An Evening With Michael McDermott – Friday October 11th, 2024 – LaSalle, IL

About Michael McDermott:

Music makes a deep connection when it strikes that delicate nerve separating the personal from the universal. If the listener can use the songs as mirrors, then the musician has succeeded in communicating their art. Chicago-based singer-songwriter Michael McDermott has spent decades riding that artistic balance, and he does it again with fresh potency on St. Paul’s Boulevard, which arrives May 20 on Pauper Sky Records.

St. Paul’s Boulevard is a concept album, of sorts. It gathers its creative momentum by introducing characters lost and found, rich and poor, young and old, and many struggling to survive on a fictional street that could exist anywhere. Recorded from August 2021 to February 2022 at Transient Sound and Pauper Sky Studios in Chicago, St. Paul’s Boulevard is the sonic vision of McDermott and co-producer Steven Gillis. Gillis is also on drums, playing with fellow musicians Matt Thompson on acoustic and electric bass; Grant Tye on guitars; Heather Lynne Horton on violin and vocals; and Vijay Tellis-Nayak on piano and organ. Additional musicians on St. Paul’s Boulevard include Will Kimbrough on guitars, banjo, and mandolin; John Deaderick on piano, organ, and keyboards; Danny Mitchell on piano and keyboards; and David Grissom on guitars.

McDermott, who also played guitars and piano on his batch of personal songs, is at his most passionate on choice cuts: “Our Little Secret” is a driving folk-rocker that plays like the soundtrack for restless days and lust-filled nights. “Sick of This Town,” with its chugging folk-country bottom beat, is a cathartic ode to busting out of the neighborhood that cages us in. “Marlowe” pays tribute to Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe character in an anthemic heartland rocker. And “New Year’s Day” is one of those brooding tunes that seeps under the skin and rattles the senses.

About the Venue:

Uptown Grill is centrally located off Interstate 80 and Interstate 39. Our newly redesigned space offers intimacy through seated spaces for the entire venue, featuring full service with cocktails and appetizers. We invite you to join us for dinner before the show, we accept reservations. We offer free parking and our shows are welcome to all ages. All tickets purchased are non-refundable.