Michael Tiernan’s music is empowering the musician as well as his fans

The musician called it his perfect storm. Only a couple of short weeks into spring, he was facing his busiest weekend of the year to date: two benefit shows, a couple church gigs, a wedding and a funeral – all while attempting to rally from severe bout with the flu. “I’m just praying that my voice holds up,” said guitarist, singer and songwriter Michael Tiernan of Del Mar.

Then again, singing and praying is nothing new to Tiernan, a cancer survivor and former seminarian.

“It was considered cured way back when I was 20, so I was very lucky,” said Tiernan, a survivor of testicular cancer who will be celebrating his 35th birthday with a concert at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach on April 16. “I had two big surgeries. I’m very, very lucky compared to what a lot of people are going through.”

 Sadly, that comparison encompasses one of his siblings.

“My second oldest brother is undergoing serious cancer treatment for synovial sarcoma, which is a pretty rare soft-tissue cancer, so he’s in the pit of hell right now,” Tiernan said. “It resonates with me because he’s 40 and I’ve been doing work with this young adult cancer survivorship group, bringing awareness of that group and getting people plugged in.”

Tiernan said music, and perhaps his in particular, is about helping people heal. To that end, one of the perennial favorites for Male Artist of the Year at the International Acoustic Music Awards as well as Songwriter of the Year nominees at the Pacific Songwriting Competition is immersing and aligning himself with a handful of musicthemed cancer-fighting organizations.

“Ever since I started doing music on a full-time basis and more publicly, people would find out that I had cancer when I was 16, and to share my story, share the music,” Tiernan said.

Along the way he forged relationships with Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, I’m Too Young For This and Music For A Cure.

“They’re in my hometown of Loma Linda,” Tiernan said of Candlelighters. “I play for their rallies, walks and fundraisers.”

A judge at the Los Angeles Music Awards told Tiernan about I’m Too Young For This.
“It’s a young adult cancer survivorship group. It addresses people 18 to 40 who are going through or have gone through cancer. It’s a big information nexus, a kind of a social network,” said Tiernan who donated a song to the organization’s latest promotional CD compilation to raise awareness. “They reach their demographics a lot through the arts.”

On June 14, Tiernan will share the stage with Sugar Ray, Lit and Kelley James at House of Blues in Anaheim during a Music For A Cure fundraiser. The organization, which brings music directly to the bedside of kids with cancer, was formed by Sugar Ray bass player Murphy Karges.

“I’m talking to them about getting in down here,” said Tiernan regarding a similar event at House of Blues in downtown San Diego.

“It’s funny,” he said, “because right as I got the call from them, I was actually at Scripps Hospital meeting with the volunteer services people to try to offer my services to take music up into people’s rooms. This whole thing is kind of a work in progress.”
Of course, Tiernan’s compassion and benefit concerts extend beyond children and cancer patients.

“On April 19, I’m playing for a benefit at Calvary Lutheran Church in Solana Beach,” he said. “It’s called Resounding Joy. They bring music to people who are shut in, recovering and elderly.

“It’s the same idea,” Tiernan said, “bringing music to people’s bedsides, getting in there and letting the music do its thing.

“This is happening for a reason,” he said. “I see my music as fitting into helping people deal with and feel empowered about healing themselves. I want to be a part of that energy.”

To learn more, visit www.tiernantunes.com

To learn more about the cancer-fighting organizations Tiernan works with visit www.candlelighters-social.org, www.imtooyoungforthis.org and http://musicforacure.org

To learn more about Resounding Joy, visit www.resoudingjoyinc.org

In addition to her clinical work, according to Resounding Joy’s Web site, Reuer provides wellness, community-building, stress management, and pain management workshops and seminars for health care professionals, educators, and corporate clients all over the world.

Resounding Joy, Inc. is located at 830 Valley Centre Drive #705, PMB 542, in San Diego. For more information, call 858-922-3933 or visit www.resoundingjoyinc.org