On a rowdy St. Patrick’s Eve inside a bar in Seattle, groups of friends are bar hopping throughout the night, but in one bar a crowd waits in anticipation for a performer to take the stage — the beat drops and Tommy Cassidy jumps on stage to start his set. The crowd inside starts dancing while people on the street stop and watch for a minute.
It all started for Cassidy the summer after high school graduation. Sitting in his back yard, him and a group of close friends had an idea to start a multi-media production company. That idea would continue to grow into Pacific Roots”production-company and would result in Cassidy’s first solo album “American Moonwalk” and multiple collaborations with Tri-City artists.
At the age of 20 Cassidy has already released his debut album with the help of Pacific Roots, a project two years in the making. Cassidy performed at his sold out album release party in Tri-Cities on May 15 and then continued with his first Seattle show Saturday evening at the Sunset Tavern.
The album has had its fair share of challenges, from production setbacks to building a recording studio, but has come out on the other side.
“This thing has gone through every stage, every emotion, we’ve laughed about it a million times, we’ve cried about it a million times. The verses themselves have taken over two years to perfect them, the beats have taken about the same time,” Cassidy said.
Not to mention a split from his producer and fellow rapper Bryson Foster midway through the project that caused delays but ultimately resulted in the solo album.
Cassidy draws upon inspiration from his personal life and fellow regional rappers for past projects and this new solo album.
“My 2-year-old son inspires the heck out of me. I mean, I have to find a way to provide for him, and you do that by making good music that people can enjoy, and then making a living off of that is a blessing.”
Cassidy looks toward fellow Northwest rappers and the content they are producing like Raz Simone and Sam Lechow, Nick Weaver and Macklemore.
Cassidy said that a tour would be the ultimate goal for this album, along with possibly setting up more gig’s on the Palouse.
“We just want people to hear the music, just let them know who we are and get a bigger buzz,” he said.
“From day one, there is a lot of potential for Tommy and Pacific Roots to grow and get really big. That’s why we are all so committed to the production company and Tommy’s music. Not to mention the whole town that still supports him,” Justin Frick, the filmmaker for Tommy Cassidy, said.
For more information about shows, or to listen to the full “American Moonwalk” album, visit tommycassidy.com
Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at [email protected]