Switchback

Artist Information

Biography

For over two decades, the musical partnership of Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCormack, known as Switchback, has been entertaining audiences around the world with their unique American Roots music blended with Celtic Soul. In 1986, FitzGerald was a mandolin student of Jethro Burns and had already been touring with Clifton Chenier when he met McCormack, an award-winning voice student of Whelma Oshiem at the American Conservatory of Chicago and a member of the Star Search selected band Beyond Blue. They were both chosen by legendary County Kerry composer and concertina master Terrence 'Cuz' Teahan to join his traditional Irish group. Teahan taught FitzGerald and McCormack the old country techniques of Irish musical entertainment, making them one of the last generations to be directly influenced by a master of this musical genre.


By 1988, shortly before Teahan's death, the duo continued his musical legacy with the Wailin' Banshees, joining forces with banjo great Bert McMahon of Woodford, County Galway and Chicago fiddle legend Mary McDonagh. The Banshees flourished, but it was the power of seeing such Texan greats as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Ely, and Rodney Crowell that fueled FitzGerald and McCormack's songwriting and ultimately led to the formation of Switchback in 1993.


Their first album was literally a commercial success, with Chevrolet using one of the songs to promote their Chevy Blazer. Their music eventually reached the ear of Grammy-winning producer Lloyd Maines, who then produced several albums for the band, with The Fire That Burns being selected as one of Performing Songwriter Magazine's top choices for 2003. Throughout this time, the duo managed a heavy touring schedule, opening for such acts as The Moody Blues, Leon Russell, Lee Greenwood, John Hartford, and Beausoliel.


Meanwhile, the Celtic music world never forgot the duo's Irish roots, so Switchback continued to cultivate a following at concerts and festivals. The duo has shared the stage with such notable Celtic musicians as Cherish the Ladies, Gaelic Storm, Liz Carroll, and John Williams. They annually tour Ireland and frequently perform at the Westport, County Mayo pub owned by The Chieftain's Matt Malloy, who often appears there as well.


Playing over 200 engagements a year, Switchback can be heard at festivals ranging from the Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Nova Scotia to the Summer Celebration in Michigan where they performed for an audience of 15,000. Their concerts take place at such venues as the intimately famous Bluebird Café of Nashville to the 3,400-seat Star Plaza Theater in Merrillville, Indiana.


Switchback's music is frequently played on radio stations such as RTE Radio One with Pat Kenny in Dublin, Ireland and can also be seen on Public Broadcasting Television stations throughout the United States.


Switchback also conducts educational programs and songwriting workshops for school and community organizations. They have developed several instructional sessions and often customize programs to fit the curriculum or concepts of the clients. Many of these seminars are held in elementary and high schools and libraries but have been conducted in settings as far-ranging as juvenile detention centers and church camps.


Wherever they play, no matter the size or age of audience, Switchback always captivates and charms folks with their energy and creativity.



Recognition, Memberships, and Awards


Irish Music Association: Top Duo in a Pub, Festival or Concert (US, IRE, EU, UK) 2008
Illinois Arts Council ArtsTour Roster
Illinois Arts Council Artist in Education
Iowa Arts Council Performing Artist roster
North American Folk Alliance Member
Americana Music Association Member
ASCAP-Plus Awards Recipient 2005-Present

Instrumentation

Brian FitzGerald: guitar, mandolin, vocals
Martin McCormack: bass, guitar, vocals

Discography

Ghosts of the River Folk – 2010
Celtic Sessions Vol. 1 (DVD) 2008
Celtic Sessions Vol. 2 (DVD) 2008
Americana Sessions Vol. 1 (DVD) 2007
Americana Sessions Vol. 2 (DVD) 2007
Falling Water River – 2006
A Very Switchback Christmas – 2005
Bolinree – 2005
10th Anniversary Collection – 2003
The Fire That Burns – 2002
Nancy Whiskey – 2001
Dar's Place – 1998
Good Church - 1997
Seven Rowdy Irish Tunes (and Two Sad Ones!) – 1996
Check on Out - 1995
Ain't Going Back - 1994

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter

Audio

• The Mayfly Dance
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• Where Were You?
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• The Miser
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• Apple of my Eye
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• The Farmer Leaves the Dell
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• Falling Water River
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• Jesse Taylor's Nightmare
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• Connemara Man
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• Folsom Prison Blues
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• Bolinree
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• Banshee's Jigs
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• Star of the County Down
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• The Fire That Burns
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• Absolutely Stunning
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Lyrics

• The Farmer Leaves the Dell
• The Fire that Burns
• Genevieve
• Far Away from Where the Fighting Is
• Falling Water River
• Connemara Man
• Apple of My Eye
• Absolutely Stunning
• Absolutely Stunning

Video

Ain't Goin' Back - Live at WTTW in Chicago

Photo Gallery

Press

• Review of Ghosts of the River Folk [+ Show ]
  

  Marty McCormack and Brian FitzGerald have created another collection of amazing songs in their lat...
  Marty McCormack and Brian FitzGerald have created another collection of amazing songs in their latest package of musical jewels called "Ghosts of the River Folk."
  
