LI Rock Band Guitarist Talks Overcoming Cancer, Giving Back, Potential Album

NORTHPORT, NY — Andrew Granger, guitarist of Razor's Edge, uses his musical inclination to give back to a cause dear to his heart: fighting cancer.

Granger is one-fourth of the Northport-based band, which formed in 2022. His brother, Steven, plays bass; Nick Van Deusen provides vocals; and Jon Fitzsimmons plays drums.

Granger, 22, battled stage four neuroblastoma as a child after he was diagnosed at a year old.

"I’m very happy to say that I am really very healthy today," Granger told Patch. "Having cancer kind of gave me some health effects that were always a bit of a reminder. I’m just very thankful I’m able to do what I love and live a normal life. I’m just very thankful for that."

Andrew and Steven grew up jamming together as opposed to playing video games or watching sports. They would practice guitar together.

"Any project revolving around music, it was always a given that it was gonna be us two and whoever else," Andrew said.

Fast-forward to summer 2022, and the brothers were looking to start Razor's Edge. They met Fitzsimmons after putting an ad out for a drummer, and then encountered Van Deusen at a Fourth of July party. The quartet played for the first time later that week and have been rocking ever since.

Razor's Edge is heavily inspired by Led Zeppelin, as Andrew said he thinks the band is the favorite of everyone in their group. Guns N' Roses and Van Halen also serve as inspiration.

"Anything with prominent guitar work," Andrew said.

The Northport group plays covers and originals of rock and roll and hard rock. The band is writing more original content and would love to put out an album, according to Andrew. There is no target date, as each member has a job and other responsibilities. But the goal of Razor's Edge is to slice into the world of music.

"We want to take this and see how far it goes, you know?" Andrew said. "Right now, it’s just playing at the local bars and stuff like that, which is great and fun. If this were to somehow turn around, who wouldn’t want to take that opportunity? Long story short, original music is definitely in the cards in the very near future. Within the next six months would be awesome. We’re currently writing and hopefully get that out on Spotify, Apple Music."

The band recently played at St. Anthony's Family Feast & Festival in East Northport. But the Granger family's penchant for giving back, especially to cancer-related causes and foundations, has found its way into Razor's Edge.

The band recently played at the Relay For Life held in Northport, an event that overall raised roughly $100,000 for the American Cancer Society. The Grangers' sister, a student at Northport High School — the brothers are alumni — participated in the club that planned the Relay For Life event. She asked her brothers if their band wanted to perform.

"I was like, 'Of course,'" Andrew said. "It’s something that’s very personal to me and a chance to give back doing something that I love. What’s better than that?"

The Granger family routinely participates in or raises money for St. Baldrick's events. The 2023 edition raised a total of more than $51,000.

John Granger, father of the two musicians, does bike rides to Montauk with a few of his friends to raise funds.

The family also has run toy drives since the early 2000s, where it donates toys to hospitals on Long Island or in New York City.

"We’re always giving back to the community whether it’s monetary donations or toy donations for children undergoing cancer treatment," Andrew said. "Working toward organizations that benefit cancer research has always been something we’ve been involved in."

The brothers will look to continue giving back while growing Razor's Edge. Andrew pointed to Van Halen, which features brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen, as a band with chemistry between siblings.

"You don’t even think, because you get so used to playing with somebody, because they’re there every day for practicing. It just feels natural, I guess," he said.