tom willner

Proud to Play at Pride

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:50:44 PST

I had the pleasure to perform at the Atlanta Pride Festival in Piedmont Park on Halloween. The show went great, and we got a lot of great feedback and new fans on the email list.

The highlights for me was playing "In These Shoes" by Kirsty MacColl - such a fun tune - and ending with our Saturday Night Live closer-inspired version of "Sing It Out," which really resonated well for the point of the event.

Performing right before us was the funny and talented Clare Summerskill, a lesbian comedienne, writer, actress and singer songwriter from the UK that constantly cracked us up; and after us was the Heidi Hensley Band, who, in addition to some great originals, did a fantastic cover of MJ's "Thriller." The Pride Festival is always a blast, but particularly so to be on stage. Special thanks to the Pride Committee for selecting me and to Colleen at Q&A Events who was fantastic to work with.

Check out pictures from the event here. Thanks to MaryAnn Moss for taking the photos.

Turning Thirty raises another $1000

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:20:02 PDT

Actually, over $1000. Our three performances of Turning Thirty have raised over $2000 for the American Cancer Society and over $4000 overall.

The event was a terrific success, with excellent press in the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper and CBS Atlanta TV. See my previous posts about those.

Special thanks once again to all the performers: Kristi Budd, Jose Cordero, Pam Duncan, Adam Coletta, Lee Nunn, Stan Joseph, and Lee Hansen; to Bill Duncan for investing so much time into the show including being Stage Director and Producer; to Kathleen Neal for her excellent marketing help; to Judy Shope, Dr. Victor Vogel, Andy Huff, Rhonda Watson, Mindy Beauregard, Kelli Rosenthal, Tammy Key, Laura Reeves, and all the folks who volunteered and helped from ACS to make it successful; to Jill Vejnoska from the AJC and Tracye Hutchins from CBS Atlanta; and especially to everyone who came to see the show. Next stop - Dawsonville...

Click here to see photos from the show taken by Tom Deal.

Turning Thirty on TV

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:19:49 PDT

Tracye Hutchins of Better Mornings Atlanta on CBS Atlanta put this story in her Good Deeds segment that ran all day on October 8 on CBS Atlanta.

Click here to see the story online, or click here to go straight to the video.

Turning Thirty Review in the AJC

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:19:18 PDT

Jill Vejnoska of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote a terrific article about the show. Check it out!

Click here to see the online version of the AJC article called "Musical Recalls Cancer Survival."

Turning Thirty Rehearsal Video

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:18:00 PDT

Friend and documentarian Louis Leon produced this video capturing the essence of a Turning Thirty rehearsal.

Turning Thirty - Oct. 9 - Buy Tickets Now

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:05:31 PDT

“Turning Thirty,” a musical play by Tom Willner, musician and cancer survivor, will be performed at a special benefit event at the American Cancer Society Center, 250 Williams St. (previously The Inforum) in the street level theater on Friday, October 9, 2009 at noon. This compelling play about Willner’s testicular cancer touches all those emotions felt by cancer survivors and their families and friends - from fear to determination to tears and laughter. Willner will tell his story and share insights about the songs. Tickets to this unique event are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. To order tickets go to turningthirty.eventbrite.com. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. To find out more about the play and preview the music, visit www.turningthirty.org.

Show Details:

What:

Turning Thirty - a musical showcase

Where:

American Cancer Society Center Theater

250 Williams St.
Atlanta, GA 30303

[ map it ]

When:

Friday, October 9, 2009, Noon to 1 PM

Tickets:

$10 in advance, $15 at the door

Buy Tickets

Forward this to a friend - please spread the word

Turning Thirty, The Musical - see videos, pics, hear the music, buy a CD/DVD

Tom Willner Music - watch for regular updates/behind the scenes about the show

The New and Improved TurningThirty.org

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:12:39 PDT

Yes, I am a geek. I can't help myself. As I mentioned before, I'm now working with someone who is helping me with marketing my musical Turning Thirty, and we agreed that its website needed to be updated. It is pretty much complete, and much more representative of the actual show we have been producing now for the past year. So go check it out and let me know what you think. Visit the new and improved TurningThirty.org.

