Music Profile: Tom Groney of the Forensics

Tom Groney is one part C-3P0, one part Mr. Spock, one part Dean Ween and one part Jack Johnson. Add it up, and he's all strings, wires and soul.

As a master musician, songwriter, performer and accomplished guitar technician, Groney is on the frontier of the area music scene.  First and foremost, he's a driving force , one of the area's hottest far-out experimental, electronica/noise jam band.

"We're all sci-fi dorks," Groney said of the glue that binds the Forensics together. "There's always some underlying theme. It could be "Star Wars." It could be anything. It could go anywhere and I don't even know where it comes from to begin with. The Forensics is just abnormality. Organic strangeness is definitely a good way to put it."

The Medford resident's fluent, spontaneous and explosive style makes him a shoe-in guest player. He's flowed freely amongst a number of axe-centric projects in the area; including Movement, Pink Freud and Goliath.

But Groney is more than metal machine madness. His alter-acoustic ego gets a workout every Thursday night when he hosts his own open mic at the Sage Café.

With all that practice, performance and proficiency, Groney will be the first to tell you he knows nothing about the guitar.

"With me and an acoustic guitar, it brings me back to being 21-years-old," Groney said.  "First grabbing this thing with six strings on it, looking at it and trying to break it down. It's a never-ending, changing process. I still don't really know how to play. I just allow it to play itself."

Catch acoustic Groney-isms on Thursday nights at the Sage Café, 4 Montauk Highway, Blue Point. For info on the Forensics, go to http://www.myspace.com/theforensicsband.