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.

The Cowboy from Connaught

By Marty McCormack

My cousin Seamus Connaughton was the sort of person who was larger than life.  Even though he stood barely five feet, six inches, his energy and wit made up for any shortcomings in stature. Seamus lived his whole life near Claremorris Co. Mayo.  When I first met him back in the late 1980’s, he was still working the farmland that my grandfather came from, Bolinree.  The farm had a magical and unusual air for a visiting American.  For example, there are not many Iron Age ring forts on farms in Illinois.  A crumbling wall was all that was left of the original McCormack cottage, a Wailing Wall of sorts for the visiting members of my family.  Connection was the purpose, and the suitcase would usually come home with a stone or two taken from that ruin that had sheltered that side of my father’s family. 

Seamus also worked the Connaughton family farm, Ballybrehony.  It was a beautiful farmstead, with a far-off view of Croagh Patrick and mountains that make up the Galway-Mayo borderland.   A thick grove of pines bordered the drive that led to a neat wrought iron gate. Through that gate and well-tended garden would be the path that would lead to the cottage.  In that cottage, Seamus held reign along with Nell, Tommy, and Mike.  The nights were filled with conversation, ghost stories and music, the centerpiece being the huge turf fire that kept the house warm with an almost ceremonial blaze.

Though I loved all my cousins, it was Seamus that held the special place.  At the end of our first meeting, he produced a punt, the old Irish currency, and tore it in half.  “Write your name on one half and I will on the other,” he said.  It was a crude but effective way of telling me that I was one of them, and though we may be parted by the Pond, when we got together we would be whole again.  Indeed, the nights spent at the turf fire at Ballybrehony were an affirmation that I was home.  

Seamus was no stranger to the world of entertainment.  He worked the dance halls in Mayo and played a good harmonica. When I first arrived in Ireland, it was Seamus who set up the opportunities for me to sing.  The cross-road dances and interviews on Midwest radio in Ballyhaunis were due to his belief and support in my music.  It was a proud day when Brian and I played RTE with none other than Pat Kenny as the host.  He was the American equivalent of Garrison Keillor or David Letterman and I felt like I had arrived in Ireland when I heard the pride in the voices of Seamus and Nell.

He was also a practical joker.  On my first visit to Ireland, exhausted and numbed by more than one hot whiskey, I fell asleep by the turf fire. He and Tommy tied my shoes together as I slumbered.  Early in the morning, I woke and started out of the chair to get ready to head back to Claremorris, only to find myself flat on the floor and my two cousins laughing at my befuddlement at my lack of forward mobility.

There was also the fact that Seamus was ironically a man of the wide open prairie but only vicariously.  He loved watching westerns on television.  Seamus could recall more western movies than anyone I knew.  He would watch the broad expanse of the west open up on his television there in Claremorris.  It was one of the few times I could share with him something that I personally knew a bit more about than he. When Brian and I would talk about our rambles across Kansas and Colorado, he would get a far-off look and sucking in a bit of air would exhale with an almost boyish “Oh yah” as if he was there in the van with us.  Later the marvels of cell phones and texting pictures made the connection much easier.  I would click a shot of a sunrise over the Flint Hills and send it to the Connaught Cowboy six hours ahead of me. Once we brought a bag of buffalo jerky over as a present.  He loved that connection to the west.  I was always on the lookout for an authentic arrowhead while I was on my rambles, hoping I could find one since that would have been the ultimate gift for him.

I always kept after him about coming over to the States to see the west.  Seamus made it pretty clear that he was indeed happy where he was in Claremorris.  He had his friends and his home. Riding the range on his remote was enough. 

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Something kept him as a bachelor on the farm, and he pretty much kept to himself. When my cousin Nell (Seamus' sister) died, I flew over to spend some time with him.  We drove around Mayo in his car, me praying silently to myself as Seamus would whip around a corner with James Bond intensity.  We spent a day hanging around Achill, talking about the family, and here and there a cloud would appear across his face as he recollected a memory that wasn’t all that idyllic.  Whatever trials he suffered or heartbreaks he had, he kept to himself, much like the lone hero of the westerns he saw on television.

When I wrote the song Bolinree, it was as a tribute to the Irish side of my family. Their generosity allowed me, my siblings, and later on Brian, his family, and some of our close friends a true glimpse of an Ireland that is now past.  Seamus would tear up when Bolinree would be played; it was too much to recount the years and his own siblings, passed on.  The farm no longer in family hands, the movement of time. The song was played as they carried his casket out of the church.

The Pond, as both sides of the family would refer to the ocean, always seemed so small.  An eight hour flight and you are there in Ireland, amazing.  However, the Pond turned back into the forbiddingly huge Atlantic when word came from my cousin Liam that Seamus was ill. The FaceTime phone call caught Brian and me doing a sound check in Austin, MN.  Seamus was in the hospital and slowly but surely the news turned from bad to worse as his health rapidly deteriorated.

