Dan Johnson Offers Bold New Approach to Preventing Veteran Suicide with “Hemingway” Project

Nashville, TN (June 19, 2018)-OnJuly 27, 2018, Ft. Worth singer/songwriter Dan Johnson will release “Hemingway,” a unique EP/audiobook project that paints a haunting picture of mental health struggles and suicide among military veterans.  The release of the project on State Fair Records is Johnson’s personal testament of a troubled life, molded by the devastating mental collapse and eventual suicide of his father all told through compelling narrative.  “Hemingway” stands as a message of how generations can be impacted by this kind of loss, and how people can intercede on behalf of those who aren’t reaching out on behalf of themselves.  With its five brilliantly crafted songs and five companion short stories, Johnson hopes not only to educate the public on the specific and common warning signs of suicide, but also the variety of resources available in their own communities across America.  ​​

---

On average, twenty veterans take their own lives every day accounting for 18% of suicide deaths in the country.  Johnson’s personal efforts to provide solutions for decreasing this rate have already begun with his website OperationHemingway.org.   Johnson established this non-profit online source in Texas, with the intention of moving beyond simple awareness, focusing rather on public education of warning signs, action steps, and treatment options for help and healing.  He is quoted on the website as saying, "I don't know if anything could have saved my dad. But I do know that even as a kid, I saw warning signs. And I wish someone would have had the courage to speak up on his behalf and do something to help." Johnson will continue his efforts through a city by city tour where he will speak to different groups, perform his songs and tell his story along the way.  A donation page is available on the website and 20% of the proceeds from the “Hemingway” project will go to further the campaign’s mission.  www.operationhemingway.org    
“It seems to me that songs are already out there floating on the air.  There are stories that need to be told, feelings that need to be communicated, and some of us are just chosen to be the conduits.” –Dan Johnson
And so the story does go that Dan Johnson would meet the cast of characters from his new project “Hemingway,” and through him they would whisper their darkened secrets long held, trusting the once ousted minister-in-training to guide them out and into the light.  It all started with five songs, a string of individual tales woven into a concept piece so epic that the storytelling would not be sated by the confines of lyrics and music alone. No. These stories marched clear past those limits until a companion book came into view, in a collaboration with acclaimed novelist and journalist, Travis Erwin.  It’s a place where these weary characters could lay down their burdens, make their full confessions, and at long last, convalesce in their repentance.  
It’s no secret the title song and story “Hemingway” is inspired by the life and tragic suicide of Dan’s father, an injured military veteran who lost all hope when he discovered his military skills didn’t translate to any sustainable job in the civilized world.  The depression and eventual mental illness that followed led him to, as the songs says, “take the Hemingway out.”  Dan was only 10 years old at the time and was instantly stripped of his childhood, to bear the responsibilities his father left behind.  When he finally gained a life of his own he admittedly took a tremendously selfish turn, indulging in a reckless life full of drugs and women as depicted in the song “The Favor” and its accompanying story, ”The Devil’s Child.”  “Tom Waits For No One” and the accompanying story “Ice Water“  were born of a breakup scene from Dan’s own life staged in a dimly lit room, all romantically ready and waiting for a woman who would never return. “Bloom” is a sentimental piece, inspired by Dan’s three daughters and the pleasure of watching them blossom into strong, beautiful women, a precious experience he nearly missed out on. Through the guilt of his past and the general lack he felt as a person, Dan came very close to following in his dad’s footsteps, but at the last minute he decided he would see it through, and instead poured his inner battle into the hauntingly personal song “Lone Gunman’s Lament” and accompanying story “A Bad Man.”  The entire collection of songs (produced by Johnson and Adam Odor) and short stories is a heart provoking narrative about the relationship between decision versus chance in life, and the inextricable ties between good and evil in the world.  For Johnson, the hope for fame and the biggest music stages is not what drives his ambition.  In this rat race towards stardom and instant celebrity, Dan would much rather have true conversations through his music. To him, those are by far the best shows in town. 

www.danjohnsonmusic.us      
www.facebook.com/DanJohnsonUS                 
twitter.com/danjohnsonus