VET (Veterans Empowered Together) has added music therapy to its long list of therapeutic services. The group partnered with the Bluegrass Music Academy to bring the service to life, releasing their first musical single today.
VET commander Brian Basham mentioned the concept to notable bluegrass artist, philanthropist, and educator Randy Lanham, and they got to work right away. The nonprofit’s goal is to release a new single each month, relying on different local veterans to assist with the songwriting.
“The program was an idea that music is its own therapy. Many veterans use music as a getaway,” Basham said. “We came together with the Bluegrass Music Academy to form a program that gives the veteran a way to tell their story through a song. They will have a song for the rest of their lives to be proud of.”
The first collaboration features Basham, Lanham, renowned guitarist and singer Drew Aud, and local veteran Jesse Phillips. Phillips is a VET board member and owns Riverwalk Razor Barber Shop.
Phillips said he’s typically reluctant to share his stories and experiences from the military and deployment. The group titled the first single “Corporal Phillips (Friday Night Lights)”, drawing inspiration from Phillip’s multiple deployments.
“Brian and [the members of] VET are great friends who tried to get me to open up and talk about my stories, not for the recognition, but because they actually care about the soldier,” Phillips said. “They don’t care about what he did, but about what he is doing and how they can help.”
The song is streaming on several platforms, including Spotify.
Basham plays guitar and assists his wife, Sarah, with worship services at Crosspointe Baptist Church. He always considered music the perfect escape before entering the military and during his service.
“Music has always been a therapy for me; that is where the idea of music therapy came from for other veterans,” Basham said, adding that there were other music therapy programs for veterans across the U.S. “We have so many veterans here in Owensboro and so much musical talent in Owensboro, it just made sense to have it here.”