Thanks to technology, I had the chance to say goodbye to Seamus and thank him for being a light in my life, but of course it just wasn’t how I ever thought our final parting would be.  We would always end our partings at Claremorris with a “see you later” rather than saying “goodbye,” which was too painful.  Cowboys like to ride off into the sunset of course.  And the Cowboy from Connaught rode off like all cowboys, tall in the saddle and looking forward to what lies beyond the next rise. 

The Good, the Bad and the Nervous Guy

by Kris Sundberg, director of the music video "Pour Me"

I was thrilled when Marty and Brian first asked me to create a music video for their new album, Kanoka. They even graciously decided to let me choose which song I wanted to do. There was just one problem: the album wasn't finished yet. Luckily, I got to see them play a few live shows last summer where they unveiled some of the new songs. That's when I first heard "Pour Me" and I knew immediately that song was going to be the winner.

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The music video for Switchback's "Pour Me" was shot in two drastically different locations. I first filmed the band performing the song while I was on vacation with my family during this past New Year's celebration. We had all traveled with the band to our cabin on St. Joseph Island in Ontario, Canada, and Switchback was to play at a party on the island to ring in the New Year. Since I live in Los Angeles, CA, I knew this would probably be my only chance to get any live footage of the band. So the band members, my production assistant (aka my girlfriend) and I went to the venue a little early and ran through the song 5 or 6 times to shoot different angles of them playing. The stage was already set up for the party, which meant I didn't have to worry about lighting the band, which was nice, but there was a giant Canadian flag behind them that snuck its way into a few shots. I consider it a tribute to our friends on St. Joe.

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The second part of the video took us from cold and snowy Ontario to the blazing heat of the Imperial Sand Dunes in Brawley, California, just north of the Mexican border. As I listened to Kanoka, I of course began to imagine the old west and decided it would be really fun to pay homage to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the finale of which is one of my favorite cinematic moments. I called upon a good friend of mine, Nick Miller, to be the director of photography for this portion. Nick and I went to school together and have collaborated on several projects in the past. Most people would probably shudder at the idea of driving 4 hours to film in the desert all day, but I knew Nick would be ready for the adventure. I then asked Lauren LoGrasso, an actress, musician, and friend from college, to help with the casting. She introduced me to Kit Leonard and he graciously agreed to play the part.

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The next Saturday I woke up at 5am and got ready for the shoot. I hopped in my car and went to pick up Nick and the rest of the equipment. After a much-needed stop for coffee and breakfast, we hit the road for Brawley. We arrived at the location around 10am and looked out at the dunes. The view was breathtaking...despite our best efforts, I don't think any video or pictures can ever quite do it justice. But then we had to start unloading the equipment. It was a cool 105 degrees as we carried all of our gear down into the dunes. We needed to be far enough away from the parking lot to get the wide shots that I wanted (like the one where you can see all three of the Kit Leonards standing around the table). Nick and I each had to make about 3 trips back and forth from the car to get it all down there. I had asked Kit to be there by 11, so by the time he arrived and we were ready to start shooting, Nick and I had already been awake for 6 hours and had lugged heavy equipment up and down sand dunes! It was a good thing we came prepared with lots of water.

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Kit was an amazing person to work with: a very talented actor and never complained once about the heat (we did take a few breaks to go back to our cars and bask in some air conditioning). He revealed to me that he had traveled through the Sahara with some friends in the 70s, so this was nothing new to him. I think he even handled it better than Nick and I, who both had to take a break at one point because we were feeling faint. So much for the vitality of youth.

There were a few other challenges and interesting moments during the shoot. For the super wide shots, Nick and I had to climb back up to the parking lot and leave Kit out on the dune by himself. Fortunately, Nick had brought walkie-talkies, so we gave Kit one to hide in his pocket, while I brought one up with me so I could give directions from afar. 

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We also had to constantly work out the logistics of the VFX shots, specifically when there was more than one Kit in the shot. We would have to keep the camera in the exact same spot and make sure Kit was either wearing glasses or not, holding the guitar the right way, tilting his hat up, etc. Then he would have to switch to one of the other characters and walk over to a different spot. I gave each character a really creative name so I could easily communicate who Kit was supposed to be at the time; there was "Hero," "Villain" and "Nervous Guy." I then merged the footage in the editing process so that it looked like there were two (or three) Kits in the same shot.

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We filmed until the sun was just descending over the horizon, then frantically set up for the last shot: the iconic western movie staple of riding (in this case walking) into the sunset. Nick and I then spent the next hour hiking our equipment back up the sandy hill and somehow managed to finish packing before dark. After a long 4 hour drive home, we were finally done. We were exhausted and caked in sand (as was my car), but we felt that the day had gone extremely well and that our adventure would result in a great music video.

If the mountain won’t come to Mahomet

We were sitting in a restaurant parking lot down in Springfield, Illinois. It was a late April morning, but the temperature was already starting to climb. Brian and I were on tour playing at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. Our friends Penny and Sheila at the Springfield Area Arts Council booked us to play the Hope Institute as well, a wonderful state run facility for children with special needs. While we were on tour, we also were working our telephones, getting people to come to the release party for Kanoka in Chicago.  

