Looking for signs

by Marty McCormack

Back in 1993, I was still wearing a suit and tie everyday as I headed off to work at St. Therese Medical Center in Waukegan, Illinois.  My hair was cut short and I was part of the marketing department of a healthcare corporation that had a vast empire stretching from the Wisconsin border to central Illinois.  My newsletter, Goodlife, had a circulation of over 100,000 readers and I had won an award for the most outstanding publication in healthcare marketing.  Things were looking good, except for one little secret.  While everyone knew me as a marketing geek by day, secretly I was a musician by night.

I would head to Oak Park from Waukegan and join Fitz for songwriting and playing clubs.  About 1 a.m., I would crash on the couch, with a pressed shirt hanging nearby, waiting for my 6 a.m. commute.  I would wake up, throw myself in the shower, put on the clean shirt, another tie, grab a Burger King coffee (there was no Starbucks in 1993) and head north to my day job.  Something had to give. I knew my heart's true desire was to be a musician.  I asked God for a sign to tell me: “Take the leap!”

And one day in late July of 1993, that sign appeared. I was driving along Route 173 heading from my folks' house in Woodstock, Illinois, to my job.  My Civic was chugging along the road east of Alden when a huge red-tailed hawk lumbered in front of my windshield.  There in its talons was clutched a fat gopher.  Seemingly oblivious to my car, it appeared we were to collide.  At the last moment before what looked to be certain impact, the hawk flapped hard for some air and dropped the gopher.  With a “shu-tunk” the discarded prey bounced off my windshield.  Letting go of the gopher saved the hawk from becoming a hood ornament.   I drove on and realized “that must be the sign! In order to soar, I too would have to let go of that which provided me security.”  In my case, not a fat gopher, but my day job.  So that same day, I walked in to my vice president's office and tendered my resignation.

In the months following, I was always asking for “a sign."   I wanted to know I was on the right path.  I had just quit a lucrative career.  Brian and I were playing prisons, nursing homes and pubs.  Most of my friends and some of my family thought I was a bit crazy.   I prayed for another sign to know that Switchback was on the right path.

And I got one.  A big one.  This time it was playing at the Irish Times Pub in Brookfield, Illinois.  In those days, fans like Phil and Maureen Huber would be on hand to see us as we struggled to get our sound defined and Switchback off the ground.  One Sunday evening, we arrived at the Irish Times to play, and there, sitting at a stage-side table was a Yaqui Indian.  Now, any American Indian in Brookfield, Illinois would be something to make one sit up and take notice but here was a Yaqui Indian in his native dress, waiting for us to play in an Irish pub on a Sunday night.  I couldn't believe my eyes.

He listened to a set and on the break he told us how he was an artist and visiting Chicago as part of a cultural exchange.  He talked about our music and admired that we were following our passion, like he was.  Finally, it was time for him to leave.  “Here," he said, taking an earring in the shape of an Indian warrior from his ear and putting it into my hand, “this is for you.”  I held onto that earring for years until a visit to Bear Butte out in western South Dakota.  I thought such a powerful sign should go to a powerful place, the very mountain where Crazy Horse received his visions.  I am sure it is still there sitting high up on the mountain.

These days, I feel pretty certain that I am following the right path.  And I still get signs that I am.  The best sign that I am on the right path now comes from you, our fans.  Your appreciation of our music, traveling to shows all over the country and comments coming in through Facebook remind me how blessed I am to be able to do what I love and connect with so many people throughout the world.

This coming September 21, we will have an opportunity to come together and celebrate 20 years of Switchback at the Athenaeum Theatre in Chicago -- a celebration of us all traveling the same road together.  Brian and I encourage you  to bring as many friends as you can to rekindle the fire of friendship that has been burning now for over 20 years.  You’ve been asked to submit your all-time favorite Switchback songs for the night.  If you haven’t, you can visit our Facebook page and submit your favorite Switchback songs.  Some selections will be performed by special guests.  And yes, Maggie FitzGerald will get up and sing “In My Glory!"  Part of the ticket proceeds will help restore the Athenaeum.  That, of course, is in keeping with WayGood's mission to help make the world just a little bit better.   The Athenaeum is a large theater with over 1,000 seats; we have a challenge to sell at least 700, so your attendance is very much needed and appreciated.

Happily and hopefully, all of us coming together will be all the sign we need, that indeed, 20 years on, the WayGood World is still going strong.

Larry Weir, Wish You Were Here

Larry would have loved the latest news from Washington, I think. When I think of independent community radio, I think of Larry Weir. He was a beloved DJ and driving force behind KDHX radio in St. Louis, arguably one of the powerhouses of independent community radio in the Midwest. About a year ago, Larry slipped on ice and suffered a traumatic brain injury that resulted in his death. With his passing the world lost a fantastic advocate for community radio, which is the lifeblood of original, independent music and hopefully soon to be the great leveler of the commercial radio industry.

