“Dear Mom” – Out Now
NASHVILLE, TN – CreatiVets, a Nashville-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting veterans through art and music, honors the sacrifices of veterans and their families today with the release of “Dear Mom.” In partnership with Big Machine Label Group, songs written through the CreatiVets program are released throughout the year.
LISTEN TO “DEAR MOM” HERE
Written by Brian DeVries, veteran mentor Seth Cole, and professional songwriters Jesse Wayne Taylor, Stephen Ray and Filmore, “Dear Mom” serves as a heartfelt tribute to DeVries’ mother and his healing journey as a veteran. Brian DeVries served as a medic during his deployments to Iraq in 2004-2005 and Afghanistan in 2010. His experiences on the battlefield exposed him to trauma after trauma, resulting in a diagnosis of PTSD, heightened anxiety, and depression. DeVries found himself disassociating from friends and family and struggled to maintain employment while searching for meaning and purpose in his post-service life.
Prior to his involvement with CreatiVets, DeVries had never considered songwriting. Reflecting on his experience with CreatiVets’ songwriting program, DeVries remarked, “The songwriting program is something that you have to experience for yourself. I don’t know that words can truly put into perspective what the songwriting process can do. If you’re willing to put everything you have into it, the outcome is truly magical.”
DeVries hopes that his songs resonate with fellow veterans, serving as a reminder of the support and resilience that can help them navigate challenging times.
“I hope that when others hear my song, they can think of that one person who always got them through the tough times, always believed in them, and never walked away regardless of the struggles they might have put them through,” he expressed.
For DeVries, sharing his music with his mother has been an emotional and deeply meaningful experience.
“The first time I played it [‘Dear Mom’] for her, she cried. I don’t know that there was a dry eye in the room the first time everyone heard it,” he shared. “To be able to not only help myself, but to also do this for her and the amount of healing it has done for both of us after the struggles from my time in the military is something that makes this process priceless.”
DeVries expressed his gratitude to CreatiVets for the impact they’ve had on his life and the lives of countless other veterans.
“The amount of joy and happiness you have brought back into my life by helping take a huge weight that I no longer carry off my back is honestly life changing. I share CreatiVets with as many people as I can and spread the word to as many as possible.”
Since its founding in 2013, CreatiVets has helped more than 2,500 combat veterans — with more than 500 veterans participating in its songwriting programs to date. Serving as a connector for opportunities that magnify CreatiVets within the entertainment space, Big Machine Label Group continues to contribute to CreatiVets’ operational initiatives through Scott and Sandi Borchetta’s Music Has Value Fund and through Big Machine Music, which serves as the co-publisher for CreatiVets.
To learn more about CreatiVets, please visit creativets.org.