“Call CJ,” Brian said. “See if she and Charlie can come out.”

Any Switchback fan from the northeast corner of Iowa knows Charlie and CJ. They are great dancers. Charlie is a farmer and his wife CJ is an insurance agent. We have played for them and others for the past 20 years, starting at little bars in Winneshiek County and moving on up to theaters and festivals. Seeing Charlie and CJ at your event means two things:  first that the event will be a success, and second that you will be in for some great dancing, because Charlie and CJ take to the floor and immediately other couples follow suit. Charlie has a grin on his face throughout the song as he and CJ glide across the floor. There’s always something magical to me about their ability to get others to dance. I guess it’s the realization of two people deeply in love and enjoying life, and they are not afraid to get out on the dance floor and just be themselves. Certainly it’s a way of life in northeast Iowa, people kicking off their shoes and dancing in their bare feet. The wonderful circle is created between the band and the fans, pumping a lot of energy. I definitely wanted that vibe for our release party.

I dialed CJ and told her the purpose of my call. “Oh no, we won’t be able to make it into Chicago,” CJ said apologetically. “Charlie is planting and there is no way he will be able to get away.”

After a couple minutes of pleading and wondering what the forecast will be two weeks into the future, I knew it was no use. A farmer has to plant his fields when they are ready and so no Charlie and CJ at the release party. I finished the call and had that feeling of disappointment at the image of the evening with them there dancing slowly fading away.

Charlie and CJ weren’t the only ones. Other fans called in with their regrets. Even my Mother called in with her and Dad’s regrets:

“Mom, whaddya mean you can’t come to the release party?”

“Sorry, Martin, but your sister Celia has to be in Atlanta and Dad and I are taking care of the kids.”

“But I mentioned it to the family back in January!  How could this happen?”

“You know, things get busy, your sister is busy, people are busy. It happens!”

When your own mother can’t make your release party, it’s time to evaluate things.

Don’t get me wrong, the release party was a great success! We had the whole house filled to capacity. Kaija, Nick’s girlfriend from Decorah, Iowa, led the charge on the dance floor with bare feet and all. Katrina, who flew in from Washington D.C. for the release, joined her and soon the room was full of people dancing and having a great time. Beatrice and Mel from Oak Park were out there exhorting other couples to take to the floor. The Arnolds, Wilsons, and Wisniewskis had the Hoosier contingent occupying the back wall and I could see them swaying to the music.  And even some new fans from Newark, Ohio, drove in for the show and marveled at the diversity of music and the enthusiasm of the audience.

Through the whole process of getting people to come to the event and afterwards, I kept hearing this old saying in my mind: “If the mountain won’t come to Mahomet, Mahomet will come to the mountain.” And I realized that in essence, was an unwritten rule for any independent musician. Curious about the origin of the saying, I looked it up online and sure enough Wiktionary had the answer. It seems that Sir Francis Bacon had either created or collected the saying and published it in 1625.

Mahomet made the people believe that he would call a hill to him, and from the top of it offer up his prayers, for the observers of his law. The people assembled; Mahomet called the hill to come to him, again and again; and when the hill stood still, he was never a whit abashed, but said, If the hill will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will go to the hill.

Wiktionary went on to say that there is no link to the prophet Mohammed or Islam either written or oral. It’s just one of those sayings that came into being. I am sure Francis Bacon must have heard it from someone as it is such an odd saying.

More interesting is the meaning of the phrase, especially to an indie musician: If your fans can’t come to you, you must go to where the fans are. Thus the need for touring. So throughout this summer, we will have celebrations of the Kanoka album starting with the Mayfly Dance Dance on Friday, June 21 in McGregor, Iowa. There will be a Canadian release party on Sunday, June 30 on St. Joseph Island. And others are in the works for Texas, Kansas, and Ohio. The website will have them listed and we would be very grateful if you come out.

Touring is part of the life of a musician. It is for the very reason that all of our fans lead busy lives themselves that touring becomes an essential way of communicating and re-establishing the bond between fan and musician.   There is nothing that can replace the energy of community. Fans who were in attendance at the Oak Center in Minnesota or the Midland Theater in Ohio or the Prairie Window Concert Series in Kansas or any number of other places understand that feeling of electricity that occurs when everything falls into sync. It’s also why we so value our dedicated volunteer group, STeam, that help us make sure that fans get connected with the venues in their areas and make it possible for us to be there to play.

There is an acknowledged, shared sacrifice: we all give up some of our precious time on earth to come together because we believe in the beauty of music and we also believe in the sharing of the moment. You have to be there to share, plain and simple.