Turning Thirty Show - October 9th

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:24:47 PDT

I'm excited to report that shows number 3 and 4 of Turning Thirty have officially been booked. Pictured here is the venue of number 3 coming up on Friday, October 9, at noon at the American Cancer Society Center in downtown Atlanta. The theater is booked, rehearsals are scheduled, and my awesome marketing machine has begun its churn. (I say that sarcastically, though I now actually do have professional help...) Next week several of us will visit the 400+ seat theater to discuss the logistics. A whole lot of prep goes into one of these shows.

I am planning to give you a bit of a behind-the-scenes look with regular postings so you can see what goes into a performance of this show. This next one will be a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society (ACS), geared toward staff of ACS and all the folks working downtown near Centennial Olympic Park. It will be a musical showcase, with the showtime shrunk to one hour and an optional panel afterwards with me, the cast, and a guest from ACS to discuss my story, the show, and the disease. The one after that will be up in Dawsonville, GA, which will be a full production. Stay tuned for more.

Oh, and by the way, you can get tickets now here. If you are ACS staff, contact me for a special discount code!

New Video - Urban Blue Performs Tom's Boogie

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:51:01 PDT

I want to thank everyone who came out to my big birthday bash show at the Red Light Cafe this past weekend. With 10th street closed and tens of thousands of people flocking to midtown for the Paul McCartney concert in Piedmont Park, I am truly grateful to the large crew of you who braved it all to come a few blocks over to see me with Urban Blue and celebrate my birthday.

And if you feel like reliving the moment with me, or perhaps would like a glimpse at what you missed, I've included a short video from the show of "Tom's Boogie," a tune where we truly get to showcase everyone in the band.

Watch it on YouTube or

Download it to your computer or iPod

I have some photos I will post shortly, and I know a number of you took photos as well. I would love to get some of them from you and post them too. You can contact me or email me here. Thanks again!

The Middle Ages

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:02:56 PDT

It has arrived, my 40th birthday. I don't feel any different. A late night with good friends at Eddie's Attic listening to music (specifically Lynette Suzanne) and drinking Sweetwater 420 gives me about the same rough feeling in the morning as it did back when I was 39. So why all the fuss over this particular number?

Well for me, it marks 10 years as a cancer survivor, or my 10 year "cancerversary" as I've heard it called. And, frankly, that feels pretty damn good.

So I'm celebrating. I took the day off. I'm playing with my new Ipod Touch. I helped my son build a lego bionicle. I met my wife for lunch. I danced with my daughter to "All Mixed Up" by 311. I played a gig at John Howell Park for National Night Out.

It's nothing like I ever imagined, and everything I could ever hope for.

Many thanks to everyone for all the good wishes and to ansik on flickr.com for the cool photo.

New Song - Little Miss Magic

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:02:35 PDT

One night, I was reading a bedtime story called "Little Miss Magic" to my daughter. She asked me for some milk, and on my way to the refrigerator I started snapping my fingers singing "Little Miss Magic, Little Miss Magic." A little while later, the first verse came out. And it stayed like that for quite a while. Sometimes songs do that to me.

Then one day the bridge arrived, and the song came back to the forefront. I lamented a while over the exact wording, and struggled with the second verse, but eventually it all came together. Of course, then the process started all over again as I began arranging and recording. And oh I love that process so.

So here it is, the product of months of stirring the pot until I finally got the right flavor. It's a far cry from the fun children's book that kicked it off, or a father-daughter song like Jimmy Buffet's of the same title you might have expected. My Little Miss Magic took a decidedly different turn, and I'm under her spell. Enjoy.

Download "Little Miss Magic"
Buy It or Donate
Lyrics and Info

The Stupid Cancer Show Interview

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:18:23 PDT

It is always a pleasure to talk to Matthew Zachary. He has so much passion for what he does, he's funny, and his show is always interesting. It was a real treat to be on The Stupid Cancer Show once again.

Yesterday's show is available in its entirety to stream and download here. If you missed it, it's worth a listen. I've posted just the portion of the show that was my interview below. I hope you enjoy it.

Download my interview on The Stupid Cancer Show

Tonight on The Stupid Cancer Show

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:30:17 PDT

I will be interviewed tonight on my second appearance on the Stupid Cancer Show, an internet radio show begun by I'm Too Young For This (i[2]y) founder, Matthew Zachary, for young adults affected by cancer. Tonight's show is called "Music Makes The People, Stupid Cancer," and features breast cancer survivor and author, Cindy Papale, and singer-songwriter Andy Dumiak and me as two contributing artists to i[2]y's second benefit CD. It should be fun, so be sure to tune in to the show tonight at 9 PM.

