Switchfoot talks tours, success and more

If you haven’t heard any of Switchfoot’s songs since “Dare You to Move” blew up airwaves in 2005, you’re missing out.

The San Diego-based band recently released an EP, “Vice Re-Verses,” of remixed songs off of 2011’s “Vice Verses” album.

The band travelled to South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand this summer to film their surf documentary, Fading West, which is set to hit theaters this July.

In other words? Get set to chill out to the film’s soundtrack, which is sure to capture their surfer-cool sound.

The News-Letter was lucky enough to catch up with Tim Foreman, the band’s bass guitarist, about their upcoming tour, filming their documentary and what it’s really like living the rock star life.

The News-Letter (NL): Baltimore’s your first stop on your Fall Tour 2012. What’s it like being back on the road again?

Tim Foreman (TF): I think our listeners should know that we work really hard to make every night dramatically different. We never want to duplicate a show — and I think that’s why fans really respond to our tour. We have a lot of really great memories at Rams Head Live and we’re really excited to kick off our tour there.

NL: What’s your favorite part of being on tour?

TF: It’s so awesome to play our songs every night and have this connection with strangers through them. It feels like performing for family every night.

NL: Is there a song that you like to perform best?

TF: Attempting to answer that question would be like trying to pick your favorite kid. It really changes depending on who’s in the room. But for now, I really like the title track off of Vice Verses. The lyrics are full of subtleties and I love the rhythm and poetry my brother (lead singer Jon Foreman) brings to the song.

NL: Speaking of your brother, is it weird being in a band with your sibling?

TF: It’s not without its challenges, but I think it helps us maintain a level of honesty within the band. We’re not afraid to share the strong opinions, and we’ve learned to respect our differences. We’ve learned how to improve because of these challenges.

NL: This may be a super nerdy Hopkins question, but we’ve gotta ask: “Meant to Live” was inspired by a T.S. Eliot poem, while “Stars” refers to Descartes. Why do you look to poetry and philosophy for inspiration?

TF: Having a job that forces you to travel gives you a lot of time to read and think. We write songs as a way to deal with things we don’t understand. The subjects we’re dealing with in a song are in no way unique. We’re not the first people to ask the big questions. Poetry and philosophy definitely influence us and force us to think. And I think that honesty comes across in our music — and that’s what people respond to.

NL: Was it weird to hear people remix your songs for your Vice Re-Verses EP?

TF: It was really fun and freeing. In the studio, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we’re really particular about everything. It’s fun to step back and see what they come up with.

NL: So what’s next for Switchfoot?

TF: Our documentary, Fading West, is about 80 percent finished. We got to travel to our favorite surf destinations — Australia, South Africa, Bali, and New Zealand. It’s a dream we’ve been talking about actually putting into action for 10 years. We got to record on location and react to our experiences; we’re so psyched for our fans to hear it. I’m looking forward to coming back and recording some final songs for the soundtrack.

NL: What’s something that most of your fans wouldn’t know about you?

TF: As lightly as we take ourselves, we spend a great deal of time trying to capture raw human emotion in our music. It’s impossible to describe our attention to detail in the studio.

NL: Well, it paid off. “Always” is in the iPhone 5 commercial! Where were you when you found out?

TF: I was watching the commercial on my television! Apple is such a secretive company, they didn’t let us know. It was a pretty surreal moment for us.

Switchfoot performed at Rams Head Live yesterday. Be sure to check out next week’s Last Week Live! to read all about their performance. Couldn’t make it to Rams Head? You can still check out Switchfoot on Wednesday, October 3 at The Fillmore in Silver Spring.