The next morning Brian and I along with Keith Riker performed at the Hope Institute. The kids were all seated for the show. Cliff, the director of the center, and I talked. “Let’s just make it a dance party,” I suggested. He agreed and soon we were tearing into the Kanoka album.  Immediately a young man got up from his seat and bolted toward the speaker. He started dancing in front of it, allowing the vibrations to wash over his body.  His smile was ecstatic and soon he was joined by two other dancers. Kids stood up from their chairs and screamed with delight. Some teacher aides had a tough time keeping kids from dancing out of their areas and I would watch an occasional kid bopping down the aisles, a teacher in hot pursuit. Other kids were quietly sitting, taking in the show. The entire energy was magical and joyful.  We ended the concert as exhausted and happy as the kids were. That one young man danced for every song in front of the speaker. He left still moving and smiling.  

As we rolled up the cables, Brian remarked, “Now that was a release party!” and I agreed. It was truly the debut of Kanoka for a very appreciative audience, who didn’t really know who we are, would never buy an album, but just lived in the moment for the music.

And here again, that saying came through. It’s the other side of our music, which is to bring music to those who would seldom if ever get a chance to hear it live. If the hill won’t come to Mahomet, Mahomet will come to the hill. And if these kids can’t come to see Switchback play, Switchback will come and play for them. 

The American Soundscape of Switchback's Journey to Kanoka

There is always a moment of anticipation, suspense, and joy as one tears the plastic sheath off a new CD, opens the jewel case, pops the disc out of the restraining center fingers, and slips the recording into the sliding tray of the player.  It is an unconscious ritual recreation of your favorite birthday present being unwrapped-- a magical moment as living music emerges from inanimate machine.  That pristine plastic disc suddenly sings in vivid aural hues.  Oh sure, perhaps the suspense and joy are a little different in 2013, a little more muted, as the music is now merely a few mouse clicks and a download away with the instant gratification of iTunes.  But still, the experience is pure enchantment as you and the music are conjoined.

Technology enables sound on your laptop, tablet, or smartphone almost instantly, but the personal connection to the artist becomes pale and distant without cover artwork, without liner notes, or even the comforting tactile feel of the disc and jewel case that are themselves faint echoes of the nostalgic vinyl LP experience.  The CD is different, though.

The CD can be conceived as an organic whole in which all the music lives together in the same neighborhood. Each song in this community is invested with a specific role creating a narrative experience as one cut leads inevitably to the next.  Like a train, there may be a “hit song” engine that drives the rest, but each car carries its own passengers and freight in which the sum of the whole is greater than its parts.  The whole idea of a cloud technology digital library destroys the album concept and works to dissolve the unity of the CD.  Tracks are sold for 98 cents each.  Every song is an orphan. Cheap, quick, sound bytes trump carefully wrought unity.

And yet, here in your hands, is the promise of something very different.  Deliciously retro in its unity, wonderfully conceived as a whole, with a music that is nurtured by the sweet scent of Midwestern soil and inextricably linked to the fascinating characters that inhabit the heartland of America,  Kanoka is an astonishing ramble through the heart of Americana soul, a love story redolent of Walt Whitman’s lyrical verse.

Kanoka is unity.  In fact, the fictional place name is nearly a palindrome; the album itself is a palindrome.  The title track opens with the sound of a surging train wedded to the soulful whistle of Lloyd Maines’s steel guitar. The final track, “Bottom of the Bottle of Beer,” trails off like a caboose coda in the distance graced with those same train track clacks and Maines’s steel rail wails.  The circle is unbroken.

Switchback is very unusual in that the band consists of only two performers in both live performance and recording situations. Marty McCormack and Brian FitzGerald have forged an identity and shared vision over a twenty-five year relationship that has enabled them to enfold others in their music as an integrated extension of themselves. The presence of musician’s musicians, Lloyd Maines on pedal slide guitar and Howard Levy on harmonica, allows Switchback to draw upon the full soundscape of American life.  Drummers Jim Hines and Nick Hirka and percussionist Keith Riker inject the pulse that is the heartland heartbeat.

Levy’s harp is woven into the band’s mix on four cuts, but more importantly, there are a pair of extraordinary solo interludes that punctuate the album.  The first is a jovial blues cowboy meditation on Western life that makes a seamless transition into the first sweet notes of Maines’s steel guitar that begins “Van Tassel.” The second interlude, a prelude to “Rocky Mountain Express,” dances merrily along its path to a graceful extended arpeggio that ends in a sweetly sustained final whistle tone.  And then, from the distance, this is answered in the same key with the onrushing rhythm of the “Express.”  This transition is a kinder, gentler nod to the scream as train whistle in Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps.

Maines’s pedal steel percolates through Kanoka like the Mississippi embracing the heartlands.  Crying into the high lonesome American night, poured into another honky tonk round, slipping along Highway 20, the sweet sigh of a waltz as a foil to the life’s bucking bronco in “Rope as I’m Riding,” a lyrical counterpoint to the vocals in “Wrong You Can Write,” the onomatopoeia of water through sand, or a sinister swirling cyclone. There is a little Lloyd Maines melodious fairy dust sprinkled liberally throughout, imbuing the album’s diversity with unity.

