Submitted photo The Don Tanner Band — from left, Jeff Weston, Giavoni Farina, Mike DeVito and Tanner — will play a CD release show for the album “It’s a Large World” on Saturday at Westside Bowl.

Don Tanner’s second CD came pretty quickly.

Organizing a CD release show for the album took some time.

The Youngstown musician finished “It’s a Large World” in 2024, less than two years after the release of his debut, “Are You Going My Way.” Tanner has been playing music since he was in high school in the late ’70s and has been writing songs nearly as long. Some of them got burned onto CDs and sold at shows, but “Are You Going My Way” was the first time he had CDs professionally manufactured and packaged.

Just as “It’s a Large World” was ready for release, Tanner split with his band.

“I had to regroup, and I never did an official release show,” he said. “It took time to get new members together and everything.”

The new band features Mike DeVito on guitar, Jeff Weston on bass and Giavoni Farina on drums, and “Large World” will get an official launch with a release show Saturday at Westside Bowl in Youngstown.

Starting as a drummer, Tanner has played in rock, country and punk / new wave bands. The Venn diagram of musicians who’ve played in groups that opened for both Pure Prairie League and Ramones likely is a thin one, and it includes Tanner.

His songwriting increased as he got more proficient on other instruments besides a drum kit.

“I went on the road in country bands, and then I started dabbling with the piano,” he said. “I took piano lessons, and then I picked up an acoustic guitar and started dabbling, bought a chord book, all that stuff. When I was on the road in hotel rooms, I would practice my guitar, and then I just started writing.

“I always had ideas for songs and stuff, but it was always hard to relate them when you’re just a drummer and don’t play (anything else). After I learned all the other instruments, then I started to get really serious about writing.”

Tanner said “Large World,” like his first release, reflects his diverse background as a musician.

“There’s two ballads on there,” he said. “There’s a bit more, sort of blues things, and then it’s just whatever I’m feeling. I played so much different music in my past. There’s one that maybe goes back to my punk rock roots called ‘Rescue Me,’ which is actually the final track on ‘It’s a Large World.’ There are a couple blues and some that are kind of straight-forward rock.”

“Isabel” is one of those straight-forward rock numbers, and it was the first song on the album to get a video. With “Large World,” Tanner said he is trying to use various social media channels to get the word out about his music and spread its reach.

He also wants to play out live more. His original band was more comfortable working in the studio than playing live gigs, Tanner said. The current lineup is filled with bar band veterans, and the early live shows have been getting a positive response, even with a setlist that he described as 95 percent originals.

“I’m just amazed,” he said. “One of the last jobs we did, I’m walking up and down after the second set, shaking everybody’s hand, thanking them for coming, and it was just compliments. They love the songs.”

Songs from “It’s a Large World” and “Are You Going My Way” will dominate the setlist for the Westside Bowl show, and both CDs will be available for purchase Saturday. Tanner said the crowd also will hear some things that could end up on the third release.

“I think one of the last songs I’m going to be doing is probably the newest song I just wrote two weeks ago,” he said. “It’s called ‘Rock Me,’ and that’s another drivin’ rock song. I just introduced it to the guys last week, and they were excited about it. So that’ll be a ‘You’re the first to hear this’ sort of thing.”

If you go …

WHO: Don Tanner Band CD release show with Dickey White Band

WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Westside Bowl, 2617 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown

HOW MUCH: $11.88 in advance through Eventibrite