Tell me about your solo project, and why did you feel the need to branch off from Switchfoot?
I think a lot of choices that I make are dictated by the music, it feels like the music is something that has a mind
of it's own to some extent. Some of what you do in music is pro-active, where you're actually charting out your
course ... but much of what I've done in every song is write to what is happening and responding. So that was the reason
why it didn't come out on a Switchfoot record, because these songs didn't feel like they belong on a Switchfoot record ...
kind of needed their own place. That's actually why I'm doing the four EP concept, I think a lot of times a record like
this... twenty-four songs is just an overwhelming amount of material if you have it all in one chunk. A lot of times
certain songs might slip through the cracks, and I really wanted to make sure that every song had its full attention.
So when does the "Winter" CD come out?
Winter is out today. Today is the day. The physical form of Winter and Fall, a
double EP, is out today. (laughs) Which is pretty funny, the idea of a double EP... 'cause two EP's make a record.
Which one is your favorite of the four?
Well, because I'm making them as the seasons roll around... I really don't know what Spring or Summer
sound like yet. Spring is closer than Summer, I've got a few songs. I think out of Winter
and Fall I like Winter better, which is unfortunate because Fall is probably my favorite season... so I
should have done a better job on the Fall.
So what's going to happen with Switchfoot?
Actually we leave for the South Pacific in a couple days. It just so happens that there's real good surf where
we are headed. (laughs) We love playing over-seas.
What's the audience like over-seas?
It's really strange, because over here in the states ... you have the same experience ... you know, radio sounds pretty
much the same from state to state ... everyone has a Target. The interesting thing is that over-seas certain songs are
huge that aren't really a big deal over here. And the songs that might have done really well over here ... no one really
has heard them over there. It's actually an amazing thing to kind of play a tune that you really enjoy that was never
a single ... and it's huge in the Philipines.
Is it hard to keep the faith being in a popular rock band such as Switchfoot?
I think it's hard to have faith period. People in this country put a huge amount of stock in what's on the cover
of a magazine or who's better looking. It's pretty much just junior high for grown ups. The music industry is
no different from anyone else. I feel the idea of it being easier or harder for someone in the spotlight ... sure, there's
certain things that come with the territory that are unfortunate, but ... I think the closer you get to the "plastic dream"
the more un-fulfilling it is... but I feel in my life, grace is always the running theme.
Did you come from a strict household growing up?
Not at all. It was very musical - very open. My dad surfed, my mom played the guitar... I was pretty much
just a California kid.
Why was A Beautiful Letdown released
multiple times when it came out?
(laughs) Because the record label really didn't believe in it the first time. It's always good for us to
remember how fortunate we are as a band to be able to play these tunes, it's a lot to be thankful for. The record label
didn't really believe in it at first, and so they put it out again when they believed in it. (laughs) It actually
sold more than a million copies, then they probably said; "I think it might be a good record". (laughs)
Is this how you envisioned Switchfoot, or is there something else you'd like to accomplish
with the band?
We really didn't have any visions for Switchfoot when we started. Again, it's kind of... what we've done as a band
is pretty much responding to what's going on around us. Instead of this big calculated approach, let's just play these
songs and record them... and do a good job when we record them... let's take the music seriously and take ourselves really
lightly. This is far beyond anything that I would have ever imagined. I thought that I would finish college, that
was my goal.... that still hasn't happened. (laughs)
What did people think when you dropped out?
I don't think anyone thought much of it.
Did you know for sure that you'd have some sort of career in music at that time?
No, you don't drop out of college because you're going to have a career in music - you just drop out of college because
you have all these gigs and you love playing. I don't think anyone ever expects to make money playing music, at least
I didn't. I was pretty content playing music and being broke.
Yea, actually I got a voice message from him yesterday. We're just trying to figure out where it's supposed to
go, who's going to put it out.
Tell me about the band.
It's a good blend of his Nickel Creek and what we do as a band. I didn't play the electric guitar in it once, he
plays the electric... I play the acoustic. It's really fun, it's amazing to work with him and collaborate.
Do you have any plans to work with anyone else in the future?
No. I love writing songs, and I've written a few songs with some folks recently, but I feel like the new EP and
SeanJon ... I feel that anything beyond that will be a little ridiculous. (laughs)
What's going on this year besides the tour and new EP's?
It's kind of a year of completion, we're building our own studio in San Diego... that is going to be done within a month.
Then out of that studio we're going to record the next Switchfoot record. Then I'll complete Spring and Summer.
Putting the SeanJon project out, and then we've got our Spring tour. Then we've got a big dream for the summer that
I can't really talk about because it's not complete yet. So that will round out the year.
Is that studio going to be just for yourself, or will other bands be recording there as well?
For now, because we're so focused on the record... we're just going to use it for ourselves. Basically it's just
a big storage room and a practice space that's also going to be a studio. We've actually never had a practice space,
back when my brother was living with my folks we could practice there. So ultimately we've done only three practices
in the last five years. Ever night you just play another show, and you learn from that ... then that's your practice
for the next night.