Diversity and unity.  The beauty of train travel is that you remain the same and your immediate surroundings remain the same, even as the scenery outside the window continually shifts. Switchback travels through the full range of American musical scenery, pausing to visit genres and musicians that have shaped our nation’s sonic history.  There is more than a hint of George Jones country in “Pour Me.”  “Rocky Mountain Express” rides the same rails as “Orange Blossom Special.”  The specter of “Ghost Riders in the Sky” is conjured by “Wrong You Can Write.”  The tight vocal harmonies of “Water Through Sand” or “Bottom of the Bottle of Beer” reference the country rock sound of the Byrds and Poco.  There is even a hint of U2 and Bono in the anthemic vocals of “I’ll Be Damned.”  Costumes reveal more than they conceal. Though cloaked in various styles and influences, Switchback remains Switchback. Integrity and truth are enthroned in their music.

Kanoka dispels the borders dividing life from music by weaving non-musical sounds into several songs.  Far more than sound effects, the iconic West is invoked with horse whinnies, timeless generations are symbolized through waves breaking on a beach, and the album’s journey is reflected in the rhythmic train sounds that open and close the recording.  The thoughtful mix of sounds is emblematic of Switchback’s attention to both nuance and idea.

Kanoka surely will be characterized and marketed as Americana, but this album transcends that commercial branding formula.  Kanoka is more than Americana—it is the sound of America itself.

Ron Pen, director

John Jacob Niles Center for American Music

University of Kentucky

An Afternoon with Switchback

By E. Wanda Quay

One of the things that make it possible to work through life’s trials and tribulations is to have a backlog of really uplifting experiences - the kind that fill your heart and soul and mind so that your cup runneth over. Luckily I had one of those here at Kendal on Friday afternoon, March 8th, when we had the good fortune to hear a program of music presented by the “musical partnership of Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCormack known as Switchback.” Each of them was an established musician in his own right when they came together 27 years ago.

Both of these personable performers sing and play guitar, with Brian switching to mandolin part of the time. They lived up to their billing as presenters of “An Amazing Mix of American Roots and Celtic Music,” clearly evidencing an extensive repertoire. As the program unfolded we were treated to a wide spectrum of music ranging from the toe tapping, foot stomping, hand clapping sort to the calm, tranquil, quietly meditative, easy listening kind. One could say the selections went from the sublime to the absurd.

The program began with a delightful instrumental opening number called “The Boys of Bluehill,” a traditional Irish jig.  One piece that particularly touched my heartstrings was their tender rendition of “I Will Take You Home Again, Kathleen.” My mother often sang Irish songs in her beautiful soprano voice and this one was one of her favorites. It was from her that I learned it was written by a German for his Irish bride. Thus when Martin said he was going to sing an Irish song actually written by a German, I knew immediately which song he meant. Another of my favorites was “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” from the romantic pop-art opera which illustrated yet another facet of their talent.

We were also favored with numbers such as “The Wabash Cannonball,” “Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy’s Chowder?,” “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” and “Moonshiner,” an Irish drinking song about poteen, Irish moonshine. These along with other similar pieces provided opportunities for foot stomping, hand clapping, and singing along. In addition they mixed in Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" and an interlude of solo mandolin, quiet hymn-like music by Brian for good measure.

The extent of their ability was demonstrated when they presented an original composition called “Right Then,” which they were inspired to compose in the style of the songs popular in the big band era after visiting the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. It took me back to the days when I was dating.  The program ended with their unique version of “Ghost Riders in the Sky.”

For me it ended too soon because it cut short my walk down memory lane, for that is what I was experiencing as they played and sang. Each number evoked a special memory since music has been at the center of my life. Music has become the fabric that binds my heart, soul, mind, and body together. Without music life would be unbearably empty. Thus I feel it a privilege to find myself in the presence of musicians with what I perceive to be kindred spirits like those of Brian and Martin. And so it was these two Irish men charmed me with their music and helped to make me whole. And it wasn’t only me. From the reaction of the audience I would say most of them were charmed as well.

To STeam or not to STeam

Well, that is the question.  Are you a STeamer?  You might be asking what exactly that means.  If you are ready to do that little (or big) extra to insure the success of Switchback then you are ready to STeam.  Perhaps you can hang posters and hand out flyers about upcoming concerts and events.  Start a phone tree in your area to spread the word about a concert.  Contact your local PBS station about airing the Celtic or Americana Sessions.  Let your local radio station know you would like to hear Switchback. Help out at concerts.  That merchandise doesn't sell itself, and Marty and Brian have enough to do without having to sell shirts and CDs!

Many of you are already STeaming and some of you have yet to join the team officially, but this is census time.  We need an accurate count of who you are, where you are, and how to reach you. I encourage all of you to get on Facebook.  Once there, please like both the Switchback page and the Switchback STeam page.  Post a comment or a message on the Switchback STeam page and I will send you a message.  Or post a message on the page with your info and I will retrieve and contact you.  Facebook is really the best way to keep up with all that is happening with Switchback.

