Chicago singer-songwriter Michael McDermott has always lived in dualities—poet and rocker, confessor and storyteller, survivor and dreamer. This fall, he embraces that balance fully with an unprecedented achievement: the simultaneous release of two full-length albums—Lighthouse on the Shore (acoustic) and East Jesus (electric)—on September 13th.
McDermott’s music brims with hard-earned wisdom and unflinching honesty. From the quiet melancholy and lyrical grace of Lighthouse on the Shore to the raw, anthemic power of East Jesus, these companion albums reveal the two sides of an artist who grew up on both Woody Guthrie and The Rolling Stones, Tom Waits and U2. They are songs of survival, sobriety, love, and redemption—deeply personal yet universally resonant. He effortlessly blends natural folk sensibility, pop hooks, and honest rock.
With a career spanning more than three decades, McDermott has been hailed as one of America’s most under-recognized songwriting talents. His work has drawn comparisons to Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, and Patti Smith, and earned the admiration of Stephen King, who once called him “possibly the greatest undiscovered rock & roll talent of the last 20 years.”
Onstage, McDermott’s blend of folk intimacy, rock urgency, and Irish South Side grit makes for an unforgettable night of music. Whether whispering tender ballads or belting full-throttle rockers, he delivers songs that feel like late-night confessions and timeless anthems all at once. McDermott’s inspirational rock is waiting late night with a guitar, spare smokes and stories of the American heart.
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