Mike's father's love of blues piano rubbed off on him at a very early age. By five, Mike was playing 12 bar blues duets with his dad and listening to Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Fats Domino. Mike's first band project was in 1983, an un-named attempt in the 8th grade that lasted one show and flew apart from typical band drama (fast cars, fast women...you know the 8th grade lifestyle). In the summer of 1987, Mike teamed up with some very talented guys from Bright, IN to form the rock band Bad Intent, where Mike played keys and sang lead vocals for a couple of years. Mike also filled in playing country piano for Misty Creek for about a year during this time frame (don't laugh...it paid great).

A scattered, interrupted college career found Mike in three different states playing in lots of bands. In Portales, NM, Mike hooked up with a talented guitar player to form the progressive rock band Fast Friction, who played for 1 year until Mike got an offer from The Desert Rose Band, a country music band out of Clovis, NM. Country seemed like a joke to Mike at the time and he almost turned them down until he discovered that country musicians were making three times what rock musicians were making in that area. Mike continued with The Desert Rose Band and occasionally filled in with The Dusters (Amarillo TX), playing country piano and singing backup vocals around New Mexico, Texas, and a couple of gigs in Southern Colorado. After two years in New Mexico, Mike found himself at Ball State in Muncie, IN. Here he joined the rock band Downshift for about a year and simultaneously filled in with Overdrive out of Anderson, IN. In 1991, Mike returned to the Greater Cincinnati area and actually hooked up with most of the current members of Twistlock to try to get a band going. The band (jokingly called the One Night Cram Band) played one gig and then couldn't make it work. After that, Mike played and sang rock and country with Derringer, Blackwood Ridge, and Dirty Waters. Mike left the music scene in 1997 when his first child was born and would have probably stayed retired until he found a videotape of the 1991 One Night Cram Band gig and got inspired to call Chris Brown, who was still working on originals with the ONCB drummer (and current Twistlock drummer) Greg Drew. Twistlock was born and Mike is excited about getting out there after a long time away and kickin' ass with some very talented musicians.

Chris began playing music at the age of thirteen, when his dad bought him his first guitar.  “Coming from a divorced family, one has to think that Dad may have bought it for me just to drive my Mom crazy.”  He began teaching himself, but eventually took lessons from a local talent, Chris Dunnett.  “You have to check this dude out.  Very talented!”  In addition to the playing style from his guitar teacher, Chris’ music influences are, “Everything with a beat that doesn't sound like a dog in heat to anything that doesn't have so much twang in it that it sounds like your ordering from a Chinese restaurant menu.” 

Chris formed his first band, No Questions Asked, in High School, playing parties and special events.  “We were young, dumb and full of ... well, egos, especially me.”   Later in his early 20's, he joined the band, Blind Ambition.  “Blind Ambition had a lot of potential and talent.  However, the lack of motivation by a few of the members, egos and different views on what to play got the best of us.”  After Blind Ambition, Chris co-formed another band, later dubbed as the One Night Cram Band, to play at a friend’s party.  There, he met Mike Dermody (singer in Twistlock).  “It literally was a one night cram band.  I think we had one practice and then played the party.”  A short time later, Chris stepped out of the band scene and set up a small recording studio, Sticky Tongue Studios.  Chris, along with Greg Drew (drummer in Twistlock and One Night Cram Band), began to write originals, one of which was co-written and played during WEBN’s Joke of the Day, quite often.  Seven years later, Chris co-formed a garage band with Greg and Chris Drew (guitarist in Blind Ambition), playing on weekends for the fun of it.   Three years later, a surprise Blind Ambition reunion led to the need for a High School friend of Chris’, Dave Hester (bass player for Twistlock), to fill in for the original bass player, who couldn't make it.   Following the reunion, Chris went back to writing originals, but needed a lead singer to finish recording songs.   Out of nowhere, he received a call from his former band mate, Mike.   “Adding Mike to the originals was just what Greg and I needed.  Combining all three of our perspectives made good songs into great songs.  I realized, just from recording together, that the three of us had to pursue another band together.”  During the quest for a bass player for Twistlock, Chris, again, sought out Dave to add to this collective talent.  Chris believes that this is the best overall band that he has been a part of.  “We're all on the same page, the egos were left in the past, we have the talent and, most importantly, we're having fun.”  

With two older brothers fascinated with music, it was only natural for little brother Greg to follow in their footsteps. As Kiss, Ozzy, and Ratt were finding their way onto his Mom and Dad's record players, his brothers were finding their way onto stages with friends, leaving a lasting impression on little brother (and little sister, Kelli, who plays piano).

Greg migrated to the drum set (probably because his older brother, Doug, had one) where beating the crap out of something just came naturally. But through Jr. High and High School, he drifted to sports, playing football and baseball. Music was always close by as Greg regularly sat in for Doug when scheduling conflicts kept Doug from playing gigs. One such scheduling conflict lead Greg to cross paths with Chris Brown and Mike Dermody. Although Chris Brown was a mainstay in Greg's family for years, this was the first time Chris, Mike, and Greg ever played in a band together (and the last time for many years to come).

Chris Brown and Greg remained friends and worked together over the years recording music and sharing a few small projects and band excursions with his brother Chris. Recording with Chris Brown lead back to Mike Dermody, as Greg and Chris desperately needed a singer to complete some songs. Shortly thereafter, Dave Hester was called on to fill in the last remaining vacancy. At one point or another Chris, Dave, and Mike have either attended school with or played in a band with Greg's two older brothers. Greg's brothers are his link to music.

Greg wishes to thank the following people for his musical success: Doug and Chris, special thanks to Mom and Dad, and thanks to his sister Kelli.

Dave first picked up bass in high school, playing on an old Kay upright fiddle no one cared about and plucking “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby”.  Not quite ready for the stage, Dave managed to at least run sound for classmate and friend Chris and a couple of his bands.

Graduation from high school meant having to leave the Kay behind.  Fortunately, a family friend passed on an old butchered Cort electric bass that had seen better days.  The neck had been shorted by three frets, the body run through a planer and reduced to 3/4" thick and given a gray cammo paint job.  The challenge of the instrument honed Dave’s basic skills - the splinters built calluses.

Dave played casually while in college with a band called Bone, focusing on cover tunes and keeping the day job in clear view.  Highlights of this stage include the police having to regularly shine spotlights in the fourth floor attic window to get attention and to turn the volume down.  Ear plugs were of course shunned and the onset of Dave’s hearing loss can be traced back to this time.  Dave’s sense of timing was also developed with this band, due in large part to a drummer who had a habit of suddenly breaking into different time signatures - without warning or reason.

The last project for Dave before leaving the music scene to breed, was with The Practical Man.  This group focused on all original compositions and eclectic styles ranging from Gordon Lightfoot to King Crimson.  Despite the name, TPM served as a regular band for Ivories, and also played out in other clubs in the area including Sudsy’s, Top Cats, Allen’s Café, O’Grady’s and York Street Café.  This was the first recording project for Dave and he learned the madness of staying up alone for hours trying to get the elusive “perfect track.”  This unfortunately led to a divorce between Dave and his fretless bass.  Greg is trying to mend the relationship and maybe the two can get back together for a song someday.

Influences include Tom the Cat, Geddy Lee, Edger Bergen (vocal influence), Tony Levin, Victor Wooten, and all the old Jazz masters.  Dave is self-taught and plays by ear.