Writers join with veterans to make music
“Music frees your soul from the dungeon of your mind,” wrote author Wiss Auguste, who often addresses the human condition. Military veterans who’ve experienced SongwritingWith:Soldiers (SW:S) are evidence he is right.
The Nashville-based nonprofit, established in 2012, pairs veterans with professional songwriters at weekend retreats across the country. Together, they write songs that capture the veterans’ stories about war and its psychological toll.
SW:S is coming to the Highlands this week for the first time. A fundraiser concert on Thursday (Aug. 15) at the Philipstown Depot Theatre on Garrison’s Landing will feature Maia Sharp, Erin Enderlin, Terry Radigan and Jay Clementi, each of whom has written songs with veterans. That will be followed by a retreat at Glynwood on Aug. 16 to 18 for female veterans from Beacon, Cornwall and other parts of New York.
Veterans often return home facing a range of problems, from physical disabilities, mental health issues and substance abuse, to homelessness, unemployment and isolation. One national study calculated that nearly 9,000 veterans die annually by suicide and another 7,300 from drug overdoses.
The songs that emerge from SW:S help people understand veterans’ stories, and the songwriting process helps veterans heal and reconnect to their communities. A 2019 Harvard Medical School Study found SW:S collaborative songwriting significantly decreased symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.
Josh Geartz, a former U.S. Army sergeant who once attempted suicide, co-wrote “Still on the Ride” with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier. “A lot of vets lose the ability to connect with anything, let alone people,” he says, noting that he told Gauthier things he didn’t tell his wife or therapist. “I told her all the stuff I was afraid of. She looked over at me, smiled, and said, ‘I’m really glad you’re still here.’ Something switched my brain from being hyper-focused on negativity to positivity.”
Veteran Joe Austin co-wrote “Start Over” with Steve Everett. “We come back a little jaded and hard, not able to express our emotions, full of anger and we don’t know why,” he says. “SW:S lets you know you can express yourself creatively, openly, and that the kid you used to be is still in there.”
Austin said he was surprised his songs were so widely accepted by civilians. “I didn’t expect that,” he says. “The feedback I got filled me up.”
Christine Rem, who served in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in Iraq, co-wrote “Eyes of the Deer” with Maia Sharp in 2017, a decade after her deployment. “It takes a few years before you’re ready to think about that time and how it affects you,” she says. “You may not feel there’s a song in you, but they pull it out of you somehow or other.”
Being at a retreat with other veterans, even when their ages varied greatly, was moving, she said. “We have so much in common; we saw dark things in our hearts through the same eyes,” Rem said.
Pepper Evans, who lives in Philipstown, joined the SW:S board this year and helped coordinate the local concert and retreat. “Music reaches people on an intuitive, emotional level that goes beyond word or thought,” she says. “SW:S creates the positive mindset and setting to maximize music’s impact.”
Sharp has taken part in two retreats each year since 2017, co-writing about 30 songs. “All the songs have a hopeful core — we set it up with the past and the struggle,” she says. “If I do my job, that’s the backstory to an acknowledgment of how far they’ve come and where they feel they’re heading.”
“The way they’ve shifted their perspective after what they’ve experienced, their bravery and vulnerability, is inspiring every time,” she adds. “It keeps me grounded and grateful; I’m wrung out and filled up every time I walk out of those rooms.”
Nancy Montgomery, who represents Philipstown and part of Putnam Valley on the Putnam County Legislature, said she has dreamed of bringing SW:S to the area since learning about it from Sharp. But it wasn’t until last year, while attending a concert with Evans, that the women decided to make it happen.
The retreats are not typically paired with a concert, she says. “But I wanted the public to learn about the program and it seemed the perfect way to raise awareness,” including by giving tickets to veterans. She hopes to have SW:S return annually.
For tickets, see philipstowndepottheatre.org. To learn more or donate, visit songwritingwithsoldiers.org.
