By SARI ZEIDLER
But when his personal quest to pursue his passion coincided with his mother's fatal battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, Guitar for a Cure was born.
Guitar for a Cure is Gusmano's first solo project -- a CD called "A Flickering Light," recorded at Magic Elf Studios in Commack. All proceeds from sale of the CD, which can be purchased on www.guitarforacure.com and iTunes, go to Project A.L.S., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to curing, treating and raising awareness of the disease.
Gusmano, a lifelong music lover, played the drums as a child, but he was always especially drawn to the guitar. "I grew up and to me Eddie Van Halen was the end all," Gusmano said of the popular 1980s guitarist and Van Halen front man. "My whole room was just littered with pictures of him."
It wasn't until Gusmano built a successful career in advertising and settled into a Merrick home with his wife, Lorna, that he decided to learn to the play the instrument himself. Gusmano said he threw himself into the project, even spending a summer session at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. His mother was one of his biggest supporters.
Shortly after Gusmano embarked on his artistic journey, his mother, Lilian, found her life starting down a new path as well. "We knew something was wrong with my mother, she was having some speech issues, some motor issues -- moving her legs," Gusmano said. Her symptoms initially led to a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, but eventually doctors realized it was A.L.S.
"Between 16 and 18 months afterward, she passed away," he recalled. A.L.S. causes progressive degeneration of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, causing afflicted persons to lose control of voluntary muscle movements over time, sometimes becoming completely paralyzed. There is no cure for A.L.S., and it is almost always fatal. People often notice weakness in the arms and legs as the first signs of A.L.S and also may have trouble with speech, swallowing or breathing. Usually a person's mental capacity is unaffected, and patients are completely aware of their condition.
"What you do right after a person passes is ask, 'What can I do - I have to do something,'" Gusmano said. "I think you can only do a project like this when you've lived through [a similar situation] and you can have the passion to put behind it."
Gusmano spent three years writing, recording and re-recording "A Flickering Light," recording guitar tracks in his studio at home, then re-recording them with the help of Carl Roa of Magic Elf Studios and other artists who wanted to contribute the project. Through it all, Gusmano said he had his family's support.
"The project could not have been done without my father," Gusmano said. "Like a father, he wanted it to happen quickly. But I kept saying, 'Dad I want to wait. I want to do it the right way.' So the day three years later when I find the box of CDs had arrived, the most special thing in the world was to be able to give one to him."
Guitar for a Cure has raised $7,000 for Project A.L.S., and Gusmano is planning live shows that will take place either in Manhattan or on Long Island in the near future. Bill Nash, maker of Nash Guitars, has agreed to auction off a Stratocaster similar to the one Gusmano plays.
Gusmano is currently working on his second solo album.
Comments about this story? SZeidler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
