- May 3, 2024
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Jon Foreman crawled over the stage barricade and into the audience to connect with his fans Saturday night at St. Augustine amphitheater. Foreman and Switchfoot rocked the stage with songs from their new album “Fading West” and dedicated the song, “Saltwater Heart,” to Sefton Tranter, and his family for supplying the band with surfboards during their St. Augustine stay.
During their 2012 world tour, the five band members of Switchfoot were joined by a five-man film crew led by Matt Katsolis, of Interpret Studios. Katsolis, who grew up in Flagler Beach, directed a film, “Fading West,” which documented the band’s global travels chasing new music inspiration and the perfect waves in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and Bali.
“We walked into the job because we’re the only people that could do it,” Katsolis said. “Growing up in Flagler, surfing and then going to film school, I had a unique skillset that matched the band’s lifestyle and allowed the movie to be a success.”
At the heart of “Fading West” is the growing conflict between Switchfoot's roles as world-regarded musicians and passionately devoted family men.
“It’s more than just leaving for a rock show, it’s the cost of fame and leaving families behind,” Katsolis said, reflecting on the project that took two years from hire to premier.
Traveling for a year with the band, Katsolis and his crew, which included Tranter, another Flagler Beach native, were able to forge a relationship with the band which gained them access to intimate moments.
“When the worst things happened, they let us in,” Katsolis said. “They realized this isn’t just a film crew, these are guys that are going through the journey with us.”
For Tranter, the relationships formed was one of mentoring.
“It was really cool to talk to them about traveling and keeping the balance of family life — how you spread what you believe in and go home and be a good father,” he said. “It was great to meet them, and now they are like family to me.”
But how do you make a rock and roll movie when the band you’re traveling with doesn’t do sex and drugs? That was the question Katsolis and his team had to answer.
“It was cool to see them dive into each unique culture, to write songs and their new album," Tranter said. It was more about the people they met along the way and how they inspired them.”
The film used the different cultures to explore different themes.
One stop on the journey that stood out to Tranter was the stop in South Africa, when the band was reunited with the Kayamandi Township children's choir and dance team, who inspired their 2005 song, "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine."
“Thirty or 40 kids came out running and screaming, there was hugging and tears in their eyes,” Tranter said. “To see the effect they have on people all over the world – it’s a whole band, but especially Jon (Foreman), he truly believes in what he sings every night.”
Stateside, two more Flagler Beach natives, A.J. Neste and Patrick Maxcy, contributed to the project, which premiered in the fall of 2013.
“I just feel fortunate being a kid from Flagler and being able to do these things," Katsolis said. " I’m so fortunate to be able to travel the world and share (Switchfoot’s) legacy piece. I've been contacted by a few people who were really impacted by the film and that means more to me than a check, making people want to live a life that is bigger than themselves.”
