A unique concert is to be performed in November at the Hardin County Performing Arts Center and residents of the Carl M. Brashear Radcliff Veterans Center in Radcliff are inviting the community to attend.
The “Lest We Forget” concert at 7 p.m. on Nov. 12 will feature songs residents helped create, performed by country music singer-songwriter Tamara Stewart, who collaborated with them on the music.
“Those are their words,” said Lori Jury, former director of life enrichment at the veterans center during a recent recording session at Radcliff Institution. “There are songs that she will write with a veteran, but for the most part the songs are their words that they gave during the sessions.”
The judging panel said at the start of the process that Stewart would bring a whiteboard, start singing a few songs the veterans could sing along to, and then they’d have workshops on topics for the songs and brainstorm lyric ideas.
The songs range from fun to heavy topics, some inspired by the experiences of the veterans involved.
“I’m continually impressed with the process of using the songwriting format I developed for these bands,” Stewart said. “It feels like part process, part participants, and part mystery. I feel like my role is just to navigate the journey, steer the ship, and keep the creative engine running.
Stewart, who is an award-winning Australian country music singer-songwriter, said while she has the expertise to guide the sessions, she feels she is fit for the journey.
“I really feel like it’s all happening in front of me,” she said. “I don’t dwell too much on the ‘how’ of music’s ability to connect and heal, and I stay closer to allowing that to happen without getting in the way.”
The session and the project had a way of bringing the veterans together because they connected to the feelings and emotions of others, Stewart said.
“Seeing residents connect with each other, laugh and share intimate, often isolating emotions, is rewarding,” she said. “The times when they express a sense of being heard and seen, not just as veterans who have served America, but as an elderly person in a society where they are not always listened to or feel that they have a voice are moments I will never forget.”
The jury said Stewart is a certified trauma coach, who helps sessions and helps veterans process their feelings.
“We’ve had WWII, Vietnam, and Korean veterans participating in all four (Kentucky veterans) centers,” she said. “So a lot of what they deal with comes from that. Some of the songs are very specific to Vietnam vets or the Korean War.
Stewart has a knack for taking veterans’ experiences, some of which are unrelated to civilians, and turning them into something special, said Korean War and Vietnam veteran Lynn Crockett.
“Everyone has a different experience,” he said. “When you try to explain the fight to someone who has never experienced it, you just can’t do it. She can make a song out of it.
But music isn’t just about serving in the military, Jury said.
“Everyone seems to think it’s veterans, so it’s all military related,” she said, adding that during the pandemic, the veterans wrote a song called “Quarantine.” “It’s not just this trauma. These are also life experiences that we all have.
One song, “Until I Get There,” is about the death of a spouse, Jury said.
“It’s a bit open,” she said.
It’s not all raw emotion, Stewart said, as some songs are upbeat and fun, like the one about fried chicken, an audience favorite.
“Veterans, yes, but also stories to tell about parenthood and healing, mocking and praising Kentucky,” she said. “I doubt (the concert and the albums) are what people expect, but they will be better off hearing these stories.
“We laughed as hard as we did anything else,” she added. “There were some truly memorable moments of joy that will always make me laugh.”
As Stewart conducted Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee” in the background, Crockett, who has been involved with the project for several years, said he looked forward to Stewart’s visits.
“Anything lively like this breaks up the monotony,” said Crockett, who is 86. “It gives the guys something to look forward to.”
Crockett said sessions sometimes involved writing lyrics but choosing words that rhymed with the ending of the previous line.
“If you could keep it on the same topic that the song was written about, that would help,” he said. “But she knows how to put the music together. We don’t. We just give him some suggestions to put in the song.
Crockett said he’s often impressed with how Stewart takes their ideas, like enjoying the Kentucky Derby, and turning them into a song.
“She’s a really talented young lady,” he said. “To my knowledge, none of us wrote music before coming here. I know I didn’t.
The series’ third album has just wrapped, with veterans heading to Nashville, Tennessee, for a recording studio session.
“This triple album we’re releasing is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Stewart said. “These are the stories of our parents and grandparents. It is the story of this country and the stories of so many veterans who lived in silence.
Tickets are on sale at sforce.co/3Rq4HRo for the Veterans Day weekend concert. The albums will be sold during the concert and the veterans who participated will be on hand to sign them.
“It’s an opportunity to show up, see a show, or hear a bunch of songs that will make you laugh, cry, and learn,” said Stewart, who will perform the songs with a full band. “It’s a chance to learn more about military history, but these ladies and gentlemen share so much more.”
It’s a concert the community won’t want to miss, Stewart said.
“The atmosphere in the room is electric during the show,” she said. “It’s a celebration of the men and women who have lived long and seen and done so much.”
