Switchback
Red Cloud Opera House
413 N Webster St
Red Cloud, NE 68970
United States
Celebrate the holiday season with a Celtic flair! Switchback is the award-winning duo of Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCormack. Their brand of original music has made them an international touring sensation and a presence on PBS in the United States. Dubbed "American Roots with Celtic Soul," Switchback seamlessly blends a Celtic tribal beat with the raw energy of the wide open American plains. Their beautifully crafted songs move the feet while swaying the heart. We are delighted to welcome these talented musicians back to the Red Cloud Opera House, and you won’t want to miss their setlist of holiday favorites, Irish classics, and Switchback originals.
Programming at the National Willa Cather Center's Red Cloud Opera House is made possible with the support of the Baldwin Foundation, Nebraska Arts Council, and Nebraska Cultural Endowment.
The National Willa Cather Center is ADA accessible. We offer physical, visual, and audio accommodations for all attendees. If you require handicapped accessible seating, an ASL interpreter, or any other accommodations, please contact our Visitor Services Coordinator, Nick Powers, at npowers@willacather.org. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.
About the Band
There is a point in certain musicians’ careers where their music begins to be recognized for its influence on others. At that point, they cease to be part of the crowd, but rather, the standard to build upon. The duo Switchback has become such a standard, with critical recognition of their contribution to Celtic and Americana music, as well as their overall success as consummate entertainers. American Songwriter Magazine praised Switchback as one of the seminal groups to blend American roots and traditional Celtic styles. Switchback’s hybrid has an energy and joyous abandon that Matt Malloy of The Chieftains proclaimed “powerful!”
With three PBS specials, music on NBC, and appearances with the Moody Blues, Jethro Burns, Clifton Chenier, John Hartford, Leon Russell, Dale Watson, the Chieftains, Liz Carol, Martin Hayes and many others, Switchback has earned a place among musical legends. That said, it is perhaps the continuing mission of playing music for those who need it most, in prisons, special need homes, schools, juvenile detention centers, and nursing facilities that set them apart from their peers. As the creator of the National Poetry Slam and author Marc Smith said, “Switchback hits an everybody note.”