Switchback (band)

Switchback is an American music duo consisting of Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCormack. They play a mix of bluegrass, Americana, and traditional Celtic music.^[1]

History

In 1986, FitzGerald was a mandolin student of Jethro Burns and had been touring with Clifton Chenier when he met McCormack. McCormack was 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 chosen by County Kerry composer and concertina master Terrence 'Cuz' Teahan to join his traditional Irish group. They were taught the old country techniques of Irish musical entertainment, making them one of the last generations to be directly influenced by a master of this genre.^{[citation needed]}

In 1988, after Teahan's death, the duo continued his musical legacy by joining forces with banjo player Bert McMahon of Woodford, and County Galway and Chicago fiddle legend Mary McDonagh to form a group, the Wailin' Banshees. Their first album was a commercial success, and Chevrolet used one of the songs from it to promote the Chevy Blazer automobile. Producer Lloyd Maines produced several albums for them, including "The Fire That Burns", which was selected as one of Performing Songwriter Magazine's top choices for 2003.^{[citation needed]} The duo toured, opening for such acts as The Moody Blues, Leon Russell, Lee Greenwood, John Hartford, and Beausoliel.^{[citation needed]}

FitzGerald and McCormack did not forget their Irish roots, and continued to perform at concerts and festivals. Playing over 200 engagements a year, they performed at festivals from Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Nova Scotia to the Summer Celebration in Michigan, where they performed for an audience of 15,000. Switchback has shared the stage with such notable Celtic musicians as Cherish the Ladies, Gaelic Storm, Liz Carroll, and John Williams. They tour Ireland each year, and have played at the pub in Westport, County Mayo, owned by The Chieftains' Matt Malloy. They have performed at the 3,400-seat Star Plaza Theater in Merrillville, Indiana, and in the intimate and famous Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tennessee. ^{[citation needed]}

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

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

Co-musicians:

Nick Hirka: drums, banjo, bodhran, ukulele
Keith Riker: percussion, bodhran, native American flute, harmonica
Takeshi Horiuchi: bodhran, percussion

Collaborations

The following are some of the notable acts Switchback has performed with:

Discography

Ain't Going Back - 1994
Check on Out - 1995
Seven Rowdy Irish Tunes (and Two Sad Ones!) - 1996
Good Church - 1997
Dar's Place - 1998
Nancy Whiskey - 2001
The Fire That Burns - 2002
10th Anniversary Collection - 2003
Bolinree - 2005
Falling Water River - 2006
Ghosts of the River Folk - 2010
Kanoka - 2013
The Hibernian Mass - 2015

DVDs

Celtic Sessions Vol. 1 and 2 (made from the PBS special of the same name)
Americana Sessions Vo1. 1 and 2 (made from the PBS special of the same name)
Turf Fire

References

^ Review of The Fire that Burns, Allmusic

External links

Official site
Switchback at AllMusic

[1] Review of The Fire that Burns, Allmusic

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