Andrew Philip "Drew" Shirley (born April 3, 1974) is an American rock guitarist, formerly of All Together Separate, and of the
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
winning
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
band
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keyboards, ...
from 2005 until 2022.
Career
Shirley attended California Baptist University studying a Fine Arts degree with a Music minor. During that time, he also started and led various school bands and shows. He had only started playing guitar as a senior in high school. After graduating from college, he also began working with YFC as the Riverside area Campus Life director, working with local high schools.
Shirley played in the band All Together Separate in the late 1990s along with fellow CBU classmates Dex Alexander (singer), Ben Rayls (drummer), and Charles Rumahlewang (bass). The band toured nationally, but was cut short after breaking up in 2002.
He started touring with
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keyboards, ...
soon after their 2003 release ''
The Beautiful Letdown
''The Beautiful Letdown'' is the fourth studio album by alternative rock band Switchfoot. Released on February 25, 2003, it launched the band into the mainstream on the strength of two top 20 singles: "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move." The a ...
''. He became an official member of the band on May 4, 2005. He has recorded eight LP albums with the band: '' Nothing Is Sound'' (2005), '' Oh! Gravity.'' (2006),
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
Vice Verses
''Vice Verses'' is the eighth studio album by American alternative rock band Switchfoot. It was released on September 27, 2011.Fading West'' (2013), '' Where the Light Shines Through'' (2016), " Native Tongue" (2019), and "
Interrobang
The interrobang (), also known as the interabang (often represented by any of ?!, !?, ?!? or !?!), is an unconventional punctuation mark used in various written languages and intended to combine the functions of the question mark, or interro ...
" (2021).
Between leaving All Together Separate and his transition to Switchfoot, Shirley produced and played guitar on many different band projects. He still produces and plays on various musical projects.
On February 21, 2022, it was announced that Shirley had departed the band. In an e-mail, the band stated "Friends, there's no easy way to say this. After years of sharing the road, Drew and the band have decided to take different paths, and will be parting ways. He joined us shortly after the release of our 4th album and we’ve shared an incredible journey, full of countless highs and lows together. We love Drew dearly, and we are so thankful for the time and memories we have had. This has certainly been a difficult season for us, encountering challenges that have ultimately taken us in different directions. We have always said that our friendships are more important than the band. And it's still true: our love for each other is so much bigger than rock and roll. We are excited to see what the next chapter holds for Drew, and also for Switchfoot. We are beyond thankful for the support that all of you have shown us during this challenging time and we remain committed to this community, each other, and to the journey we share together. More now than ever before, hope deserves an anthem."
Personal life
Drew grew up in the
Rancho Peñasquitos
Rancho or Ranchos may refer to:
Settlements and communities
*Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad
*Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California
**List of California Ranchos
*Ranchos, Buenos Ai ...
, community in San Diego, California. There, he attended Black Mountain Middle School and graduated from Mt. Carmel High School. Shirley's father was a Navy Chaplain, and his mother, Nancy, is a youth choir teacher who has previously worked with local middle and high schools as well as community organizations including the San Diego Children's Choir and area churches. He has a younger brother.
Shirley married his wife, Jenna, in 2001. The couple has four daughters: Lauren (born 2004), Violet (born 2008), Isa, and Haven.
Vice Verses
''Vice Verses'' is the eighth studio album by American alternative rock band Switchfoot. It was released on September 27, 2011.Fading West'' (2014)
* ''
The Edge of the Earth
''The Edge of the Earth'' is an extended play by American rock band Switchfoot, released digitally on September 9, 2014 through lowercase people/Atlantic.
It consists of previously unreleased songs from Switchfoot's rock documentary film '' Fa ...