Michael McDermott

Hailing from Chicago, Michael McDermott drew early inspiration from rock & roll. Difficulties with multiple bands prompted him to pursue a solo path instead. Brief college attendance gave way to performances across Chicago coffeehouses and bars. Time spent observing and joining numerous folksingers on stage encouraged him to weave Irish music into his sets. Steady gigs at Harrington's pub built grassroots buzz that secured a contract with SBK. His debut album, 620 W. Surf, arrived in 1991, while the 1993 follow-up Gethsemane signaled a decisive move beyond coffeehouse roots toward rock. A self-titled album surfaced in 1996. Four years of touring and songwriting yielded Last Chance Lounge in 2000. McDermott released the studio album Ashes in 2004 and, two months later, issued the companion disc Beneath the Ashes, drawn from the same sessions. The double-disc demo collection In a Goddess Night followed soon afterward to sustain interest until his next studio effort, Noise from Words, appeared in 2007.