When Jamie Tworkowski first envisioned the Heavy and Light Tour, he dreamed of an evening of songs, conversation, and hope. He didn’t want a benefit show, but rather an intimate setting where people from all walks of life could come together for one night, share in the human experience, and come alive through music and the hope that flows from it.
In 2006 Tworkowski wrote a story, posted it to his MySpace, and titled it To Write Love on Her Arms. It was a cry of hope and a story of redemption to a friend struggling with addiction and depression. This was Renee’s story, but her story echoed those of thousands of others struggling with the same vices and insecurities. Like most things, what started as a story shared amongst friends and family quickly grew into a movement that spread across the world. Tworkowski captured the momentum and turned it into a non-profit organization whose vision is to present hope and find help for those struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. Over the past seven years, TWLOHA has responded to over 170,000 people in 100 countries.
In 2012 the organization won $1,000,000 through Chase Bank’s American Giving Award. Tworkowski used the substantial gift to create TWLOHA’s first national tour: Heavy and Light. With the help of Switchfoot and Fiction Family frontman Jon Foreman, Tworkowski set out to create a lineup of musicians who not only had music industry cred, but also had personal stories of struggle and redemption to share with those they would stand in front of night after night. Several prominent artists quickly signed on, with spoken word poet Anis Mojgani rounding out the bill.
On Monday night, the tour made its second stop – the House of Blues in San Diego. Performances included Noah Gunderson, Now, Now, Christina Perri, as well as Jon Foreman with his band Fiction Family.
Anis Mojgani opened the evening with a chilling spoken word narrative of his own experiences with struggles and self-worth, followed by an intimate collection of songs from vocalist Noah Gunderson and his sister.
Minneapolis based trio Now, Now offered a stripped-down version of their music, before Christina Perri – fresh from the studio where she just wrapped production on her second album – took the stage with her haunting lyrics and signature vocal range. In between sets, Tworkowksi appeared on stage to speak to the crowd about his organization and what it aimed to accomplish through the tour, offering resources for those seeking help.
The evening concluded with a 45-minute set from Jon Foreman and Fiction Family, which began with Foreman singing Switchfoot’s “Dare You To Move” in harmony with the audience. Foreman played a variety of songs from Switchfoot, Fiction Family, and his solo work. On the last song, he pointed to a couple in the crowd – arms around each other, swaying to the music – and thought out loud how nice it would be if we could embrace so easily. The crowd responded and embraced one another, friends and strangers alike, as Foreman sang out the evening.
The tour is making its way across the country to 12 more cities before finishing its venture Orlando on February 18th. You can find the full schedule and ticket information here.
(Photo credit: Alex Collins + TWLOHA)
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