MICHAEL McDERMOTT : LIGHTHOUSE ON THE SHORE / EAST JESUS

 

Disc One : Lighthouse On The Shore (45:32)

  1. Bradbury Daydream
  2. Nothing Changes
  3. Goddamnit Lovely
  4. I Am Not My Father
  5. Hey La Hey #23
  6. Gonna Rise up
  7. Where God Never Goes
  8. Lighthouse On The Shore
  9. Count Your Blessings
  10. Grateful

Disc Two : East Jesus (43:54)

  1. FCO
  2. Berlin At Night
  3. A Head Full Of Rain
  4. East Jesus
  5. Lost Paradise
  6. Quicksand
  7. Charlie Brown
  8. Behind The Eight
  9. The Circus
  10. Whose Life I'm Living

Label : Pauper Sky Records

Release Date : September 13, 2024

Review (Written In Music) : Deze rocktroubadour uit Chicago trok onze aandacht in 2014 met The Westies, het muzikale project waarbij zijn vrouw Lynne Horton hem als zangeres en violiste flankeert. McDermott is al enkele decennia eerder actief, in ’91 debuteert hij met 620 W Surf waarop hij zich met zijn rauwe stemtimbre als een rocktroubadour profileert in het zog van Springsteen en Mellencamp, evenwel zonder zijn Ierse roots en de traditionele folk te verloochenen. Samenwerking met producer Don Dixon levert een opvolger op en halverwege de jaren negentig duiken op de titelloze langspeler met producer Joe Hardy (The Replacements) liner notes van Stephen King, auteur van SF- en horrorverhalen en notoire fan van het eerste uur. Ondertussen zijn we zo'n slordige twintig, al dan niet in eigen beheer uitgebrachte, langspelers verder. In het verleden leidde zijn gevarieerde muzikale smaak en benadering wel eens tot minder samenhangende resultaten onderkent McDermott. Op dit in twee delen opgesplitste project komen beide aspecten aan bod. De eerte cd Lighthouse on The Shore onthult vanaf de openingssong, de meer intimistische kant van de songwriter met Bradburry Daydream, een romantische pianoballade en de weemoedige terugblik Goddamnet Lovely. “This time I’m not gonna fall for that“, stelt McDermott in Gonna Rise Up I’m Not My Father, is een rake observatie over de verschillen tussen kinderen en ouders die met het klimmen der jaren meer vervagen en overgaan in gelijkenissen. Lighthouse on the Shore onthult een liefdessong maar het blijft voorzichtig en behoedzaam aftasten in de met celloklanken van Kate Burns gelardeerde titelsong. Lynne is weerom van de partij evenals snarenman Will Kimbrough en pianist John Deaderick. Dezelfde muzikanten verzorgen, aangevuld met een gitarist en een drummer, de instrumentatie van het tweede deel dat met aanzwellende drumbeats en gitaargolven start in FCO. Het lijkt wel of the Edge van U2 even bijspringt in Berlin at Night maar het is wel degelijk de gitaar van Grant Tye, eerder gesignaleerd bij Jay O’Rourke en Robbie Fulks en talloze anderen. Het op melodisch toetsenwerk flanerende Head Full of Rain creëert een zonnige, triomfantelijke, sfeer. De titeltrack East Jesus roept op tot alertheid. Lost Paradise komt wel angstvallig dicht in de buurt van een jonge Springsteen met The E-Street Band. En dat is in dit geval niet eens een verwijt, de twee complementaire cd’’s illustreren nog eens ondubbelzinnig de klasse van Michael McDermott als geďnspireerd songwriter en dito performer.

