One of the Girls

Q: You do not appear to be girls.
A: That's not a question.
(But we'll tell you the story anyway)

The One of the Girls Story

Tom 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--with Tom's girlfriend Molly (who is, incidentally, one of the guys)--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." The rest is history.

In current events, Mike is the most recent addition to the band.

Biographies

Tom Schorsch lead vocals, web design 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. 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.	Sean Michael Francis Sullivan guitar, 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 21^st century folk band. God bless America.
Roger Sherman bass Fed up with political corruption and expensive auto registration, Roger moved from Vermont to Chicago a year 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?" The truth is that Roger is only in it for the money and the glory... of being called a girl and playing Irish folk tunes... for free... on street corners in Andersonville... every Tuesday... at around 7:30... you should come see him. 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!	Tripp Hudgins mandolin, bouzouki, 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 is married to Trish (a Chicago actor) and is an American Baptist pastor. He is a happy man. Tripp is a pastor at The Community Church of Wilmette and Reconciler, and 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.	Michael Scott Duplessis accordion 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 three 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.

Photos of Sean and Roger above taken by Molly.
Photos of Al & Tom above taken by some friend of Al whose name escapes me.
Photo of Tripp above taken by Nadia.
Photo of Mike above taken by someone not afraid of dinosaurs.