F E AT U R E
A myriad of musicians worked on “I’m With You,” including from left, Danny Rader (acoustic), Nick Buda (drums), Jerry McPherson (electric), Jeff Coplan (bass/producer), Jaime Tate (studio owner/engineer) and Chris Ferrara (scratch vocalist). Brett Gillian, far right, represents CreatiVets. (Photo courtesy of CreatiVets)
‘It’s Real and Emotional’ CreatiVets empowers wounded veterans to heal through the arts BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Sound of Freedom Executive Editor oel Shewmake has written songs for the likes of Brad Paisley, Montgomery Gentry, Gary Allan, Lonestar and Jerrod Niemann. He calls being in a room with Purple
Heart recipient Adam Mitchell an “honor.” The two penned the single “I’m With You,” as part of a monthly project helmed by Nashville-based nonprofit CreatiVets and Big Machine Label Group. They release a new veteran-written track on the 20th of every month to pay tribute to the 20 veterans and active-duty members who die by suicide every day. “I’m still flabbergasted that I would be allowed to get in a room and share in the stories and be a part of Adam’s process,” says Shewmake, also the featured artist on “I’m With You.”
“I would like to keep being involved.” Written by Purple Heart veteran Mitchell and his mentor Greg Pihs alongside Shewmake and fellow songwriter Brian Davis, the song is meant to serve as a form of therapy for the involved veterans. For Mitchell, finding the program was fate. Since sustaining several injuries to the head and neck while serving overseas in 2005, he has struggled with communication, memory and balance, and continues to navigate the difficulties around post-traumatic stress.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 |
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