Review (Americana Highways) : When Michael McDermott first released 620 W. Surf in 1990, he was cruelly slagged off as just another Springsteen Wannabe – in the same harsh fashion which hobbled so many promising singer-songwriters tagged as the new Dylans in the same era. Vicious and unusual – and usually wrong. We are all so quick to try and categorize all artists. Some 20 albums later and, to some extent, still criminally under-known, McDermott remains a true chameleon across all categories of music, managing to shine whether he’s pegged as folk or rock or somewhere in the middle. It’s never hampered him or held him back. Frankly, he’s always been in-between and this double-selection of his sophisticated talents celebrates this very fact. Releasing a double album in 2024 hasn’t really been in vogue for a long time, given the preposterous state of changes of the music business. Not since…..well….Humble Pie’s Rockin’ the Fillmore or the other Fillmore-friendly release by the early Allmans. This is neither of those. So…why now? The simple answer is that East Jesus is largely electric and Lighthouse, more acoustic-leaning. Or, in other words…both loud and quiet. McDermott, now 55, still hails from Chicago (hell, back in ’93, I had him pegged for an Irish singer-songwriter). This inability to glue a sound to him has likely cost him. Still, one listen to either of these two-records-in-one should send you back to doing your homework, if not forcing you into completely falling for his talents. At twenty new songs, this is an epic undertaking. Regardless of where you begin, you’ll quickly realize that neither set is easily branded as being necessarily loud or quiet. So many of these songs fall in the middle, a blend of both extremes. Work up to East Jesus by starting with Lighthouse On The Shore. And pay close attention to the lyrics as this well-spoken artist knows his way around proper prose and lyricism packed with meaning. While the first ten tracks could easily be labelled as slightly more introspective – created with a consortium of like-minded players, the material which seems to stand the tallest is found on East Jesus. The fun-with-the-future “Bradbury Dream” is a lovely piano ballad despite its dark outlook and is, indirectly, a true love song which ultimately conquers all ills, including the end of the world. Given its breathy vocal performance and able supported from McDermott’s piano, the song is further elevated by strings (Heather Lynne Horton/Katie Burns) and synth (John Deaderick). “Nothing Changes” leaves the sense of melancholia behind with an upbeat wash of full-bodied mandola, banjo and acoustic guitar accompaniment (Will Kimbrough/McDermott) as McDermott proposes an overall theme of learning to let things go. McDermott immerses himself in the gloom of faded love with “Goddamnit Lovely, tenderly sustained with piano as strings and added elements of electric guitar add further embellishment. The bittersweet confessional, “I Am Not My Father”, succeeds in proving the opposite as an upbeat presentation of mandola, piano and guitar joins Matt Thompson’s soft bass to warm the room. McDermott’s weary vocal both protests and acknowledges guilt and the awkward art of aging. More often than not, the instrumentation dictates the mood of these songs, no less so than with “Hey La Hey #23,” which cruises along atop piano and cello as McDermott’s softer, somewhat raspier register delivers on a variation on escapism. “Gonna Rise Up” is a beautiful tribute to remaining hopeful despite the misery of feeling less than fulfilled. Not the prettiest of subjects, perhaps, yet the chorus is entirely rousing and positive, if not entirely buoyant. Albeit somewhat dreary, the title track (“Lighthouse on the Shore”) is less dark than the preceding “Where God Never Goes” – a low-key, somewhat surreal song of survival and searching for deliverance. A song of religious conviction or an affirmation of forever love dedicated to the love of his life (McDermott and fiddle-playing Horton are husband and wife)? It matters not. Its combination of piano, synth and cello provide an intensity which accentuates the words while creating an uplifting effect. Possibly serving as some sort of spiritual balm, “Count Your Blessings” proposes the very real possibility of finding light from amidst the darkness while “Grateful” seals the deal with a delicate portrayal to remind us to appreciate how good things can be. The combination of McDermott’s hypersensitive vocal, piano-accompaniment and the addition of Horton’s heart-wrenching violin depicts a fresh and forward-looking perspective with a happy ending. Soaking in melancholy, perhaps, yet there is clearly much light in McDermott’s darker moments. His vocal range adapts to each message as his fellow musicians paint a picture which, despite leaning on the shaded colours, reveal surprising levels of light. If you’re still reading, know that East Jesus – the counterpart to Lighthouse On The Shore – has the unquestionable power to lift you out of any doldrums you might possibly find yourself consumed by. Most importantly, it’s some of the best songwriting and music you’ll encounter this year. Backed on these ten songs by his band, The Arsonists – this is largely the same lineup, adding Grant Tye on guitars, Steven Gillis on drums with Will Kimbrough, Matt Thompson and Gerald Dowd (drums) guesting. Strap yourself in as “FCO” tunnels its way into your brain – disarming you with gently-strummed acoustic guitar and Deaderick’s sheets of keyboard effects. Here is a commanding, big drum sound as Kimbrough’s banjo adds depth to this richly-arranged production. Michael McDermott rises to the occasion, his commanding voice never straining despite the energy required by the performance. Tye provides a scorching solo as the song levitates between sweeping anthem and an intimate take on a positive, “we’ll get there” message. You might suggest a Springsteen-esque leaning – but only in the scale of its all-encompassing, anthemic sound, rather than anything actually resembling a Springsteen vocal. Further dashing any comparisons is the piano-playing and atmospheric electric guitar of “Berlin At Night”. Featuring a rousing chorus, multiple hooks drive a melody that ebbs and flows and ranks highly as one of East Jesus’ strongest tracks. Michael McDermott is clearly at home at centre stage as his bandmates paint a complementary musical canvas around him. Little can prepare you for the disc’s ultimate track: “A Head Full Of Rain,” which screams out of your speakers with one of the most infectious melodies ever – a supremely powerful track with a hope-filled message and enough propulsive rhythm to drive the most studied wallflower onto the dance floor. The lyrics are driven home – as is the message – by Horton’s tidy backup vocals, serving to underline McDermott’s smooth, yet hearty, rasp. Reminiscent of the undeniable groove of “You Get What You Give“ (for anyone recalling the New Radicals’ single), this song offers something to everyone, including some stinging guitar from Tye, if not Kimbrough. Taking a breather with “East Jesus,”piano and keyboards set up a beautiful ballad as cello helps channel the impact of the lyrics – which appear to revolve around depression and addiction – directly to the bone. In a ‘part two’, the song’s tempo picks up, driven by a confident beat and swirls of synth/keyboard effects which effectively remove the sting from any dark reality. Tye’s sizzling guitar meets hard-hitting drums for a tough intro, which softens for a strong, two-voice chorus as the lyrics suggest the loss of love versus moving forward. Upon occasion, Michael McDermott can approach the dreaded ‘adult contemporary zone’ of Richard Marx territory – his band members providing sufficient meat to keep that in check. Meatier fare is found in “Quicksand” – McDermott and Horton doubling up to attack the dangers of succumbing to the temptations of everyday living, backed – in quirky fashion – with a hard rock edge and some inventive contributions from electric guitar, mandola and banjo. “Charlie Brown” is a tasty confection, as cello and acoustic guitar back a breathy vocal outlining another of life’s tough moments which, despite its cheerful-sounding chorus, may seem a one-way street. Namechecking Holden Caulfield, iconic literal symbol for teenage rebellion (Catcher in the Rye), “Behind The Eight” explodes with yet another candidate for Album’s Best Song as a revved up McDermott lets loose with a feral scream before the full band bursts forth with a stunning, power-pop-flavoured and highly animated tour de force. Name-dropping countless pop culture references throughout the lyric adds interest, if not a sense of hope and direction to living a life surrounded by difficult situations. There are many more powerful and effective songs – including the seductively upbeat, “The Circus” – but, clearly, the art of feeling bad or searching for redemption has never felt so good. In truth, East Jesus is the more propulsive and stimulating of these two releases. At the same time, the delicate touches and heartfelt passion behind Lighthouse can only demonstrate Michael McDermott’s grasp of singing, songwriting and all-round artistic excellence. Seeing he and his band perform any of these songs live would be intoxicating, if not entirely inspirational.

