What is the “The Switch”? Well, it’s two parts really… The first part is brand new band made up of Canadian vocalist Bobby John, twin brothers Tom and James Martin (ex-Vega, Nitrate) on guitars and keyboards respectively and Swedish bassist Dennis Butabi Borg (Cruzh).
The twins first heard Bobby singing on a song they had written with Eddie LaValle and instantly knew they had to work with him. James Martin explains: “I rang Tom up one morning after hearing Bobby sing and told him that he was our guy – we knew straight away we had the right combination with him.” The brothers then asked their long-term friend and musical collaborator Dennis Butabi Borg, if he’d like to play bass on the entire album and join the group. Dennis accepted. Fast forward 12 months and the album is in the can.
Tom Martin says: “It’s the best work we’ve ever been part of: James and I never had complete control of an album with writing and mix, so it’s completely to our taste.” Butabi adds: “I couldn’t agree more, after I’d heard the first demo there was no doubt that I wanted a part of this excellent cocktail of fun, retro vibes that reminds me of growing up in the 80’s. It’s like steering a Testarossa in the Outrun arcade machine while chewing Juicy Fruits and cranking music on your walkman. This is 100% the kind of feel good album that the world needs in these times.”
Not only is The Switch a powerhouse group, but the album was written with a theme. Imagine a movie coming out in the 1980’s that gripped the world the same way 80s classics like “Back To The Future” did, but in a parallel Universe. That Movie is called “ The Switch” and it about a band that goes on a U.S tour, and encounters trouble with an underworld Mob. In a cruel twist of fate , the band have to swap guitars for Deadly Weapons and end up in the ultimate fight for survival.
This was the biggest movie of 1987 and spawned this huge soundtrack which you can hear on “No Way Out”!