s going to be a little bit different for us though, it’s a film project. We’re going to be working on an album that fits together with a surf documentary that we’re filming this year along our journey… Yeah, it’s going to be something different, more cinematic and more of a soundtrack or score to the film.
Is that purely instrumental or lyrical as well?
It will be both, there are already some songs we have in mind for the project and some new ones we’re working on, and I think it’ll be a different take on the traditional rock record and there’ll be a little bit more breathing room I think.
I’m excited to see and listen to that. How long ago did that project start? How long have you been working on that?
We just started recently, in the last month, and it will be coming out in the following year, 2013. The title of the project is Fading West
Cool! Sounds like a great project to look forward to, will something like that result in a unique tour of its own where you’ll be showing the film and performing the music live or something like that?
Yeah, we should hire you as a marketing director, that’s a great idea!
Well let me know on that one. It’s always a great way to get that sort project out there… In terms of the music, how familiar are you with Australian music and the rock scene down here?
Over the years we’ve had some great bands open for us, regionally and locally. Met a few along the way, you know? It’s a good thing that there’s a strong connection between the beach culture and the music scene. It’s very similar to how it works over here in San Diego. I think there’s a very kindred spirit between our home town and the beach scene in Australia. It sort of goes hand in hand.
I would certainly agree with that. Now when it comes to your back catalogue, you’ve got so many songs to choose from. What can Australians expect when you come down here? Do you try a play a little bit of everything? Obviously we’ll get a big focus on Vice Verses but how do you put your set list together every night is the question? I guess it’s a difficult one.
Yes it is, that’s the challenge of having so many songs to choose from, eight records! But it is a variety of the old stuff and more recent stuff, as an artist you’re always more excited about the last project and the newer songs. So we do like to keep ourselves on our toes and also surprise people with songs we haven’t played in a long time. Each night is different!
I imagine that’s the case with having the luxury of so much to choose from, not a bad thing.
It’s a blessing and a curse, like when someone calls out something from the front row we haven’t played in five years it’s definitely putting you on the spot, you know?
Definitely! Now my final question for you is something I ask all the drummers I interview, and that is what’s your favourite percussion instrument?
For me, I grew up hitting the pots and pans. So the louder the better and the loudest drum is the snare drum, so I’d say that’s my favourite. I like to travel with my own because that always defines your sound, no matter where you go you feel at home with your snare drum.
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Switchfoot are playing Soundwave Festival and these Sidewaves:
Friday 24 February at The Tivoli in Brisbane
Monday 27 at The Factory Theatre in Sydney
Thursday 1 March at The Prince Bandroom in Melbourne
Tickets on sale now. Soundwave Festival tickets remain in Perth and Adelaide.
Switchfoot’s latest record Vice Verses is available now.
