Title: Very Switchback Christmas
Artist: Switchback
Label: CD Baby
Product Type: COMPACT DISCS
UPC: 803757001142
Genre: Folk

About a Very Switchback Christmas Fans of the dynamic duo will no doubt hear the grin on the faces of Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCormack as they invite listeners to a Very Switchback Christmas. Intended as a first in a series of holiday albums, A Very Switchback Christmas captures the live sensation and personal repartee that endears thousands of folks to these two entertainers. A departure from their more serious works, A Very Switchback Christmas was created in response to requests from children who had petitioned the duo for an album of Christmas songs. Here we can find everything from 'Frosty the Snowman' to 'O Holy Night'. There's even a nod to their Celtic roots in singing 'Silent Night' in Irish. If you seek an album that's perfect to listen to while putting up the tree, wrapping gifts or driving over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house, this is it! If you're a first time listener, don't let this album fool you...you're dealing with two of the most prolific songwriters on the music scene today. Check out their other works, but kick back, have a glass of egg-nog and have fun with A Very Switchback Christmas! ---Sonny Dale, Scott's Bluff, NE Understanding the duo Switchback When they met in 1984, Switchback's Martin McCormack was a college student, playing in a pop band with his siblings. Brian FitzGerald, moonlighting as a house painter, was a member of an Irish quartet. Over the next few years, the pair played together in three different bands (two of them traditional Irish). McCormack contributed bass and his classically trained tenor, and FitzGerald supplied guitar and fleet mandolin. By 1993, the tug of their own songwriting talents and love for American roots music inspired them to break away and form their own duo - Switchback. Their partnership has produced nine albums to date, ranging from the lean and energetic debut, Ain't Goin' Back (1994), to the honky-tonk jukebox medley Dar's Place (1998), to the critically acclaimed Celtic twang of The Fire that Burns (2002). Showcasing a repertoire ranging from sentimental ballads to blistering rockers, the duo deliver a powerful sound rivaling that of larger ensembles. While their musical paths have taken them to a variety of genres, Martin and Brian have never abandoned their traditional Celtic roots. Switchback's release, Bolinree, is their third traditional Celtic album. Produced by Texas legend Lloyd Maines, Bolinree truly reflects the band's unique interpretation of original and time-honored Irish music, a perspective formed by the lifelong experiences of their ancestral roots from this side of the Atlantic. Their latest release, Falling Water River, is a serious conceptual album, following the life and times of one Private William Henry. Praised by critics and fellow songwriters, Falling Water River has been hailed as powerful a work for this generation as Simon and Garfunkel's 'Bookends' album. At once eliciting praise and frustration by critics who find it difficult to pigeonhole their eclectic sound, Switchback continues to be driven by their mission to create and bring music to far-flung places and unlikely audiences. And with the rhythmic cadence of their dancing shoes, the audiences return the favor, paving the winding road for the band's well-worn wheels.

Tracks:
1.1 Jingle Bells
1.2 Away in a Manger
1.3 Silver Bells
1.4 Up on the Housetop
1.5 Silent Night
1.6 Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
1.7 White Christmas
1.8 Oh Holy Night
1.9 Frosty the Snowman

Audio Sample:
All soundclips are provided by Tidal and are for illustrative purposes only. For some releases, the tracks listed may not accurately represent the tracks on the physical release.