  I was expecting their very familiar and often raucous Irish blend of folk and pure Celtic Soul, but what I found was ten songs that seem to represent an extension of this amazing duo's endless ability to be familiar as well as original.
  
  Every piece of music these guys share with their legions of fans sounds as if they got there first, whether it is a well-known ballad or something from their impressive vault of personal creations. The music they make and share, either in live performances or on recorded disc is distinctively theirs and if you've ever heard them you know it's them when you hear it.
  
  But this new CD sounds to me like they have reinvented another good thing. Every cut on this album is similar to the original "Switchback" sound, but to me, and maybe only to me, I can hear something very close to the British sound that changed pop music forever when it first made its way into our culture.
  
  As bold as this sounds even to me, I hear shades of "Rubber Soul" here. A lot of Marty and Brian's music takes as much energy to listen to as it might take for them to perform it. Yet this is another pleasant surprise, a collection of songs that is as easy to hear first thing in the morning as it is as I compose this essay about it.
  
  I am listening to it for the second time as I write, and I'm liking it more than the first time. And in addition to what I can only describe as Beatle-esque, I am reminded of many of the other British and American music that I grew up with and later played as a radio disc jockey. Yet every song sounds new, and every song is new.
  
  I cannot call out my favorite on this one. But if Marty and Brian said, "Pick one or we will never come back to Columbus and play for you," I might say, "Rock Your Heart." But then I would probably say,”Wait a minute...” It would be that tough, and I remember thinking the same thing about "Rubber Soul." See for yourself.
  

• Sing Out! album review: Switchback, The Fire That Burns [+ Show ]
  

  Once you start crossing genres, there's no end to possibilities. Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCorma...Once you start crossing genres, there's no end to possibilities. Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCormack create something akin to progressive Celtic on the Fire That Burns. Rocking cuts like "Connemara Man" stand beside beautiful ballads like "End Over End." The boys also dabble in country ("Genevieve") and dance music ("Wild Irish Polkas"). Fun stuff--RL

• Dirty Linen album review: The Fire That Burns [+ Show ]
  

  With its Celtic-tinged approach to Americana, Switchback has been one of the Midwest's most exciting...With its Celtic-tinged approach to Americana, Switchback has been one of the Midwest's most exciting roots duo for more than a decade. With its seventh album, The Fire That Burns, The Chicago-based Martin McCormack (acoustic guitars, bass, vocals) and Brian FitzGerald (acoustic guitar, mandolin, bocals) join with multi-instrumentalist and producer Lloyd Maines in a genre-bending collection of original tunes.

• Bluegrass Rockers Churn Out Cool Jams [+ Show ]
  

  By Jim Clark Publisher Perhaps bluegrass that rocks seems like an oxymoron. But when Brian FitzG...By Jim Clark
  Publisher
  
  Perhaps bluegrass that rocks seems like an oxymoron. But when Brian FitzGerald (guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Martin McCormack (bass, vocals) blend the two, the end product is as smooth as peanut butter and jelly. The glue that holds the two sounds together is the strong Celtic sound that runs throughout the course of The Fire That Burns.
  
  The duo have formed a band called Switchback, which incorporates the talented cellist Cathy Kuna and ever present, percussionist Alpha Stewart.
  
  Although they have released six albums prior to this, you may be unfamiliar with this primo Irish/American roots band. They have appeared on WHBQ's "Morning Show," in Memphis, played at FitzGerald's Casino in Tunica and have shared the stage with the likes of Kansas, Leon Russell and Willie Porter.
  
  Their largest following is in the Illinois and Iowa area, where the two hail from, but the secret is getting out and, I have little doubt, their presence down south will increase two-fold. I was most impressed with "The Farmer Leaves the Dell," "Apple of My Eye," and the longest jam on the album, "The Has-Been That Never Was." For more go to www.waygoodmusic.com.

• Switchback combines Celtic sounds with Midwestern Americana sound [+ Show ]
  

  May 16, 2003 by Steve Wildsmith of The Daily Times Staff, Maryville, TN Despite the Celtic soun...May 16, 2003
  by Steve Wildsmith
  of The Daily Times Staff, Maryville, TN
  
  Despite the Celtic sounds of their music and the bit of brogue sported by bass-player Marty McCormack, the two men known as Switchback are not from Ireland.
  
