Today we’d like to introduce you to Toft Willingham.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I was born and raised in Orlando, FL. I come from a musical and artist family, so I was always interested in the arts. I wrote and performed my first original song in church at seven years old. My mother, Linda Hoover, accompanied me on piano. She has always been my greatest musical influence. In 1970, she was signed to a major record deal with Roulette Records. She cut an album with legendary producer Gary Katz. Her backing band was Walter Becker, Donald Fagen, Jeff Baxter, Danny Diaz and a handful of other New York City studio legends. Most of those guys went on to form Steely Dan. After some shady dealings, the record was canned and she hasn’t released anything since. Coincidentally, in that time period she was living in Allston, Ma, a few blocks from where I would live 30 years later. She is just now starting to put out music at sixty-seven years old. I produced a new record for her at 9B Studios in Milford, Ma that is due to release September 28th.
Growing up with her always critiquing my music gave me a strong sense of song early on. I knew I wanted to pursue music, so her and my father suggested Berklee. I got in and moved into the dorms in the fall of 2002 with every intention of forming a fusion-reggae band. That’s where I met Jesse Shaternick, Ian “Meat” Miller and Van Gordon Martin. The four of us hit it off and formed Spiritual Rez in the basement of 270 Commonwealth Ave. After a year, we moved into a party house in Allston. 19 Highgate St. was where Rez really blossomed. We would throw huge parties and play in the basement. We went on to record four albums, amass over one million streams and play over 1,000 concerts in forty-six states, three countries and the Virgin Islands. We’ve slowed down a bit but we’re still going.
When we were on breaks from tour I started producing artists. I dual majored in music production and engineering and contemporary writing and production at Berklee so I knew my way around a studio. I ended up forming a partnership with Brian Silver at 9b Studio in Milford, MA. He trusted me with the place and I ended up producing over twenty-five albums and engineering dozens more, including a reggae billboard number one record. 9B is where I cut my teeth and learned how to make records. Brian is a talented mixer and now works from a sweet home studio he built. We’re currently working on mixing the new Treehouse! record.
I also found a passion for screenwriting and videography while in Boston. I’m particularly fond of music video production and screenwriting for feature films and television. I recently relocated to Los Angeles where I’m producing, writing, composing and creating content of all kinds. I still travel to Boston to play concerts a few times a year. I love the true Bostonians and New Englanders. There is a rawness and a realness that is unique to that region. For me, it was time to face the next chapter of my life, but I will be forever grateful for the sixteen years I spent there. And I will always consider Boston the incubator that made me the artist that I am today.
Please tell us about your art.
I am passionate about several kinds of art but songwriting, composing, producing, videography, screenwriting and performing are my main bag. At heart, I’m a story teller. I always have been. I try to tell a story with every piece of art I create. My artistic goal is to make the beholder feel a specific emotion or combination thereof. To do that, I try to fuse inspiration and craft. I think of inspiration as the wind and craft as the wings of a plane. We design and build the wings with precise math and technique but without the wind the wings are useless. You can try and throw craft around all you want but if it’s not inspired it will come across as contrived. Without craft, you’re just flapping your arms.
When I produce, I am fighting to reveal an artist for what they truly are and capture the best version of them that I can. I always put the art first. There are so many distractions and preconceived notions that create walls in an artist’s mind. Usually they are rooted in ego and insecurity. As a producer, I fight to break those down and expose their genius. What got them to this place? Why did they write this song? How do they want it to impact the listener emotionally? How do we maintain the integrity of their artistic identity?
When I’m writing my own music, I try to follow the same ideas and more. Things like: What’s my story? How can I say things musically and visually? How can I make my music match or juxtapose the emotion in my lyrics? How can I evoke the senses of the listener when they’re only hearing my music?
When I write for picture, It’s all visual. It’s a world of beats, scenes, sequences and acts. The depth of writing for picture is so alluring I’m getting excited just thinking about it right now. I write with a team. My brother, James, is a previs animator who works on huge blockbusters like Avatar, Hobbit, District 9, Greatest Showman, Iron Man, movies like that. Our other co-writer is Brian Scott. Brian is a senior animator at Disney. He works on films like Frozen, Wreck it Ralph, Zootopia, Coco, and those kinds of films. The three of us have been writing together for the last six years or so. We have a feature script and a pilot we’re pitching as well as a list of ideas we’re fleshing out. For me, screenwriting is an amazing escape from music. It’s the most satisfying way for me to get the stories out of my head and onto a page.
Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
I believe the role of the artist is to entertain above all. Too me, art is about sitting around a camp fire with your family passing around a guitar, or going to the movies to see dinosaurs come to life, or watching an epic saga unravel in an oil painting. Art should never be about using your popularity to support an agenda. We songwriters often write what we see or feel and that can be political. That’s inevitable. Especially now. It’s just on our minds, so we write about it. Everything that happens in our society affects the art of the day. That’s what keeps art fresh. That’s what breeds culture. There will always be new songs written, because society will always face new adversities. Now, more than ever before in history, art is being used to simply spread joy and entertain. I’m thankful we live in a time and place where we have that luxury.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
The best way to support my art is to listen to and share the music I’ve produced, written or performed and to watch my videos. Enjoy the art and spread the word. If you’re interested in our film and TV endeavors get in touch with me directly via my website.
Personal Website:
https://www.toftwillingham.com/
Band website:
Band Spotify:
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.toftwillingham.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toftwillingham/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toft.willingham
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/toftwillingham
- Other: http://www.spiritualrez.com/
Image Credit:
Douglas Phillips, Jerry Cadieux, Eleni Beristianou, Brett Witten
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
