There is unmistakable soul-searching in the songs of Michael McDermott.
He has earned critical acclaim for works that explore the inner demons and angst that go along with life.
McDermott, joined by wife Heather Horton, performs 7 p.m. Jan. 31 at Chicago Street Theatre, 154 W. Chicago St., Valparaiso.
Now 46, McDermott has received exposure in Rolling Stone magazine and The New York Times.
“A Wall I Must Climb” gave him video exposure on MTV.
He said darker-themed material dealing with emotional turmoil has a pull on him.
“Those are always the songs, growing up, that I found more interesting,” McDermott said in a recent phone interview. “Those are just the subjects that interest me. I was in jail and I’ve had a long line of addiction and a lot of trouble.”
McDermott has not hid his past battles with booze, drugs and self-destruction. He spent time in jail for drug possession.
Those heartaches have been amply reflected in his compositions.
The resident of suburban Chicago remembers the time an artists-and-repertoire person brought up the matter of the darker songs.
“I remember my first A&R guy: At one point he took me into his office at the label in New York,” McDermott said. “He played me some Van Halen.”
With a laugh, McDermott recalled how that record-label representative merely wanted to illustrate that the subject matter of songs doesn’t have to be so “serious all the time.”
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Still, McDermott continues to find himself drawn to songs about meatier matters such as survival and redemption.
“I came up broken, and those are the things I know, and you write about what you know, at the end of the day,” the guitarist and pianist said. “I think those resonate with people more. I probably don’t sell as many records because of that, but that’s my work, you know.”
McDermott’s song “Wounded” conjures up the feel of Tom Waits material as it crackles with sparkling piano work. In a slightly different vein, McDermott’s “Antique Store” is strong and evocative in the style of Bruce Springsteen.
McDermott’s official biography states that his swing to “more life-affirming choices” is reflected in his self-released albums “Hit Me Back” and “Hey La Hey.”
Continuing the creativity, the singer said he has a new record coming out in May.
An intriguing endorsement of McDermott’s work comes from a horror-fiction icon.
McDermott’s website lists a quote from Stephen King: “Not since I first heard Bruce Springsteen singing ‘Rosalita’ had I heard someone who excited me so much as a listener … .”
Joining McDermott onstage for his Sunday show in Valparaiso will be his wife, Heather Horton.
“She’s an amazing harmony singer,” McDermott said.
An artist in her own right, Horton gives insight into her acumen when asked to cite musical influences.
“I mean, that’s an impossible question, but I’d say Led Zeppelin, Mozart and Prince. But if you listen to my music, you’d go, ‘Huh, I don’t get it,'” she said. “I grew up listening to Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel, and Cat Stevens, and that’s probably what you hear in my music.”
She and McDermott have a 5-year-old daughter, Willie. As musicians, the couple spend a good deal of time on the road. “It’s definitely a mixed blessing once you put a child into the picture,” Horton said.
Michael McDermott
Where: Chicago Street Theatre, 154 W. Chicago St., Valparaiso
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: $25; VIP couch seat $50
Information: 464-1636, ext. 1; www.chicagostreet.org