Review (Keys And Chords) : Michael McDermott begon begin jaren negentig op te treden in koffiehuizen in en rond Chicago, waarbij hij elementen van Ierse muziek verwerkte in een Amerikaanse folkrocksound . Hij werd door Brian Koppelman van het label Giant Records gecontacteerd, en zijn single ‘A Wall I Must Climb’ uit 1991 van het album ‘620 W. Surf’ bereikte nummer 34 in de Billboard Mainstream Rock tracks-hitlijst. Het begin van iets moois. Nu is er de ‘Lighthouse On The Shore’ en ‘East Jesus’. Muziek heeft dus hier ook twee persoonlijkheden, een dualiteit die vaak wordt gekenmerkt door stille introspectie en door macht gedreven verkondigingen. De vereerde singer-songwriter Michael McDermott uit Chicago genoot van zijn creatieve dualiteit om een ??primeur te creëren en dit met twee volledige albums, een akoestische en een elektrische deel. ‘Lighthouse On The Shore’ is het akoestische opus. Zijn waardige tegenhanger ‘East Jesus’ is de elektrische collectie. De release verschijnt op McDermotts eigen label Pauper Sky Records. Hij groeide op met het luisteren naar een vroege Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Odetta, traditionele Ierse muziek én Tom Waits. Maar hij was tevens dol op de sound van The Stones, The Who, Van Morrison en U2. Zijn songwriting varieert enorm, soms met groot effect en soms een schijnbaar onsamenhangende reeks nummers die nooit een plek op zijn albums zullen vinden. In tien zelfgeschreven nummers verkent McDermott diepe en resonerende emoties met zachte melancholie en openhartige eerlijkheid in ‘Lighthouse On The Store’. De release werd opgenomen en gemixt in Pauper Sky Studio in Orland Park, Illinois met een geweldige groep muzikanten. McDermott op gitaar, piano, bas en zang, Heather Lynne Horton op viool en zang, Matt Thompson op stand-up en elektrische bas, Will Kimbrough op gitaar, banjo en mandola, John Deaderick op piano, keyboards, orgel en Omnichord en Katie Burns op cello. Dit alles werd geproducet en gemixt door McDermott met aanvullend productiewerk van Deaderick. Albumopener ‘Bradbury Daydream’ is een doordachte, aangrijpende ode aan de levensbevestigende liefde. ‘I Am Not My Father’ is een mid-tempo ballad, ‘Gonna Rise Up’, een knappe rave-up, net zoals de titeltrack het middelpunt van het album is. Het elektrische ‘East Jesus’ werd opgenomen en gemixt in Transient Sound in Chicago en Pauper Sky Studio in Orland Park, Illinois met naast McDermott op gitaar, piano en zang, de geweldige ritmesectie met Heather Lynne Horton op viool en zang, Grant Tye op gitaar, Matt Thompson op bas, Steven Gillis op drums, Will Kimbrough op gitaar en banjo, John Deaderick op keyboards en orgel én Gerald Dowd met extra drumwerk. ‘East Jesus’ werd geproducet en gemixt door McDermott en Gillis. De band opent met de geweldige rocker ‘Berlin At Night’, en ze knallen door met die overweldigende titeltrack, en ‘Quicksand, om enigszins te divergeren met het melodieuze ‘Head Full of Rain’.