Recent Press

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:53:26 PDT

In the last few months my music and story have appeared in print and online. I'd like to share those two articles with you.

First, I had my story published by Joel Martin of the Columbia Basin Herald, the newspaper of choice in Moses Lake, WA, which many of you will recognize as the hub of operations for my west coast tour. It was a pleasure to speak to Joel, and I was honored by his article. Click here to read a copy of "Tom Willner: Good Humor Goes A Long Way" from a special Relay for Life edition of the Columbia Basin Herald. Pardon the large file size - it's a scanned copy (which probably breaks copyright laws). UPDATE: Joel Martin kindly sent me a smaller, cleaner PDF version now linked to instead.

Second, a story about "Turning Thirty," my show about my experience with cancer, was published online at the "Journal of Family Life," an online journal published by Emory University. Here's more about the journal:

Journal of Family Life was created to continue the path-breaking work of the Emory Center on Myth and Ritual in American Life (MARIAL), which is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The journal is available only online. It is both scholarly and sophisticated, offering general-interest articles and creative works dealing with how modern families (with an emphasis on the American family) make and transmit meaning in their lives as families through story, myth, ritual and celebration.

Click here to read "Life Is Good," my story, which also includes an MP3 of my song of the same name.

My 2009 West Coast Tour

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:47:03 PDT

It was my one city, two show west coast tour, and it was a blast. I had the pleasure to meet and play with guitarist Marcus Ruffalo, performed at both the Relay for Life and at Michaels' On The Lake restaurant, and even got true rock star treatment. More on that in a moment.

It all started at 5 AM on the east coast through two long flights to Phoenix and then to Spokane. From Spokane a rental car to Moses Lake, where it's kind of like a desert but with a big lake. First show, the Relay for Life. I met up with Marcus for the first time in person, having only communicated through email until then. We had an impromptu rehearsal then performed at the Relay that night. I closed with "Every Candle Has A Name" for the Luminaria ceremony.

The next day, after a welcome extended sleep, it was over to Michael's on the Lake, where Sam the bartender created the All Fruits Ripe Martini, named after my song. Marcus and I setup and did a sound check courtesy of Dale Roth (DJ, soundman, and good friend) and had some food. I made a quick stop back at the hotel where I was picked up by a limo (herein lies the rock star treatment). It was quite fun, riding with key members of my official Northwest Fan Club, including Terry, Don, Donna, Al, Samantha, and "Mom," and turning some heads at the restaurant.

Enjoying several AFR martinis, I played with my man Marcus from about 6:30 to past 10. Michael's is a wonderful place, and we got to play on the patio overlooking the lake. Many thanks to Jordan and all the good folks at Michael's for an excellent time.

Anthony and Terry were kind enough to videotape and post several songs out to YouTube. Click here to see All Fruits Ripe (Live) on YouTube. You can also download the All Fruits Ripe (Live) video here. For those of you who subscribe to my podcast, this should automagically download to your iTunes and iPod. I hope you enjoy it.

The next morning began the long trek back to Atlanta. I feel so fortunate to have so many friends out in the middle of the beautiful state of Washington, and I'd like to give a particular shout out to my new friend and fantastic musician, Marcus Ruffalo. Check out his stuff on MySpace. He's a true professional with years in the business out in LA, but more importantly a terrific person with an incredible story. Here's to you my friend, and to everyone who made my west coast tour such a success.

Relay For Life - Atlanta, GA

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Thu, 28 May 2009 07:16:25 PDT

Once again, I had the honor to perform at the Atlanta Adams Stadium Relay for Life. I performed "Every Candle Has A Name" and "Celebrate" at the Luminaria ceremony. The event has already raised over a half million dollars.

Click on the photo for a larger version. The photo was taken by Kelli Rosenthal, and I shamelessly copied it to my flickr account without her permission. I also got to hang with DJ Gary Braner, my good friend and long time partner in crime at the Adams Relay.

Relay For Life - Cullman, AL

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:37:31 PDT

It had rained for three days straight prior to the event, and puddles of water still remained throughout beautiful Heritage Park in Cullman, AL. But that did not dissuade the kind, generous folks of Cullman from hosting their Relay for Life. I had the honor of being asked to perform at the event, found online by my friend Keillian and the Tomb Raiders team, a team made up entirely of people under 15 years of age, who raised almost $4000.

