Thornton toiled at Nashville area coffee shops for many years chasing the elusive record deal with his band Waves On Waves. His first musical effort, "Had A Sword," won the Nashville Scene Music Award for Best Experimental Rock shortly before they disbanded in 2008. Frustrated, he relocated to Los Angeles and on the dare of a friend began frequenting Hollywood stand up comedy open mics. Within a few months he was named a Los Angeles Times "Best Bet," had been featured on NPR's All Things Considered and became a "New Faces Winner" at The Comedy Store in Hollywood. In 2011 Thornton was a guest lecturer at University of California, Berkeley. He produces a weekly Podcast on also called Strange Dreamz. Thornton irreverently discusses touring adventures, current events, and issues affecting the LGBT community. Thornton's podcast is the highest rated program on the LGBT related online radio station Click Click Expose based in Miami, Florida. He's also an author. His most recent book, The Universe Sock Puppet, is available on his website and retailers worldwide Awards received on Thornton's 2011 15-city tour include the Audience Choice Award for Favorite Show and the Fringe Crush Award in Orlando as well as the League of Cincinnati Theatre Award for Best Writing and Performance.