Damian Grasso- vocals/guitar/percussion
Tony Grasso- vocals/guitar
Tom Kirk- bass
Raised on their parent's rock & roll, brothers Tony and Damian Grasso are the heart of Uncle Chunky. "I was hitting the drums at five and Tony was playing the guitar at six. We've been pretending we are rock stars ever since," states Damian Grasso, frontman and co-songwriter for Uncle Chunky.
Tony and Damian formed Uncle Chunky at an open mic in 1990. "There's really no good explanation for the name. Uncle Chunky was just a brain fart that sounded cool," explains Tony Grasso, lead guitar, vocalist and co-songwriter.
Not happy to just groove, the Grasso's strive to write music that touches on the meaningful moments in life. "My brother and I are focused on songwriting that works from your head to your toes. We want our audience to move and be moved," states Damian.
Uncle Chunky's originals show off the bands' versatility and command of a wide variety of styles including classic and modern rock, reggae, blues, soul, funk, and DC's own go-go. "We take our fans on a tour from the soul ballad 'Peaceful Surrender' to the low-down funk of 'Your Momma'. And it's always a good ride," says Tony.
On bass guitar is Tom Kirk, whose melodic bass lines, complete the unique Chunky sound. Currently, the band draws from a pool of talented drummers including Brandon Finley (Dog Eat Dog, Chuck Brown, Queen Latifah), and Barry Sherrard (Black Sheep, Robert Lighthouse, Orange Whip).
Uncle Chunky has played hundreds of live shows at Washington's best and worst live music venues including the 9:30 Club, Black Cat, various DC street festivals, and local colleges. "We've been called DC's hardest working band. I don't know about that, but I think we've played everywhere in the DC area and probably more than once," says Damian.
After twelve years, Uncle Chunky finally released their first CD this past February to a sold out crowd of cheering fans. "We're all committed to working hard to take this band to the next level. Uncle Chunky is ready for more than Washington, a lot more," states Damian.
