Brent Payne Benefit Show Honors Veterans through Music

Surrounding the intimate stage at the Circle P Ranch in Redlands on Sept. 28 were corrals and wooden structures as Brent Payne prepared for his evening performance. The night had settled in just as the country music star took the stage, applause from the audience echoing through the venue. Throughout the night, Payne played many of his popular songs along with never-before-debuted songs during the Night with Brent Payne event, which saw many families and veterans gathering for a night of country music in Redlands. Payne began his set with energized and soulful music, with Payne taking moments between songs to thank the audience and show gratitude to the veterans who sat amongst them. “We all appreciate the service you all have given,” Payne told them as he strummed his guitar. He dedicated many songs to those who fought for the country. The Sept. 28 performance was hosted by the Guitars for Vets organization, a charitable program that focuses on the healing power of music for veterans who have suffered trauma. A portion of the night’s proceeds went to the Guitars for Vets Loma Linda chapter. The organization began working with Payne a few months ago, when he visited the VA hospital in Loma Linda, where Guitars for Vets hosts a local chapter. Roberta Gould is an Assistant Events Coordinator with Guitars for Vets in Loma Linda and also volunteers her time at the veteran’s hospital. “He was such a hit. He was just absolutely so sincere in wanting to do something for the vets,” Gould said. Payne kept in touch with Guitars for Vets since visiting Loma Linda earlier this year, and has continued to work with the organization. During the concert, which Guitars for Vets Events Coordinator Rhonda Diamond described as “intimate and personal,” Payne invited Guitars for Vets instructors to take the stage with him. One of those instructors was Josh Martin, a young veteran who played that night an original song he wrote for his wife. “It was so sweet,” said Diamond. “It brought tears to our eyes.” At 23 years old, Martin has played guitar, written and performed his original music for 10 years, and began as an instructor with Guitars for Vets a few months ago. He’s volunteered at the Loma Linda Veterans Hospital for three years. “Personally, music has helped me. Whenever I feel anxious or I feel panic, I pick up my guitar and I feel okay,” he said. “When the veterans come in [to class], they’re in a [daze]. They’re stuck in their thoughts. I approach them by letting them know they’re here to learn for a reason, and that’s because they feel something when they play guitar.” Martin shared that after he returned home from his service with the U.S. Army, he struggled to re-adjust to life as a civilian. “It was a tough time,” he said. After his best friend of 13 years suddenly passed away and Martin suffered a lung injury, he said, “I went into a phase thinking that if I went to sleep, I would die.” Music was the only thing that calmed him, he explained. “Music is everything to me. It’s how I express what I feel and it’s how I escape.” That’s what he wants to pass on to his students at Guitars for Vets. “When [the veterans] are successful, they feel they’ve accomplished something and it gives them self-confidence,” said Martin. “They know music helps.” Guitars for Vets, shared Gould, gives veterans the opportunity to work for 10 weeks with private guitar instructors. During their lessons, the veterans are loaned a guitar to practice with. After their course, the veterans are presented with a brand-new guitar during their graduation ceremony. Since many of the instructors themselves are veterans, both Diamond and Gould shared they can see confidence emerging in the guitar players with opportunities to play their music in front of others, as the instructors did with Payne on stage during the concert. “They are gaining confidence. Playing onstage is giving [it to them],” said Gould. She feels there is also a definite change in the students in the program, for the better. “You can see the results in the veterans who take these classes. They can lose themselves and concentrate on music. That’s what I love the most—we can see the results.” Diamond added, “When they’re concentrating on those chords and getting the fingering right, they’re relaxing. When they finally accomplish that chord they’ve been working on for a couple of days, you can see the pride in them.” Diamond became involved with Guitars for Vets last year after learning of them during a visit in the veteran’s hospital in Richmond, Virginia, where she was visiting her daughter, a disabled veteran of the Air Force. After returning back home, she invited her friend, Gould, to get involved in the local chapter where they live in California. The two have been working with the organization for just over a year. “The number-one idea is that it’s so important for [the veterans] to feel good,” said Gould. Along with the music that evening, the event also offered various activities for children, including train rides. Horses were also on site for interested kids to take a look at. Food and refreshments were served throughout the night. Guitars for Vets will hold its next graduation ceremony on Nov. 20 at the VA Hospital, 11201 Benton St. in Loma Linda. Graduations typically begin at 2 p.m., shared Diamond.