Desmond Grundy

Artist Information

Biography

Having studied musical theory, piano, guitar and drums I had a good grounding in song structure and production. With the purchase of cheap recording equipment I got into music making as seriously as I could. I was very influenced by the rock opera and Music for Airports, so by way of soundtracks I expanded from writing and recording only music to developing film ideas, videos and other publishing projects. A limited budget required unlimited imagination so I started my own media technology company. By 2000 I had a corner office at the top of the tech. bubble --which burst. After a rest and reboot, I found myself deep into web radio and a new red guitar.

Shortly after establishing ‘indie-unsigned web radio’ an idea clicked with me: I was listening to more great songs collecting and playing independent and ‘unkown’ artists than I would ever get to hear on commercial radio; I had found my musical tribe. DIY producers, songwriters, and musicians. Since then, I built a music studio and further developed the songs I was hearing. I have released one full-length record, one four-song EP, and a video score. Over the last few years I have performed on stage solo, duo and with the band ‘Grundy’. As an actor I also have appeared in TV, film, and music video productions . My focus is on songwriting, recording and film. I will be acting in two independent film productions in Toronto during the summer of 2011. See the links in my Filmography to watch me in action in front of the camera.

As described by various A & R types I have never met from North America and Europe:
- "You have a punkish/60s/psychedelic edge to your sound....
- "Your music has a cool gritty vibe that works well with the lyrics that you write.
- “Your vocal delivery is original …has a real raw kind of feel that fits your songs well...
- "You've got a gift for writing very poetic, associative lyrics...
- "Unique verse lyrics... I can hear the Kinks influence in your verse melody! This has a great, convincing retro sound...
- "You have a great aesthetic about your music."
- “…a collage of edgy rock with a swagger and mojo not found since early J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) or the times of Kurt Cobain. Whiskey driven vocal grittiness, obscured
with clarity, Grundy pushes the envelope of cool to the next level.”

Artist: Desmond Grundy: lyrics, instruments, vocals, production.
Published by: Sugar Moon Music, Toronto, and Who's Next Publishing, Los Angeles.

Instrumentation

Desmond Grundy: vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, gizmos for live performance; add bass, drums, keyboards and computer programming for recording sessions.

Discography

Discography:
- 2011: next full-length album currently in production “Tiles from Amber”
- 2011: completed and released 4-song EP “Something Good Comes Along”
- 2008: completed and released 14 song album “Oddly Enough” (in digital-distribution)
Filmography:
- 2011: actor: independent film "Revolution" (twenty-something anarchist surfer dude)
- 2011: actor: "Urban Legends" tv series (mad scientist)
view here: http://www.megavideo.com/?v=LLZBQSBB"
- 2010: actor: Lamont music video "Fragile" (human trafficker)
view here: http://www.vimeo.com/14421267
- 2009: actor: Our Lady Peace music video "The End is Where we Begin" (thug #3)
view here: http://vimeo.com/7170035
- 2005: shot and completed original music soundtracks for two documentary videos

Official Website

http://www.desmondgrundy.com

Links

• MySpace
• Facebook

Audio

• Borealis
  Listen   Download
• Debt Jubilee
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• Something Good Comes Along
  Listen   Download
• A Penny
  Listen   Download
• Black Fly
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• Guns Liquor and Pills
  Listen   Download
• Long Way Down
  Listen   Download
• Straw into Gold
  Listen   Download

Lyrics

• Straw into Gold

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Jeffrey Morgan's Media Blackout [+ Show ]
  

  Desmond Grundy - Oddly Enough (self released) :: So I'm spinnin' the first song and suddenly thinkin...Desmond Grundy - Oddly Enough (self released) :: So I'm spinnin' the first song and suddenly thinking that, no, the absolute last thing I wanna do is say that Desmond is the new Lou Reed 'cause he seems to be way too normal to be saddled with that kind of calamitous tag. But every time I hear the gnarly destorto guitar grinding up behind him, I get flummoxed into thinking that I'm listening to some kinda vintage Velvet Underground gradation. And suddenly IÕm thinking, yes, that's cool because nobody sounds like Unca Lou anymore -not even the old reprobate himself 'cause he's way too normal these days to be saddled with that kind of calamitous tag.