I had the privilege of performing with several other very talented people. I cannot remember everyone's names, so if there are some Cullman peeps out there who could comment and let me know I'd truly appreciate it. I'd also love it if you could send some pictures from the event.

Finally, I'd like to thank Allison Barksdale, who arranged everything for me to come. I had a terrific time, sold enough CDs to reach my Relay fundraising goal, and got to watch the local school principal dress up as Paula Abdul in the funniest American Idol spin off I have ever seen!

Turning Thirty - Take Two

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:08:20 PDT

Thanks to all who made it out to the second ever performance of Turning Thirty, The Musical. Once again I am so grateful to everyone involved - Kristi Budd, Pam Duncan, Jose Cordero, Lee Hansen, Adam Coletta, Lee Nunn, Talmadge Hickman, Dan Browning, Bill Duncan, Sheryl Skelton, Allison Bower, Allyson Willner, Olivia Budd, Madeline Budd, Jack Duncan, Annie Duncan, and more. This version brought it up a notch with a full theater stage and lighting. The Artistic Director from a highly acclaimed Atlanta theater came to see the show, and another who could not attend requested a script and CD. There's now interest in two additional performances and potentially a third. Here is some of what the audience had to say:

"Last night's performance was just wonderful--musically, emotionally, and spiritually."
"OH MY GOD!!! It was awesome...You all should be really proud of your work putting that together...it took everyone to bring it to life in such a compelling way."
"We were blown away. It was breathtaking."

Finally, it looks as though once again we were able to raise $1000 for a great cause - for Paideia School financial aid.

If you'd like to see some behind the scenes pictures from setup and rehearsal as well as pictures from the show, click here for a slideshow.

Turning Thirty Video and Tickets

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 07:46:52 PDT

Save the date - Saturday, May 2, 2009, 7:30 PM - and get your tickets. Once again, I'm excited to bring you Turning Thirty, The Musical, the show about my experience with cancer. It will be at the Paideia theater in Atlanta, GA, and proceeds will benefit financial aid for the Paideia School. Watch the trailer video above of the debut performance from October 2008. Here's what people had to say about the show:

Fantastic! Such a great show... I would highly recommend it to others.
Bravo! Tom and the cast were amazing - what a great show!!
I was blown away by the music and the movement of the story. Huge success!
What a wonderful and moving show.
Turning Thirty was a blast. Amazing vocal talent ...a top-notch cast all around.
Thank you for having the courage to share your personal story with the world.

So, don't delay, buy your tickets now!

Turning Thirty, The Musical

Based on the true story of Tom Willner's experience with cancer

Saturday, May 2, 2009, 7:30 PM

Paideia Theater

1509 Ponce de Leon Ave.

Atlanta, GA 30307

$10 in advance, $15 at the door.

Turning Thirty DVD and CD Giveaway

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:57:03 PDT

I laughed. I cried. I'll see it again and again. Of course, I'm talking about "Turning Thirty, The Musical - Live Debut Performance" because now you can do just that. The DVDs and CDs of the debut performance of my musical about my experience with cancer have arrived. I don't have them completely available online yet, but if you'd like to get an advanced copy I have several options for you:

1) Sign up for my email list by April 15th . One lucky person from the list who signs up between now and then will receive either a DVD or a CD - winner's choice.
2) If you are already on my email list, do nothing! I will also select one lucky person from my existing members to receive a DVD or CD.
3) Order one directly from me . DVDs are $12 and CDs are $10 (both for $20). I will send you them myself.

But wait there's more - proceeds from the sales of this DVD and CD will benefit the American Cancer Society Relay For Life! So if you purchase one, you will also be supporting a great cause - fighting cancer - the reason the musical exists in the first place.

There's a limited supply, so act quickly! Of course, if I'm fortunate enough that demand exceeds supply, have no fear; like with Doritos, we'll make more. It may just take a little longer for you to receive your copy.

Many thanks to Andy Huff for all his video work, Mary Diers for her wonderful design work, and Wally Buckner for his DVD and duplication work. The performance was October 25, 2008, so it took a lot of work over five months to churn out the finished CD and DVD of the show. Also, the show was only possible thanks to the time and efforts of so many people who volunteered - over 20 at my last count. As something I've been wanting to make happen for over eight years, this is quite a happy moment for me.

