Cover Art Courtesy of Big Machine Records
NASHVILLE, TENN. (July 1, 2020) – Leading independent powerhouse Big Machine Label Group and CreatiVets, a non-profit organization that provides combat veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress and brain injury with opportunities to use art, music and creative writing to heal their unseen wounds of war, have entered into a joint venture for the release of upcoming album VETERAN SONGS this Friday. The 11-track album will be released via Big Machine Records, the label that boasts such artists as Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Midland and Carly Pearce. Big Machine Music serves as the co-publisher for CreatiVets providing licensing, administration and royalty collection services for mentor songwriters and those participants who opt in. Additionally, Scott and Sandi Borchetta’s Music Has Value Fund has contributed to CreatiVets’ operational initiatives and will continue to serve as a connector for opportunities that can magnify CreatiVets within the entertainment space.
VETERAN SONGS follows the release of combat veteran Geneo Graves’ autobiographical track “Stories” which is available now at all digital and streaming services. Graves penned the gut-wrenching ballad about wartime alongside CreatiVets Co-Founder/Executive Director Richard Casper and Nashville songwriters Heidi Raye and Johnny Bulford, who lends his voice to the recorded version.
Upon release, fans can say “Alexa, play music by veterans” to listen to the 11-track album on Amazon Music.
A majority of the proceeds from the sales and consumption of VETERAN SONGS benefits CreatiVets.
“It has been a dream of mine since we launched CreatiVets in 2013 to have our music released to the world,” said Casper. “If it wasn’t for Big Machine and Scott and Sandi Borchetta we would still be a few years out from accomplishing it. We know our music doesn’t just help the veteran who wrote the song, it helps their family, friends and other veterans that feel connected through hearing their story for the first time or through shared experiences. This is music by veterans for veterans and in this album you will hear songs about family, relationships, war, trauma, and inspiration. I am so excited to see what else our music can do!”
Each CreatiVets songwriter is met by a peer in Nashville, who has gone through the program to help make the veteran comfortable with the experience. Through the songwriting sessions, veterans are provided with an opportunity to tell their stories in a different way and a tangible memory they can keep forever. The songs are written to capture the veteran’s personal story so that it is their voice talking about their experiences, but in a way that captures universal themes others can understand. The veterans not only have their own song to listen to or play whenever they want, but also a new strategy for helping themselves cope with anxiety and depression. Many participating veterans continue to write songs on their own, further adding to the healing process.
VETERAN SONGS TRACK LIST:
1. “If I Change It” (featuring Bruce Wallace)
2. “Unbroken” (featuring Dan Couch)
3. “Stories” (featuring Johnny Bulford)
4. “The Other End Of The Line” (featuring Jason Sever)
5. “Fight For You” (featuring Quinn Loggins)
6. “Need Savin’” (featuring Brian Davis)
7. “Saving My Life” (featuring Bruce Wallace)
8. “Sunshine” (featuring Drew Dixon)
9. “Light Like Mine” (featuring Kenny Foster)
10. “Balance The Scales” (featuring Bruce Wallace)
11. “The Man I Wanna Be” (featuring Chris Ferrara)