• Desmond Grundy’s “Not Me NYT” Receives Honorable Mention: Worldwide We are Listening Singer/Songwriter Awards [+ Show ]
  

  Contact: Desmond Grundy dgrundy@dgrundy.com 416-200-1437 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 30, 2007...Contact:
  Desmond Grundy
  dgrundy@dgrundy.com
  416-200-1437
  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  
  March 30, 2007, Toronto—Singer/songwriter Desmond Grundy received an Honorable Mention from London-based artist development group, We Are Listening, for his submission of ʺNot Me NYTʺ in The 2007 Singer/Songwriter Awards. His song was among thousands from all over the world to be heard and evaluated by an esteemed panel including producers KK (Bjork,
  Dido, James, Nelly Furtado), Steve Williams, (Sting, Seal), Charlie Mole (Kylie, Kravitz), and Scott Gunter (Bonnie Raitt, Celine Dion).
  
  “Not Me NYT” is a self-produced, sly protest song on which Mr. Grundy plays all the instruments. "I began developing the song after a disastrous but ultimately enlightening Easter trip to the U.S. in which we were stopped and turned around at the border --after threats of spending the weekend in a Detroit jail. After five hours in the back room at the border crossing office, the border guards told us shamefacedly that we would not be allowed to enter the U.S. and that we were being turned back. Man, the sun couldn't have shone any brighter. I was so happy to get out of there and I haven't been back since. That was 2004." At that time the song began to receive some airplay on internet radio, but Mr. Grundy was on to other things. His CD of demo recordings has been available and updated and is now being used as a promotional tool spreading the word about Desmond Grundy's unique sound far and wide.
  
  He recently launched the internet radio station, "Indie-Unsigned" and is putting his prolific musical abilities to good use writing music for educational video, independent film and various web applications, while creating a growing list of home-grown tunes that stick around in your head for a while. More and more shows are popping up in the Southern Ontario region featuring this talented singer/songwriter. "I truly enjoy playing out and the experiences I am collecting will inform my song-writing for years to come. Finally getting some recognition from the WeAreListening people is a real boost for me. I have found that even the sparsely attended shows are a buzz --something I would never have known if I didn't finally get out of the basement, unplugged from the computer."
  
  Desmond Grundy began his musical career at 16, in bar bands that toured throughout Southern Ontario. During this time he also wrote music and dabbled in writing for the theatre. After graduating from Sheridan College's Media Writing program, he embarked on a development career that would see him create and publish books and software for the corporate marketplace. He now runs a publishing company, a web radio station, and a consulting business but most of his time these days is spent furthering his music career through gigging, networking over the internet and submitting his music to for publication.
  
  For additional information and to listen to “Not Me NYT” and other music, please go to Desmond’s website: www.desmondgrundy.com
  
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• Desmond Grundy's full-length CD "ODDLY ENOUGH" reviewed in Europe
  

  text being translated from the Dutch. Stay tuned...

Setlist

For a short set of 10 minutes or so I will play all original compositions starting usually with my most recent work and working backwards. As the sets get longer I integrate some cover tunes. That said here is a typical set list from which I choose songs randomly depending on the venue and my mood and whether I have a band or not:

12 - 15 ORIGINALS PLUS COVERS, including these favorites:

CELLULOID HEROES, Kinks
ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES, Velvet Underground
WAITING FOR MY MAN, Lou Reed
PUMPING FOR JILL, Iggy Pop
FIELD OF OPPORTUNITY, Neil Young
STEPPING STONE, The Monkees
LOST IT, Lucinda Williams
BIRDS, Eels
I WAS WRONG, Social Distortion
KING'S HIGHWAY, Tom Petty
BE MY LOVER, Alice Cooper
ROCKS OFF, Rolling Stones
LONG MAY YOU RUN, Neil Young, Stephen Stills
THERE'S A BEAUTY, Ozark Mountain Daredevils
TAKES A LOT TO LAUGH, Bob Dylan
WANNA' BE SEDATED, Ramones
REVOLUTION, Beatles
BILLY 4, Bob Dylan
SHE SAID, SHE SAID, Beatles
DANCING BAREFOOT, Patti Smith
HANDLE WITH CARE, Travelling Wilburys
...

Basic Requirements

Calendar