| Stephen Cochran, a veteran Marine who served tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan, will bring his Nashville-based brand of country and southern rock on tour with Armed Forces Entertainment from December 28 – January 15, performing for troops in Kuwait, Bahrain and Djibouti.
Cochran’s musical roots are firmly planted in country, but the sound he creates can sometimes transcend the expected. “Hey, I’m a Marine and I gotta do things my way,” he says. He reveres fellow “outlaws of country” like Johnny Cash, Kris Kristopherson, Wille Nelson and Waylon Jennings, and his live performances are influenced by Garth Brooks and his father, Steve Cochran, a Nashville songwriter and artist. “I just hope someday I can be half the performer that they were,” he says.
Another interesting dimension to Cochran’s sound comes from his team of talented musicians, who all aim to come full circle and “reinvent” country music by staying true to what he sees as its genesis, “people who love music and enjoy what they do.” From punk musicians and those who come from a lifetime of playing metal, to a drummer who once played the blues, Cochran’s crew resists being pinned down into any certain genre. Still, he says, “I like to touch every edge of country and southern rock.”
Cochran believes his tour with Armed Forces Entertainment will be able to bring the most good to the most troops thanks to the organization’s unique relationship with the Pentagon. “It makes me feel that we are going to be used in the best possible manner and sent to the areas we are needed,” he says.
He also hopes his concerts will help troops in more intangible ways. “Music has the ability to heal injuries that medicine can’t, and there are a lot of troops serving in combat for the third, fourth and some the fifth times, so they have issues from three tours ago that they haven’t had a chance to deal with,” he says. “I’m hoping we can take their mind off it just for a little while and bring a piece of home back to them.”
“We’re very lucky to have Stephen Cochran tour with Armed Forces Entertainment not only because he’s a talented musician and performer, but also because he knows firsthand what it means to serve on the front lines,” says Army Captain Erik Ogilvie, Armed Forces Entertainment circuit manager for Southwest Asia. “He can share a special camaraderie with his audience that not all performers are lucky enough to realize, which is exciting.”
“The main thing I will bring on this tour that I got from the military is the extreme sense of respect for the jobs these men and women do every day,” he says. “Not until I was a civilian did I realize how unselfish these men and women are and I just thank God for them, every day.”
Cochran describes himself as “a skinny lance corporal with a guitar and a dream,” and recalls strumming his guitar and singing Garth Brooks songs in his barracks. “I can’t put into words how honored I am to be a part of this,” he says. “Somewhere right now there is another military man or woman with a dream, and I want to show them their dreams can come true.”
###
Armed Forces Entertainment is the lead Department of Defense agency for providing entertainment to U.S. military personnel serving overseas, with priority given to those in contingency operations and at remote and isolated locations. The Department of the Air Force is the executive agent of Armed Forces Entertainment.
Founded in 1951, Armed Forces Entertainment brings a touch of home to more than 500,000 troops annually, embracing the best of Americana that stretches across all genres of entertainment. Visit www.armedforcesentertainment.com for more information.
To learn more about Stephen Cochran, visit stephencochran.musiccitynetworks.com.
|
