Atom Willard
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| Atom Willard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Adam David Willard |
| Born | August 15, 1973 (age 52) |
| Origin | San Diego, California |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Drummer |
| Instrument | Drum kit |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Associated acts | The Special Goodness Angels & Airwaves The Offspring |
Adam "Atom" Willard is the drummer in Patrick Wilson's project The Special Goodness.
Overview
Willard is a notable drummer in the punk music scene having played for bands such as Rocket from the Crypt and more recently The Offspring. Recently, he plays drums full-time for Tom Delonge's (of Blink-182 fame) Angels and Airwaves (abbreviated "AVA") project. Willard's drumming style changes significantly for the purpose of AVA's music, employing an expanded drum kit with bells and larger toms/other percussion effects.
Weezer connections
"Now The Special Goodness has really gotten serious," Wilson states. "Atom Willard is such a rager, when we started playing with him, it made me more excited about the band." Pat is an outspoken fan of Willard, who has worked as Weezer's drum tech. Atom slams so forcefully, from where we sat at a recent Moth gig in New York, he threatened to blow a hole through the opposite wall of the club. "I'm always ripping Atom off," Pat chuckles. "He's got a silver drumkit with blue stripes; I got a green one with white stripes. He doesn't use wing nuts on his cymbal stands; I'm thinking about doing that now. He gets so mad."
- —Adam Budofsky (writer), Pat Wilson, Modern Drummer article - December 2002[1]
- —Adam Budofsky (writer), Pat Wilson, Modern Drummer article - December 2002[1]
Following the release of the The Special Goodness album At Some Point, Birds and Flowers Became Interesting in 2001, Willard joined the band, becoming the second half of its official lineup. He would remain the band's drummer until the release of the 2011 album Natural, which only featured Wilson.
Willard acted as Wilson's drum tech for the the Midget Tour and Enlightenment Tour. He is also credited on Weezer (The Green Album) as a "Drum God"[2] and on Maladroit as a "Drum Bum."[3] At Weezer shows in 2001, Willard played maracas on stage during "Island in the Sun".
In 2008 on the Troublemaker Tour, Angels and Airwaves toured with Weezer alongside Tokyo Police Club, and later The Relationship, to help promote Weezer's Red Album. During Weezer's set, Willard played drums on Rivers Cuomo's drum kit during "Undone" and "Automatic."
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