Plus, stay tuned, as soon tickets will go on sale for the next live performance on May 2nd of Turning Thirty, The Musical...

New Song - It Would Be Nice To Know

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:49:29 PDT

Jazz. This new tune is straight up jazz. It's called It Would Be Nice To Know, and I co-wrote this one with friend Ed Scheiblin who I previously collaborated with on the song I Could Always Make Her Laugh. Ed came to me with these lyrics telling me he had Ol' Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra in mind. So I wanted to give it a melody and vibe in the vien of those classic jazz vocal songs. I love this style; I'm a fan of Sinatra, Diana Krall, and so many other jazz singers and musicians whose talent far exceeds my own. I only hope I did it justice.

For the arrangement and recording, I reached out to my friend Lee Hansen, an incredibly talented musician with whom I play in the band Urban Blue. I asked him to do his magic on the sax and he delivered. It was fun too, because we did it entirely over the internet. Thanks Lee, and thanks Ed. Enjoy.

Download "It Would Be Nice To Know"
Buy It or Donate
Lyrics and Info

What A Difference Two Years Make

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:36:27 PDT

Two years ago, my then six year old daughter Klara began writing her first song. She came up with lyrics to a chorus, and I helped her with the music. Together we recorded a very simple version. This week, two years later, she wanted to re-record it. It was a fun project, and I threw on my producer hat and went to town. She was much more confident wearing headphones and singing into a microphone. I was much more adept at arranging, recording, and editing. The tools at our disposal had gotten two years better.

"Three Oh Six" by Klara and Tom Willner - a work in progress
My number's three oh six
My number's three oh six
If you want to call me you just call three oh six

I want to work with her to finish the song, and record the whole thing. Maybe include it with a few other songs for a children's CD. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Three Oh Six - Comparison

i[2]y Benefit CD, Volume 2

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:33:05 PDT

My song, Rescue Me, was chosen to be included on a benefit CD for the organization I'm Too Young For This (i[2]y), a non-profit for young adults affected by cancer. This is the second benefit CD they have created; their first was wildly successful. I'm excited to be included in this project for a great cause, and will be receiving 50 of them to sell to benefit i[2]y.

You may remember that I was interviewed on their internet radio program The Stupid Cancer Show back in June of 08 by founder, musician, and cancer survivor Matthew Zachary. I originally met Matthew when we both performed at the Celebration on the Hill in Washington, DC.

Click here to see the promo page and check out the mug in the lower left corner...

Retroactive Video

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:54:56 PST

No, it's not a video that can go back in time and alter itself, though that would be pretty cool. I've created a video for my song Retroactive using creative commons photos from Flickr.com. This music video comes complete with 39 photos of superheros, bell-bottoms, a cat, a frog, cupcakes, and a half-naked, drunk batman.

If you are not familiar with it already, come read more about the creative commons license here. I've released all my music under a creative commons license so that you are welcome to create new works with my songs, which several of you have done. "Breaking News," the photo on the left, is one of the photos used in the video from Hermida.

View the music video for Retroactive on YouTube here

New Song - Retroactive

tomwillner@yahoo.com (Tom Willner) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:02:02 PST

If you could choose a super power to have, what would it be? I found myself faced with that quandary in a dream. I came up with an unusual choice, and to appreciate my reasoning probably requires a little background information.

Having spent a significant amount of my waking hours in corporate America, it's hard not to come across the term "proactive." Everyone is always talking about being more proactive; to stop from always working in a reactive mode. An authority-type figure, usually wearing a tie or red power suit says "We really need to change how we work to be more proactive. We must anticipate business needs and prepare for them in advance. We can't afford to spend all our time just putting out the latest fires." Well, this sounds like an awful lot of work to me. Politicians, on the other hand, have mastered a different approach. They seem much more comfortable with screwing up, then fixing it after the fact (e.g. retroactive immunity and presidential pardons). This strikes me as a much easier, lazier way to solve problems. So when I had a dream about becoming a super hero who got to choose his own super power, I chose to be "Retroactive." After all, hindsight is 20/20.

Which brings me to this month's song. The image of a super hero who is Retroactive already has a particular super suit. And a song about a super hero who is Retroactive has to have some cool vintage instruments. Well, perhaps you're starting to see where I'm heading. So here's "Retroactive." Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

The cool retro stereo picture is courtesy of Marcus Vegas on Flickr.

Download "Retroactive"
Buy It or Donate
Lyrics and Info