Album Notes

After spending his entire musical life on the east coast and penning hundreds of songs, former New York City-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Garth Michael McDermott has settled into Portland Oregon in search of new horizons. About 8 months and one newly acquired perspective later, Garth has begun testing the waters at various venues around Metro-Portland exposing both his new and old music to a fresh audience.

As one half of the lead vocal and songwriting team of his NYC based project, American Lad, Garth (who began writing melodies and lyrics as early as age) possesses the innate ability to mesh them into beautifully poignant refrains without sounding verbose or self-absorbed. Believing that songwriters should write for their own age and not always take the road most traveled, Garth's lyrics weave tales of emotional struggles and internal conflicts but are laced with a sense of optimism without sounding heavy-handed. With instrumentations that can be organic and understated or edgy and suggestive, and with influences that range from seminal rock staples Lennon/McCartney to modern-day pop tunesmiths like Elvis Costello, Neil Finn and Aimee Mann, Garth's songs feature all the simplicity and melodic wallop to settle neatly between smart and powerful even after repeated listens.