tom willner

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.

Labels: cancer

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

Labels: cancer

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.

Labels: cancer

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.

Labels: cancer

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.

Labels: cancer

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.

Labels: cancer

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!

Labels: cancer

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.

Labels: cancer

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!

Labels: cancer

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...

Labels: cancer

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...

Labels: cancer

This month's download is a song about the Luminaria ceremony at the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life event. It was mostly written by my friend Jack Storey - it was his words and his ideas for the music that I had the privilege to work with and complete. He was kind enough to offer me co-writing status for my contribution, but I am just honored to be associated with the song and the event.

Jack asked me to finish this song and perform it for the Relay For Life Nationwide Summit in 2008. I posted about that event earlier - Jack videotaped the performance and posted it on YouTube. Since that event, I promised to record a version of the song to make available to anyone who would like it for their Relay For Life. After many months, I finally decided that what I recorded for the original demo I shared with Jack really captured something raw and good, and so I post that version here. Maybe someday I'll re-record the song with a much fuller arrangement, but for now, I give you the simple, heartfelt piano and vocal demo. I hope you enjoy it. Please do let me know.

By the way, the picture above is courtesy of  "Cowboy" Ben Alman via Flickr.com and shown here under a creative commons license. It's from the Luminaria ceremony at the Watertown, MA Relay For Life. Thanks Ben!

Download "Every Candle Has A Name (Demo)"
Buy It or Donate
Lyrics and Info

Labels: cancer

First I want to thank all of you who came to the debut of my musical, Turning Thirty, last month, as well as all the folks who contributed, volunteered, and helped out in so many ways. My heartfelt thanks to my fellow cast members Kristi Budd, Pam Duncan, and Jose Cordero; my fellow band members Lee Hansen, Adam Coletta, Lee Nunn, and Talmadge Hickman; producer and stage director Bill Duncan; narrator Dan Browning; Derek Ennis for providing sound and recording; Andy Huff for shooting, editing, and producing video; and Allison Bower, Jennifer Vice, and Allyson Willner for handling all sales. In particular, I'd like to thank my wife Allyson and my kids Klara and Elliot for all the support they've given me to help make this project happen. I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out; the show was well received, we've been asked to perform the show at two other locations, and I'm talking with a local theater company about the possibility of them putting on the show. Perhaps most importantly, however, thanks to you, we raised $1000 for the American Cancer Society.

I'm currently working on the production of both a CD of the music and a DVD and other short videos from the live performance. I've included a download of the show's opening song "Life Is Good" below. Enjoy!

Download "Life Is Good"

Labels: cancer

Turning Thirty, The Musical by Tom Willner
A Benefit Show - American Cancer Society
Saturday, October 25, 2008, 7 PM
The Druid Hills United Methodist Church
1200 Ponce De Leon Ave., Atlanta, GA 30306
Purchase tickets in advance for $10
($15 at the door)

Mark your calendars for an American Cancer Society benefit show you will not want to miss – “Turning Thirty” the musical I wrote about my experience with cancer.

As many of you know, my life has been changed by cancer. Back in 1998, I lost my father to prostate cancer. Less than a year later, right after my 30th birthday, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. My wife and I had been struggling with the decision to start a family when suddenly the debate took on a new urgency.

After two operations we thought our ordeal was over, but six months later, the cancer returned. I endured another major operation and many rounds of chemotherapy. Aggressively trying to beat the disease, we also struggled to bring a new life into the world.

During this ordeal, I composed seventeen songs about my experience. Now, for the first time, I will share my story through music at the live debut performance of what I hope you will find to be an unforgettable show, “Turning Thirty.” I will be joined by a group of talented musicians and singers all donating their time and talent for the event.

I have also decided that all proceeds from the show will go to a great organization, the American Cancer Society. I’ve been involved with the Society for many years now: I have spoken and performed at numerous Relay for Life events across the country; I performed at both Celebration on the Hill events; and I wrote and recorded two original songs for American Cancer Society videos.

In addition to the information here, you can visit my Turning Thirty website at http://www.turningthirty.org/. At both of my sites you can hear the original recordings I did while going through my experience. At http://www.turningthirty.org/ you can read more about my story and the musical.

In addition to tickets, I’m also accepting donations to help make this show a reality. In case you are from out of town and cannot come to the show, you can also make a donation to the show to help increase the proceeds that will go directly to the fight against cancer:



I’m very excited about this show – this is one of the largest music endeavors I have ever undertaken. I hope to see you there! Please invite your friends – Eventbrite makes it easy to do:

Invite friends to the show

Labels: cancer

A while ago, I had written the song "Celebrate" for a video about the American Cancer Society's Celebration on the Hill event. Well recently, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) contacted me about writing a song for another video. This video asks how you would spend an extra hour if you had a 25th Hour in your day (in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Relay for Life event). I was excited to have an opportunity to do another music video for ACS. On August 1st, the 25th Hour video was officially released and given out to participants at the Nationwide Relay for Life Leadership Summit. You can watch the video here.

Download "What Would You Do"
Buy It or Donate
Lyrics and Info

Labels: cancer

I had the honor of performing at the Relay for Life Nationwide Leadership Summit on August 1st in Indianapolis. My good friend Jack Storey, a big name in Relay history (the author of the phrase "It's about a community that takes up the fight" for example), had written a song for Relay as well as lyrics for another song. When he was asked to perform his music at the Summit, he was kind enough to recommend me to perform. So I learned the song he and his son wrote, called "Relay for Life," and agreed to collaborate with him on his other song in progress, "Every Candle Has A Name." The latter was an idea he had for the luminaria ceremony, and one night I took the ideas he had for the music and put the rest of the music to his words.

