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 The
One of the Girls StoryTom was in a play in early 2004, and was backstage at one point while the girls in the show were discussing feminine things. They didn't pay Tom no nevermind. He was just one of the girls. Tom and his brother Al wanted to put together a band for St. Patrick's Day 2004. So they did. But they needed more than a banjo. They contacted Tripp. Trish, one of the girls in Tom's play, was Tripp's fiance (now wife). Tripp was one of the girls too. A week before St. Patrick's Day, Sean, who was in a play that Tom was assistant directing, asked to join the band. Are you following? Being that Sean was the youngest sibling of several sisters, and given the above-documented "invisibility in the presence of girls" of the other band members, One of the Girls was born just before St. Patrick's Day 2004. One fine spring day, the Girls were rehearsing on a street corner, when Roger walked by. "Say, wouldn't you gents like a stand-up bassist for your music-band?" he asked. "Why, of course we would," was the reply. "But we must advise you that we are Girls." Some time later, Al packed his bindle, hopped on his bike, and pursued a solo career touring the country with his banjo. Now living on the west side of Chicago, he'll occasionally return to sit in with One of the Girls. Right after recording our first album, A Streetcorner Summer (2005), Mike joined the band, adding musical depth, mad accordion playing, and a wicked sense of humor. |
 Tom
Schorschlead vocals Tom
grew up listening to his mother's old Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem
records. From the musically talented German-American clan of
Schorsch, Tom is somehow more than half Irish (thanks to the Ryans, the Tullys, et al.). Trained as an actor on
the stages of Chicago and at the British American Drama Academy at
Oxford University, Tom has sung to himself, to musical theatre
audiences, and in von Trapp--I mean Schorsch--family gatherings.
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 Sean Michael Francis Sullivanguitar, vocals & percussion Sean Michael Francis carries
the patronym of his fathers before him; the O’Sullivans were a proud
and distal mob, carousing the so’westerly shoals of the Emerald Isle.
‘Til fortune came, and they paid their dues on the ships to America,
seeking newer and loftier horizons. Their long legacy, frought with
toil and strife, has culminated to this moment: the sole bearer of the
Sullivan/Riley patronym (the youngest of four, and the only boy), an
actor and stagehand, playing guitar and singing in a 21st
century folk band.
God bless America. Sean has appeared on A&E's The Beast, has been nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for his stage acting, and currently understudies the role of Johnny Cash in the musical sensation Million Dollar Quartet. |
 Roger
Shermanbass, vocals Fed up with
political corruption and expensive auto registration, Roger moved from
Vermont to Chicago several years ago. He found himself under a powerful Voodoo
spell, most likely woven by some mandolin playing baptist minister with
a beard, glasses, and a wife named Trish. Now, against his will,
he responds to the phrase "Hey, you're one of the girls, aren't you?"
As a bass player, Roger has shared the stage with the likes of Dave Brubeck, Victor Wooten, The Chicago Bluegrass Band, The Hen House Prowlers, The Sons Of Susan, and the Night Watchmen of the Lake View Lounge fame.
Always up for another set, another tune, or another Guinness, Roger is a fundamental part of the arrangement process in One Of The Girls. On top of being a musician, he also considers himself a writer and lover of plants. His head spins around 360 degrees when he plays and he speaks in an evil tounge not spoken on this earth for thousands of years. Muhahaha! You can see his rants under the guise of Obsquatch. |
 Tripp
Hudginsmandolin, bouzouki, banjo, vocals, percussion It
is all about context, people! What do you do when you are an American
mongrel from almost-rural Virginia living in Chicago? You learn to play
Irish tunes on a mandolin. You might also transfer that skill to the
Celtic bouzouki. You might not. You also might meet a guy who wants to
put together a band. That works pretty well. Oh, and you
might find yourself getting married to an actor...and getting ordained
to the Baptist ministry.
These are the risks of moving to Chicago. Tripp has sung professionally with His Majesty's Clerks, Chicago Choral Artists, The Schola Cantorum of St Peter as well as other Chicago area churches. He appears on more than a dozen professional recordings. He plays mandolin (and the related Celtic bouzouki and tenor banjo) and guitar. His vocal experience covers a wide swath from the Gregorian to jazz, classical, the Irish and back again. Tripp is married to Trish (a Chicago actor) and is an American Baptistpastor. He is a happy man. He currently serves as the pastor of The Community Church of Wilmette, a Welcoming and Affirming congregation in Chicago's north shore. He likes to perform impromptu baptisms on unsuspecting pedestrians. (Oh, and he has a blog. Check it out.) |
 Al Schorsch banjo player emeritus Al is Tom's brother and sometimes makes guest appearances at One of the Girls shows. You can read more about Al and his adventures on The Myspace. |
 Mike Duplessisaccordion, piano, bass, guitar, vocals Mike was born on the top of a hill on the shore of Lake Champlain. Soon thereafter, he moved to the top of a hill nestled in a valley of the Green Mountains. As a teenager, he began reading "Sassy", "YM" and "Seventeen" to learn more about the secrets of the fair sex, but instead just became one of the girls, years before he officially became one of One of the Girls. At age fourteen, one of Mike's father's high school friends told Mike that the way to get girls was not to be one of the girls, but was by being a musician. Inspired by this middle-aged janitor/rock drummer, Mike picked up the guitar and began to rock. After being paid for a gig five years ago not with money, but instead with an accordion, he decided that the accordion player would replace the lead guitarist as the new millenium's rock and roll sex symbol. Since the midwest is America's accordion heartland, Mike moved to Chicago, joined OOTG, and lived happily ever after. Mike has played at many Chicago venues including The House of Blues, Martyr's, Kinetic Playground and The Hideout. In former bands he has shared the stage with acts such as Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Crash Test Dummies, Dale Watson, Mike Gordon and many others. Michael is a multi-instrumentalist who has played guitar, bass, piano and accordion in various styles from Americana to hardcore to ska. He currently works as a live sound engineer for several of Chicago's top event bands and orchestras. |