the real deal
TOMMYGUNN
TOMMY (THE GUNN) GRASLEY
By the Late great iconic Bob Segarini
With the lanky, almost gangly grace of a young James Taylor or high school basketball hero, Tommy Grasley enters a room full of people like a Rockstar who is humbly trying not to take attention away from anyone else in the room he is about to favour with his company.
It is a practiced and assured gait, but tempered by years of experience in crowded rooms, both aware of his ability to intimidate, but more interested in appearing less central, be more accessible, make everyone around him feel comfortable and welcome to engage him in conversation.
It is a refreshing change from those who crave the constant spotlight, the focus of others, the sort of entertainer that opens the fridge door and does 10 minutes when the light goes on.
Tommy is a mensch.
A good guy.
A regular fella.
Except he is much more than that.
Tommy Grasley is The Real Deal.
Gracious is not a word usually used to describe a burgeoning Rock Star but it applies to Tommy. It was though he were raised by a wild pack of Grandmothers…taught to kill and forage with the best of the hunter/gatherers, yet be civil and mannered enough to open doors for the lady folk and stand when they sit down at the table.
Tommy displays his graciousness on the world stage.
He Kills on the stages where he performs, including the stage called a recording studio.
We are gathered on this warm summer night in a beautiful private home that is large enough to double as a hotel, to enjoy the hospitality of our host, an actual well-loved Dragon, and the company of a hundred or so of Tommy’s closest friends.
The reason for this pleasurable excursion is Tommy’s desire to share his latest musical project with us.
It is a “CD Release Party”, but looks and feels more like the reception after a wedding. There are no bowls of Doritos or a single beer ticket. No tawdry bar with overpriced drinks and sticky floors. No…this is how you do it. This harkens back to the days when people were committed to their music and proud of their work, and willing to go the distance to accommodate and entertain their guests. Tommy, and our host, and all who contributed to this well organized evening should teach classes so that others may do as well.
All of the planning and care that went into the presentation of the food, the drink, and, ultimately, the music, reflected back on our Dragon and Our Rock Star and their co-conspirators like an Art Gallery Sconce.
A picture perfect evening.
Jeff Woods Doug Thompson Bob and Al Joynes – pic by Jaimie Vernon
And what was the purpose of this splendid setting the table laden with edible delights, the free pouring wine and beer, the amiable and conversationally endowed participants?
To sell CDs? T Shirts? Tickets?
Nope.
Not at all.
And here is where Tommy earns my undying respect and friendship….
It is simply his desire to share his Labour of Love with family and friends.
You heard me.
The big, underlying reason for what turned out to be one of the best parties I have been to in decades was simply to play a collection of songs that won’t even be available to the public until next year. A collection of songs our young Mr. Gunn is rightfully proud of. A collection of songs inspired by some of the very people in this room, among them his lovely wife, Amy, and his father, and others…friends…who have stood by him all these years of dreaming and playing, writing and creating.
And therein lies the art, talent, and humanity of Tommy The Gunn Grasley.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this column, I have spent a couple of weeks unwriting a great deal of prose.
The more I wrote about IT, the more I felt I should wait to review the album when it becomes available, not months before it is.
I want to tell you all about it when you can listen to it yourself, so we can enjoy the moment together, so it doesn’t drift off your radar prematurely like so many things do these days.
Tommy Grasley deserves your attention.
His MUSIC deserves your attention.
…and I mean to make sure you pay that attention when it is most pertinent.
No, this the time to tell you about Tommy. Tell you about his passion and hard work and commitment. This is the time to introduce you to a man who loves his wife, respects and admires his father, Sonny del Rio, a musician himself who plied the boards with King Biscuit Boy and Kelly Jay and other legendary Hamilton and Toronto musical legends. Who played in Crowbar and backed the brightest and best, who does a solo turn on son Tommy’s CD, an instrumental that bears listening to again and again, much like the rest of the album.
I will say this about the album.
Tommy has written some fine songs here and sings every word with heart and imbues the whole CD with meaning and sincerity. He name checks family and friends, he tells stories, and he is surrounded in the exercise by great players, brilliant engineering, and production that serves his vision.
The song’s influences blended into a unique sound all his own, and one of the most textured recordings I have ever heard.
The guitars alone are artfully laid upon each other like oil paint on canvas, the textures building and falling away, bring aural light and darkness to the songs like layers of paint to a canvas.
The album has depth.
So now you know.
Tommy Grasley.
Remember that name. And when the time is right…
…you will definitely remember the music.