620 W. Surf swept through the rooms of my soul in profoundly terrifying and sublime ways. The transparency of such dark beauty, a hallmark of his music, captured me heart, mind, and soul upon first listen. Twenty years on, his music continues to wield incredible power speaking to me in the moment I'm in, and lending me wings in times of confusion and despair. Surely a soundtrack to my life...I don't believe one can ask much more of music than that.

Life was down, and out... I had "become a person I don't understand", then I found McD and he just "cast it in the in the air, sharp as a knife", and his music "Danced with me".... and I was back. Now his music is part of me.... forever.
 

My wife and I first saw Michael when he opened for Lowen & Navarro at St. Patrick's school back in 2000. We were stunned at the songwriting, the emotions, the raw honesty, the charm. I had really only heard "A Wall I Must Climb" at that point. We were hosting our first concert at our own theatre with Lowen & Navarro the following evening, and we looked at each other and said, "If this thing goes beyond one concert, we definitely have to book him.” We ended up booking him 5 times over the course of our series, and the friendship that developed not only enriched both of our lives, but is something we'll always treasure. Through the ups and downs, the good and the bad, there was always the music and always a good soul at the core. When he married Heather, it was as if God said, "OK, Michael. You've suffered enough. Here's an angel for you." We're proud to consider them our friends.

I remember vividly driving south on Harlem Avenue just north of the North Riverside mall just after 620 W. Surf came out. I flipped to WXRT and they were playing "A Wall I Must Climb" as I tuned in.  I had never heard of Michael McDermott and the song just amazed me, profound lyrics, deep emotion and an amazingly catchy hook.  I had to find out who this was.  I pulled into the lot at the mall.  I parked and waited with the radio on until the DJ came on after a few songs and recapped what he had just planyed.  Upon learning about 620 W. Surf and Michael McDermott I went into the mall and bought the record.  I've been a fan ever since.

When I first heard 620 West Surf, I knew it was something very special.  I’d been listening to a lot of Springsteen and Dylan and I immediately knew that Michael McDermott was a true kindred talent.  I played “A Wall I Must Climb” over and over because it resonated perfectly with how I felt about my life at that time; as it still does 20 years later.  Because the songs on 620 West Surf meant so much to me, I decided to send Michael a fan letter.  To my surprise, I received an invitation to see him when he toured Texas and meet him backstage.  In September 1991, at the Back Room in Austin, I got a chance to tell Michael how important his first album was to me and I recall that he was genuinely gracious when I told him that I was a scientist.  We mused about how we were both in search of the truth in our own different ways.  We still are.  Ten years later, in 2001, I was attending a scientific conference in Chicago and I attended one of his shows.  When he greeted fans after the show, Michael remembered me even though he had not seen me in a decade.  Now another 10 years have passed and we are Facebook Friends.  I suspect we will remain friends for life.

I first heard about Michael from a friend of mine who gave me a copy of his "Noise from words" CD, probably 3 or 4 years ago. I knew immediately the music was different from the bulk of the music out there.The emotion of every song came pouring out of the speakers. There was no doubt that Mike wasn't just singing a song, he was sharing a little bit of his life with whoever was listening. Good or bad, no BS. I dug it immediately and knew that that album was just the beginning, and regretted that I hadn't heard of Michael Mcdermott 10 years earlier. Well, since then I have expanded my collection, tried to catch up on 10 years of top notch music, had a chance to see Michael in concert on any and all visits to the east coast, and even had the pleasure of hanging out with Michael on several occasions. Meeting Mike in person confirmed my opinion, no BS, just pure emotion and a God given talent to share it with others.

I love music, always have, and I search for music that moves me.. music that not only touches my heart but kicks in the door on the way in, words and the way they are arranged are a huge part of it, there are many different ways of writing but only certin writers understand how to correctly use phrasing and syllables and string everything together so it not only fits into the melody but creates the melody. Michael’s songs would still stand tall without any music, his words carry and become the melody, so there is a song before there is even music and thats amazing, it's beautiful on so many levels I can't even touch on it. I'm sure he won't remember this but I saw Michael in Lincolnshire many years ago and the show was akin to a religious experience for me, I got to talk to Michael and stumbling and stammering for the right words which I can never seem to find in situation like that I told him I loved his writing and that what he does doesn't come around all that often if at all and then I said please do everyone a favor, “stay away from drugs and small airplanes please” (Buddy Holly) I said this and very much meant it, as goofy as it may have sounded, I felt as though I had just been a witness to something so profound that it was just a matter of time before what Michael was doing would be heard by the rest of the world and as we all know only the good die young. Michael's name very much belongs right next to Dylan and Prine and Steve Earle as well as Robert Frost, Langston Hughes or Leonard Cohen. 

Bob

I remember hearing Wall for the first time on WMMR out of Philly and being totally blown away. When the song ended and heard that Michael was the artist, I went out and bought it right away. I fell in love with the album and to this day listen to it often. After some research, I couldn't believe that a guy so young could write such great songs. What was Michael at the time? 18? Wow. I love the entire album, but being from NY, I love NO. 49. Still one of my favorites til this day. As with all of Michaels songs, he paints a landscape with his words and takes you for that ride. Just hold on cause it's gonna be good!