MUSIC Switched returns with Midwest tour

The band fell into a kind of obscurity in 2002.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
A few years have passed since Cleveland-based band Switched last toured its 2002 Immortal Records debut disc "Subject to Change," but singer-songwriter Ben Schigel remembers fondly the band's Youngstown gigs.
"I think when you play New York or Los Angeles, it's like nobody cares," said Schigel, calling from a tour stop in Green Bay, Wis. "There are so many bands coming through and all of this stuff, and then when you go to a smaller town like Youngstown, there are still a lot of people that like music and it's rare for them to get shows in there. So it was huge crowds. The kids were really animated and into it. Those shows were always the best."
Though the nu-metal act has been on hiatus for the past three years, Switched is back with a reunion tour of sorts that includes roughly 20-some dates in the Midwest. For many fans, the band literally fell into obscurity after returning home from its brief run on the 2002 Ozzfest Tour.
Had hand in producing
What happened to Switched is actually best answered by telling Schigel's story. As his band's notoriety for its powerful live act was growing, so was the singer's producing credits. Over the past few years he's helmed numerous high-profile projects for acts such as Chimaira, Drowning Pool and Breaking Benjamin.
Add into the picture a growing riff with its erstwhile record label and it was just easier for Schigel to use his creative juices behind the production board instead of in front of the microphone. However, before the band officially went on hiatus, it did record a follow-up album's worth of demos.
Fast forward to 2006 and Schigel and company decided to finally release the album, which, fortunately for the band, eschewed the same nu-metal formula found on "Subject to Change." The result is the fresh-sounding "Ghosts in the Machine."
"When we started writing that stuff we were way more into getting out of what we were doing before and more into being a rock band," Schigel said. "When I was writing the songs, I was thinking I don't care to listen to anything else. I just want to write what I feel like writing and if it comes out to be a whatever type of song it comes out to be, then so be it. It was kind of cool to be able to not have any preconceived notion of what we wanted to sound like." The result is an album that doesn't sound dated with tracks such as lead single "Empty Promises," as well as "Suicide" and "Shattered," fitting squarely into the rock radio world.
Fan base
Now completely in control of its own image and music, Switched is having the last laugh of sorts by touring to large crowds based off the publicity from its former major label.
"There are a lot of people who know who we are," Schigel said. "It's like we don't have a load of fans in any city, but we have fans in every city. So just having a fan base that says we need to come out and play a show, it's like people still remember us. We figured with all of the promotion we had in the past, it couldn't hurt us. We didn't want to wait too long too because eventually that'll fade."
Schigel is hoping Youngstown's love for Switched hasn't diminished. The band is scheduled to perform Sunday at The Cellar. As for the possibility of a permanent reunion and another studio album, Schigel isn't making any promises.
"The thing is we could possibly do a record and write some songs but it's like at the point I'm at now with my business, I have to make money," Schigel said. "And if I get an opportunity to produce a record and make $20,000 or $30,000, I can't pass it up because I have to pay my bills."