If you just don’t want to deal with Facebook please send an email to me at switchbacksteam@gmail.com  and I will contact you.  Please reach out even if you have been a Steamer forever because we need to know who is still active and that the information we have for you is correct.  I hope to be getting lots of posts, likes, and emails!

Michele Shubitowski, STeam president

Hogwarts on the Mississippi

By Martin McCormack

Magic: The power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces

Last fall, at the gentle urging of my wife, we headed to the theater to catch the last Harry Potter movie.  Having never read the books, I nonetheless was entertained by the whole fixation with magic during the movie:  people pointing wands at others and making huge fireballs of blue light and of course the juxtaposition of good versus evil.  Good wins out in the end and we muggles are none the wiser for it.
  
As children’s entertainment the movie was great.  But I left the theater feeling frustrated that magic is presented as something that is almost unattainable, especially if you’re an ordinary mugwump of a muggle.  Also, I think most moviegoers would believe that magic is just a special effect or a simple trick. 

Magic is here. It is not in the hands of magicians but in the minds of musicians and specifically songwriters.  Recently I was told the story of Sixto Rodriguez, a musician who had a couple of albums out during the 60’s and was basically considered a has-been.  The records he penned though resonated with people and unbeknownst to him were picked up by the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.  Several of his songs became anthems that literally united the movement that brought down the regime.  He didn’t even know that he had platinum records until his daughter came across a website set up by ardent South African fans to find out what had happened to him. Had he never known his belated fame, it would not have mattered, for the result was the same. Sixto, an ordinary muggle, created magic.
                         
Of course, this magic has happened before.  Julia Ward Howe is a name that most people have never heard, yet she created magic that changed the face of America.  During the Civil War, Howe heard a melody that was being sung by the Union Troops.  The melody was Canaan’s Happy Shore turned into a parody called John Brown’s Body.  Ward heard a division of soldiers singing the tune as they were tramping by her home in Kentucky.  She went to bed and during the early morning, she awakened and, according to her book Reminiscences, said that she started to write a song.  She realized that she had to get up and put it on paper “lest I fall asleep again and forget them.  I sprang out of bed and found in the dimness an old stump of a pen which I remembered to have used the day before.” She wrote down one of the most influential songs of that era and the Civil Rights era, The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

The power to change life as we know it exists in each of us.  If magic is using the means of channeling mysterious or supernatural forces to create change, then the songwriter is more of a magician than any Harry Potter.
  
And it doesn’t have to be an anthem to change the world either.  “Heartbreak Hotel” was written by Tommy Durden and Mae Boren Axten.  The lyrics were based on a true story of a young man who killed himself over a lost love.  It took one Elvis Presley to sing it, true, but it was the song itself that launched a whole new era of Rock n’ Roll.  A young man listening to that song on Radio Luxembourg was so transfixed that he started penning songs to influence other people.  His name was John Lennon.

Some magicians are lighthearted Merlins.  Their magic-making is just as important for bringing joy into the world.  When a hip hop musician who goes by the name Baauer released a song called Harlem Shake, it went viral on the internet.   As far as lyrics go? Well, growling lions and samplings of lyrics from other songs, which by themselves are as nonsensical as a Bob Dylan tune.  But it is now a meme on the internet, with people doing various renditions of the song and dancing to it.  A crew of Australian miners was actually fired for doing their version several hundred feet underground.  Baauer’s magic brought people around the world just that much closer.  He magically transformed everyday adults back into children.  Powerful stuff. 

Songwriting is magic.  It is an art in which one channels the power necessary to change life as we know it.  That magic resides in each of us.  And each of us needs to get that magic working.
  
That is why each April we have, for muggles everywhere, the Songwriters Weekend at our own Hogwarts on the Mississippi, the Four Mounds Estate.  We tap into the natural beauty of the river and the surrounding highlands.  We look to each other for support as we explore what words can mingle with what melody.  People of all ages who come from all walks of life suddenly are transformed into magicians with the ability to create one of the most powerful elements on earth, a song.  Our magic wands?  Guitars, computers, pens, paper, harmonicas, zithers, and our voices.

This year we have Kevin Gordon joining us as our head songwriter.   Kevin has written songs that have been covered by people such as the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards.  To watch Kevin perform his music is magic in itself; to have the chance to talk to him about creating songs will be an even greater opportunity for us aspiring magicians. 
 
We also make it very clear that one can attend and just enjoy the making of this magic in and of itself.  For in order for magic to succeed there have to be people willing to accept this magic.  The world is as much in need of song lovers as it is of songwriters.  Being at this weekend allows us all to participate in the joy of making music.  And making magic that even Harry Potter would envy.

WayGoodMusic.com

Switchback Visits the Southwest

From Cactus to St. Practice

A note from Martin McCormack

The temperature in Chicago dipped way below freezing as Brian and I headed through the air for Phoenix’s Sky Harbor airport.  We were on our way to play some shows in the sunny southwest.  With our wives left to handle the deep freeze, we both felt a bit guilty as we landed to summer-like temperatures.  Outside the plane, the baggage handlers all had shorts on and appeared to enjoy their work as they happily slapped our luggage and my bass guitar onto the baggage cart.  The sky was a pure blue, and almost immediately the memory of snow and cold vaporized along with spousal guilt into a blissful reunion with summertime.