Then we both hopped on a plane to Indianapolis to go make some music. Jack videotaped both performances and posted my performance of 'Relay for Life' and 'Every Candle Has a Name' as one video on YouTube. The song "Relay for Life" is the first 3 and a half minutes, and "Every Candle Has a Name" is the rest.

Perhaps most exciting are the opportunities this has created. Some of the good folks at Relay have asked to discuss the possibility of creating a Relay for Life CD, where I will perform these and other songs. I've also been asked to perform at other events. I'm proud to be involved with such a terrific cause, and look forward to what's to come...

Labels: cancer

I'm long overdue to post some information about the experiences I had performing at two different Relay for Life events, one in Port St. Joe, Florida, and the other in Moses Lake, Washington. Being on opposite ends of the country led to the catch phrase "Coast to Coast". More on this later...

It all started when my good friend Scott Baker invited me to perform at the Relay for Life in Port St. Joe. He helped arrange for me to stay at a townhouse on the beach in Cape San Blas, and together we helped to raise money in honor of our classmate, Jeanne Bailey, who had recently lost her battle with breast cancer. Scott posted some videos of my performance on YouTube. My whole family had a terrific time, and the Relay was powerful and fun. Many thanks to Scott and his family for being such terrific hosts and to Thom Baird for allowing us to stay in his lovely beach home. A special thank you to all of our classmates who gave so generously in honor of Jeanne. Jeanne, we miss you.

After I mentioned that Relay here in my blog, Terry Moore from Moses Lake contacted me. She had gotten a copy of my song Celebrate a while back, but when she realized I performed at the Relay in Florida, she asked if I would do so in Moses Lake as well. It was the 20th anniversary of the Relay for Life in Moses Lake. I gladly accepted, and soon found myself on a plane to Spokane followed by a drive to Moses Lake. I performed both that night during the Luminaria ceremony as well as the next morning. Terry and Donna Anderson, pictured here, have become terrific friends and fans. In fact, Terry has now earned the title of "President" of my newly formed "Northwest Fan Club." Be sure to check out Terry's MySpace page and the Official Tom Willner Northwest Fan Club MySpace page also known as Tom Willner Coast to Coast (told you I would get to the birth of that phrase later). She has also posted a custom video on sharinghope.tv about the event using the song Celebrate.

It is an honor for me to perform at the Relay for Life, which raises money to help those battling cancer. I am grateful to my new friends in Florida and Washington, and welcome the opportunity to perform at any of these events across the country.

Labels: cancer

Once again, thanks to my song (and video) called "Celebrate" which I wrote for The American Cancer Society, I'll be performing and speaking at another Relay for Life fundraising event. The last one was in Port St. Joe, Florida; and now I'm headed to the opposite corner of the continental U.S. to Moses Lake, Washington. I'll be there on Friday and Saturday, May 30-31. I wonder if it's too early to start putting pins on a map... By the way, my good friend Scott posted some videos from my performance in Florida on YouTube.

After I return, on June 2nd at 9 PM, I will be a guest on The Stupid Cancer Show, an interactive talk radio broadcast by Matthew Zachary from "I'm Too Young For This," an organization for young adults affected by cancer. Mark you calendar and come check it out online that night. Of course, in case you miss the live broadcast, you can always go back and listen later.

Labels: cancer

I have had the honor of performing at both of the American Cancer Society's Celebration on the Hill events. Later, I was approached by ACS to write a song for a music video about the event. I happily took on the assignment, and you can watch the music video here. Since the release of this video by ACS out to Relay for Life volunteers nationwide, I have been contacted by many people from New York to Washington and even Alaska hoping to get a copy of the song. I am thrilled with the response, and wanted to make this freely available for you to download.

Download "Celebrate"
Lyrics and Info

Labels: cancer

I am a featured artist on Sharinghope.tv, a new web site by the American Cancer Society where people can post videos and music that they create themselves. I donated several of my songs for people to use in their videos, and my video "Celebrate" is posted there as well. All songs and work there fall under the creative commons license. It will be interesting to see all the creative work people will post, hopefully some with my music.

You can view more here at the SharingHope.tv site.

Labels: cancer

Once again, I had the honor to perform with a number of other talented musicians for a great cause at the American Cancer Society's Celebration on the Hill 2006. Celebration on the Hill 2006 was an American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network event celebrating cancer survivorship and empowering survivors and others to advocate for laws that will help fight the disease. Over 10,000 people attended the event.

You can view video footage of the event including my performance at the Celebration on the Hill web stream. You'll find my name about halfway down in the list of Segments on the bottom left.

Labels: cancer

This year I joined the YMCA as part of my typical new year's resolution to get in shape (actually this year it was specifically to see my abdominal muscles). As luck would have it, I met a film maker named Parthiban Shanmugam. He is a fascinating guy, who is fun to talk to and always juggling numerous projects. He recently had his film, "Mathamma The Mother Goddess," chosen to be shown at the Smithsonian. I told him about my musical, "Turning Thirty," and he immediately became interested. We have had numerous conversations since then about what a film based on Turning Thirty would be like. His ideas just pour out, and I'm very excited about the possibility of making a Turning Thirty film. Parthi is also interested in having me do music for one or more of his other films that are currently in progress. So I have some more irons in the fire...

Labels: cancer