  They're from Chicago. Sort of. McCormack and Brian Fitzgerald got their start in Chicago, anyway, playing Celtic tunes and Irish bars. These days, they exemplify the Midwestern branch of Americana music, albeit with strong Celtic leanings, and Saturday night, the band will headline the WDVX-FM Camperfest in nearby Kodak.
  
  Just don't ask them to describe the Midwestern feel to their songs.
  
  "It's not an easy thing to describe," FitzGerald said this week. "The songwriting deals with a lot of the fact that you're going through the seasons ..."
  
  "The Midwest is a real mixing bowl of a lot of different feels, and that's why our music is so hard to pin down," McCormack interjects. "All these different influences pollinate each other, if you will, just like in every other part of the country."
  
  The two met 16 years ago, quickly developing a regional following from Chicago to Minnesota down to Illinois and Iowa. But instead of transforming into a two-man version of The Chieftains, the two approached the Celtic music of their ancestors from an American perspective, carving out their own niche the way Irish immigrants carved a home out of the American wilderness that was the Midwest almost 150 years ago.
  
  "A successful show for us is like an amusement park ride -- it's a rush," FitzGerald said. "Our Irish is a little more aggressive, and it's coming at you a little harder, because we're coming out of small, jaunty Irish bars, and all these biker bars out of Iowa where it's something that's demanded of you. There's a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of energy to our show.
  
  "People look at you like you're nuts to go in there without a drummer, but by end of the night, we're on top of the bar and everybody's like, 'Wow!'"
  
  Legendary Texas music producer Lloyd Maines produced the band's most recent album, "The Fire That Burns," which feature dual harmonies over sweet instrumental work reminiscent of a faster-paced, more aggressive version of the Gary Louris-Mark Olson band The Jayhawks.
  
  "We're finding that the new album, with songs like 'The Fire That Burns,' is encouraging people," FitzGerald said. "They're telling us it's helping them through these tough times. And that's another Midwestern trait -- we're both from huge families, so there's tons of conflict and friction built into that family."
  
  The pair said they're looking forward to coming to East Tennessee, the cradle of bluegrass and a hotbed of roots music, and especially to playing for Americana fans at Camperfest.
  
  "Tell your readers we're just going to come up there and play our hearts out," FitzGerald said. "It's a wide array of sound, a lot of different styles to kind of draw from and a lot of harmony."

• Performing Songwriter: Switchback places in top 12 DIY albums [+ Show ]
  

  Album Review from Performing Songwriter Top 12 Reviews for Do-it-yourself songwriters by Clay Ste...Album Review
  from Performing Songwriter
  Top 12 Reviews for Do-it-yourself songwriters
  by Clay Steakley
  Vol. 10, Issue 67, Jan/Feb 2003
  
  Switchback
  The Fire That Burns
  
  Produced by Lloyd Maines
  
  Chicago duo Switchback has delivered yet another exhilarating blend of acoustic roots rock, Celtic folk and dazzling musicianship with The Fire That Burns. Produced by Texas music giant and Dixie Chicks producer Lloyd Maines, this is their seventh, and most accomplished record. From the Irish hillbilly kickoff with "The Farmer Leaves the Dell," Brian Fitzgerald (guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Martin McCormack (bass, guitar, vocals) and friends prove that they have not only the chops, but also the understanding of American and Celtic music to pull off the kind of material tackled here. With Everly Brothers harmonies and Fitzgerald's whirlwind and soulful mandolin work, Switchback romps and reels with audacity and talent.
  
  WayGood Productions
  405 East Ridge Road
  Griffith, Indiana, 46319
  800-600-7071
  waygoodmusic@gmail.com
  www.waygoodmusic.com

Setlist

Switchback plays mostly original music. With a discography of 12 albums, a song list would get lengthy! Our sets usually range from 60-90 minutes. We typically do two 45 minute sets for a concert performance or a 90 minute set for a festival. This is flexible. We do change up the set-list a bit with covers. Our Americana covers range from Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, to Steve Earle, to Rodgers and Hart, to Stevie Ray Vaughan. Switchback can also play a full Celtic program of traditional and modern Irish music. Our Celtic covers include the Pogues, The Waterboys and U2. We are a very eclectic duo, so beware of the lone jazz cover or cowboy song thrown in. We also have a selection of educational and community outreach programs and can do workshops on a variety of topics: voice, mandolin, guitar, music appreciation, intro to Irish music - even songwriting.

Basic Requirements

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