A Switchback fan and friend, Norm Weitzman, was there to pick us up and was gracious enough to let us crash at his home in Scottsdale.  Norm is a snowbird, someone who leaves their northern digs as soon as the last leaf falls and stays south until the first leaf buds. Over the next week we were to discover that there are hundreds of thousands of these folks living in the strange but wonderful world of Snowbirddom.  These places are all over the Phoenix area, from upscale gated villages with waterfalls of reclaimed grey water to towns of carefully manicured trailers, where the median age is 70 and you better know a thing or two about pickleball.

Norm drove us around to a place where fans Donna and Bill Miner from Ohio had moved. They’re the hardier stock, the “year-rounders” who stay south during the summer and get to see why Phoenix is also called “The Valley of the Sun.”   Even on a late January day, the sun penetrates and I was surprised to find that I was getting warm as we cruised into their village in Norm’s convertible with the top down.  American flags and Canadian flags festooned the drive and there were even what you could call North American flags, which some enterprising person created by sewing half a Canadian and half an American flag together.  The energy was part resort, part retirement community, and all Mayberry, RFD. 

Irish Cultural Center in Phoenix

After visiting with Donna and Bill we headed to the Phoenix Irish Cultural Center and introduced ourselves there.  This has to be one of the most beautiful cultural centers ever built, with replicas of a Norman tower home and Irish cottages.   We met with Mary, the director, who discussed the possibility of our playing an event there, and with Pat McCrossan, who is the local artisan and director of music at the cultural center.  Pat gave us a tour of the rehearsal rooms and told us how his top Irish speaker and instructor was a Mexican-American lady who fell in love with the language!

Our percussionist Keith Riker drove down from Colorado with his pickup and trailer. Exhausted from the drive, he nearly expanded Norm’s garage into the neighbor’s as he backed in.  We got him unpacked and settled at Norm’s hacienda, and after having a nice dinner, we made plans for a group hike in the Sonoran Desert.  Keith, who has a love of all things southwest, explained to me that the Sonoran Desert is the one that has the saguaro cactus. Those are the cacti one would see in the Road Runner cartoons. They truly are something to see.  The desert itself is incredibly diverse, with a lot various types of cacti, small trees, and even some stubborn flowers.   The ground is pretty much rock, from boulders to pebbles, all haphazardly strewn as if a bored giant tossed them there.

In the Sonoran Desert

We took advantage of our one free day to do some hiking with Norm.  Almost immediately we lost Keith, who took off like a greyhound down the path to reunite with the saguaro.   It was a five mile hike and we passed by people of all ages enjoying the desert.  One English gentleman huffed and puffed by us muttering, “This is like the bloody Bataan death march.”  It was not the easiest trail due to the rocks, but all in all one could stop, rest, and look out over the view of Phoenix and marvel at those amazing saguaros.  By the time Brian, Norm, and I came in to the trailhead, Keith was blissfully watching us come in, his love affair with the Sonoran reignited.

The next day we bid Norm adieu and headed south toward Green Valley.  Green Valley sits in what is called the Chihuahuan Desert, which has more yucca plants along with some grass and scrub.  It is about 30 miles north of the Mexican border and so we were immediately aware of Border Patrol vehicles all around.  Brian’s Aunt Gail lives in Green Valley, and we were welcomed immediately for a nice lunch at the “19th hole.”   Most folks were retirees; in fact, all the folks in the restaurant were retirees, except for the very pleasant staff.

Green Valley, Arizona performance center

Our evening performance took place at the West Social Center.  All the seats in the theater were taken and we had a great sound check.  I had to laugh when we discovered we were to perform an American Roots-Celtic Show program as I had thought the evening was strictly Irish music.  Keith, Brian, and I changed our set list literally minutes before curtain. The folks in charge of the theater were top-notch and we felt very welcomed.   We ended up performing two encores.  One lady couldn’t get enough of Keith.  “Stand up,” she said, “I wanna see ya.”  Keith good-naturedly stood on top of his cajon, which is a wooden percussion box. The audience laughed and clapped for him.

As we headed back to the hotel for the evening, we noticed low flying helicopters in the sky. The desert mountains had a coating of snow at their crests, and it was fairly chilly for that far south.  I thought about all the people who try to cross the desert.  So many die of thirst and heat, but I think winter could be just as bad. The desert truly is friends with no one, I concluded.

We drove onward the next day, heading toward our show in Colorado Springs.  It was a travel day, and so we started out by taking a dirt road that led us through the backcountry of Green Valley.  The area is open range, and every so often we would come upon an Angus standing in the middle of the road and staring as if we were a round bale of hay.  Keith would roll down the window and say, “Hey there, lady,” and that was enough to get the cow moving.  Keith also pointed out the century plant, a cactus-like creation that spends its energy making one blossoming shoot.  It takes years and once bloomed, that is essentially it for the plant.  Up the hillside stood the ghostly stems of past plants.