I am an independent musician and so yes, I am biased in favor of good music that challenges the monolithic music industry. I have a great deal of admiration for community radio all over the world. It has been community-based radio that has helped bring my band to the attention of new fans everywhere. Midwest Radio in County Mayo, Ireland; WEVL in Memphis, and Folkland radio in Germany have had DJs who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of what I would call “real people music.” Being an independent musician in the great music town of Chicago, I am embarrassed to say we don’t have an equivalent outlet for the variety of musical programming as KDHX. Our closest approximation of it is WDCB, a 5000 watt station in Glen Ellyn that has a broadcast signal which can’t reach the entire city. In comparison, KDHX is a 42,000 watt station. I was happy to find out that WNUR, the Northwestern University station, has a 7200 watt range and one of the most powerful transmitters of any college in the country. Admittedly, I don’t know too much about what is played on WNUR. The only person in commercial radio who seems to care a bit about independent music is Richard Milne, who is given a paltry 30 minutes on Sundays on CBS-owned WXRT to play his show “The Local Anesthetic.” Nevertheless, kudos for the 30 minutes!

WBEZ, our NPR station, gave up on music just as I was starting to get in the business. For a brief moment in time, WABT attempted to showcase Chicago music, but financially it couldn’t keep going. My wife bypasses Chicago stations completely and opts for KCRW on the net to listen to new music.

As I said, Chicago is a great music town. It started country music with its “Barn Dance” show on WLS. It was the town that created the blues that influenced the Rolling Stones. And it is home to a plethora of independent artists ranging from Wilco to Nicholas Tremulis to bands like the Yellowhammers. Yet it does not have one radio voice that represents our current musical diversity. Perhaps that has something to do with Chicago being known as the “City of Neighborhoods.”

That said, there is hope for Chicago and other communities. Congress finally passed the Community Radio Act at the end of last year. In layman’s terms this means that we can have 100 watt stations that can serve various communities with independent political and musical thought. It doesn’t help our situation much in Chicago as far as having one city-wide station. I did find out that even a 100 watt station on a 150 foot high mast can broadcast 50 miles. That could eventually help us here in the Windy City where we are known for some tall buildings which could support such a mast.

How that will actually work is better left to the experts, but there are a couple of golden opportunities here. The most important one is that neighborhoods and communities can support their independent artists and cultivate appreciative listeners. And in turn, indie artists and music fans can be a force in their communities. By streaming on the Internet, it is possible for a small station to garner a large following outside its community. The independent artist community and its fans will have that many more stations to reach out to as well.

If we do see a surge in the number of Low Power FM Stations, that will be an opportunity for musicians to get their music heard, both recorded and live. It will be the closest thing to the day when a musician would travel from station to station to showcase original music. It will also be a chance for music fans to be introduced to music they would not hear otherwise.

As a musician, I can say from experience that being heard and getting played and playing live are necessary for the growth of my career. It was crucial for Switchback to start out playing community and public stations. They provided the outlet for us to be heard. Since we never had the backing of a major label, this and the Internet would be the only media venues available to us.

The Internet didn’t really start “happening” for music until the 90’s. For youngsters that might bring about a yawn, but I can remember giving out my mailing address in America on Irish radio so people could buy our cassettes. A lot has changed quickly.

So what should people do? First, visit the Future of Music Coalition at http://futureofmusic.org/research and get acquainted with what can be done to help keep independent music alive. These people are working to make sure independent musicians keep making music for the masses to hear. Second, support your existing community radio stations, either by donating (which they love and need) or simply sporting their stickers on your car. Or both. I proudly carry KDHX on my bass guitar case.

My guess is that Larry would have loved the passing of the Community Radio Act. If only he could have been around to see this day when the chance of having community radio stations across the country was finally sanctioned by the government. I think he would have been happy to see communities creating low power stations that can enable more artists to create and provide more music for fans to appreciate those artists. And not only music, but drama, civic action, and neighborhood news can be presented as well! It took a long time, but it has finally arrived. Will it correct the past two decades of mainstream radio mismanagement? It’s up to the people to decide.

Martin McCormack
Switchback

http://www.waygoodmusic.com/

Celebrate El Dia de los Muertos with Switchback!

Celebrate El Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) with a Celtic twist! Join Switchback at the Pine Room of Ascension Parish, 601 Van Buren Street, Oak Park, IL, on Saturday, October 30 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door. This year, the Kosier Studio of Dance from Sterling, IL will be presenting original choreography to Switchback songs. Beer, wine, and other refreshments will be available for purchase.

Switchback began hosting the Day of the Dead Show nine years ago to celebrate the Mexican custom of honoring those who have passed on to the next world. The tradition has roots in the pagan practices of Mexico and is similar in intent to the Celtic feast of Samhain. In both traditions, the veil separating the dead and the living is at its thinnest, thus offering people a chance to honor the spirits of their ancestors.

Dia de los Muertos is a colorful tradition. The people believe that heaven is opened on midnight of October 31 and the spirits of the deceased children are allowed to celebrate with the living. Later on November 1st and 2nd, the adults who have passed on are allowed to party with the living.

And it is quite a party. Altars are made in each home and decorated with candles, marigolds, tortillas, fruit, mole and special bread called “pan de muerto." In addition, alcohol, chocolate, toys and cigarettes are left for the spirits. Special sugar skulls are decorated and placed on the altar in honor of the deceased. It is believed that the happy spirits protect and bless those who honor their memory.

The traditional altar or “Ofrenda” will be in place at the show, and everyone is asked to bring a picture of a loved one who has passed on. Sugar skulls will be in place, and all are invited to visit their local Mexican store and purchase and decorate a skull of their own for the altar.