We made it back onto blacktop and turned off a little overlook.  Here, the signs of illegal immigration were all around, discarded bottles, food containers, and some other items of human existence were strewn about in a mess.  It was a shock to the eye as it jarred with the stark beauty of the desert.  We quickly returned to the truck and headed across Arizona to New Mexico.  Our route paralleled the border, and we watched unmanned blimps stationed over the border.  Our travel into New Mexico was interrupted by a border checkpoint.  A young guy dressed in military fatigues asked us if we were U.S. citizens. “Yup,” said Keith and we drove on.  It felt a long way from Chicago at that point.

Hatch, New Mexico, the Chile Capital of the World

Heading north we stopped off in the famous town of Hatch to fill up on gas and take in the fields that lie alongside the Rio Grande River.  These are the fields that grow the famous Hatch chilies that once roasted are divine additions to any chili, picante sauce, huevos rancheros, you name it.  Brian and I usually try to head back to the Midwest with a bag or two of these.  Along the street there were stores that sold many different kinds of chilies. I wanted to hang around for a longer time and inspect each shop, but the road beckoned and we had to make tracks north to Albuquerque.

Brian with his Aunt Alice and cousins

Brian’s cousins welcomed us to Albuquerque, and we got to meet another side of the FitzGerald clan.  Nora and her husband Alex have a beautiful adobe that looks over the foothills that surround the area.   We spent the night all camped out on their living room floor, and after a nice breakfast and some coffee we headed north to Colorado Springs.

Keith made a detour so we could visit the town of Santa Fe.   I totally fell in love with this historic community.  It has a huge plaza that is filled with western art galleries, boutiques, and Navaho artisans out plying their silverwork.  Houses were festooned with dried bunches of chilies, and the close, clustered adobe structures were beautiful.  Keith pointed out that there are two styles of adobe. One is called Colonial, which were built during the time the Spanish were in charge of the region, and the other is Southwest Territorial, which were built during the time New Mexico was a territory of the United States.  The former has thick walls, old unpainted wooden doors with thick iron hinges, and windows placed deep into the walls.  The latter has every window and door framed in painted white wood and has painted doors.  Both homes have clay tile roofs which gives the overall neighborhood a romantic feeling.  I wished we had more time there but we had to keep moving north.

We arrived in Colorado Springs for our concert.  Owners John and Cindy Hooton have taken this theater which was built in the 1950’s and lovingly restored it.  The acoustics are wonderful as the building itself is basically a dome.   We decided to put on a “St. Practice Day” sort of concert featuring Switchback Irish originals and traditional Celtic music.  Joining us were the members of the Celtic Steps, a great group of Irish dancers.  These young people had just come from a competition earlier that day and were heading for the world championships in about a month.  They wowed the audience and us with their fantastic steps.  We certainly want to work with them again the next time we visit Colorado.  The audience was treated to a very intimate concert of the Rocky Mountain Combo, featuring some fancy spoon work by Keith.  We ended the evening hanging out in the lobby with the audience and talking about music and Colorado and handing out blinking buttons.

We had breakfast with long time STeam member Cathy Osmundson, who had recently moved to Colorado with her boyfriend.  Cathy has been a great help in working with Switchback over the years.  As part of STeam she has personally put up posters, contacted radio stations and hit the phone lines to get people to come to our shows.  We are fortunate that she is now in one of the states we often tour.  I like to say that Switchback is only as good as our volunteer organization STeam.  It’s always an added pleasure to our travels when we are able to meet Switchback friends along the way.

United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs

We then visited with our friend Candyce who is the manager for the Air Force Academy’s cultural arts and entertainment.  It was a great afternoon visiting the Academy and seeing firsthand the challenges of providing entertainment for 4000 plus cadets and staff.  The Academy is basically a town unto itself and is both inspiring and overwhelming at the same time.   We spent some time visiting some of the more famous parts of the Academy, such as the “spires” which houses the various places of worship.  Candyce is a living example of the high caliber of person that comes from the Academy.  Her husband was lost in Vietnam and her son is now a “full-bird” colonel in the Air Force.  She looks on all the cadets as her kids.  We talked about Falling Water River Symphony as a performance at the Academy.  We hope we get the chance.

With Candyce at the U.S. Air Force Academy

It had been a great tour; we were pretty tired the next day as we battled traffic to Denver International Airport.  We saluted our brother Keith, grabbed our bags, and scurried into a huge mass of humanity, most of whom were carrying ski bags. 
  
We missed our flight and were next outbound on a jet that took us first to Minneapolis. There it was -- the snow, the cold, the baggage handlers all bundled up and looking pretty ornery, clouds of breath mingling with the heat of the jets.  At last we continued on to Chicago, happy to be back to our wives and content to contend with the Midwest winter.

   

WayGoodMusic.com