Veterans turned musicians wage peace for treatment

Murphy War Hippies come to wage music and peace as Saturday’s headliners at Murphy Music * Brews to benefit Shepherd’s Men.

Scott Brown and Donnie Reis are the duo behind the War Hippies. Their story begins with their pre-9/11 service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Brown enlisted in the Marine Corps, while Reis went into the Army. Both saw tours in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

During a phone interview, the duo recounted how they both came to serve their country – and serve up country music.

Name says it all

Fresh off the fame from his Scooter Brown Band, Scott said he was giving an interview with a nationally distributed magazine about his new project when the reporter asked how he would describe himself.

“That caught me off guard so I just kind of blurted out, ‘I don’t know, I’m kind of a war hippie,’ because when I was doing the interview I was walking my property in bare feet and throwing axes.

“She asked what I meant by that and I said ‘Well, I’m a combat vet, but I’m also more into my hippie side, into grounding and meditation and I kind of found a pace and love that I cherish and never want to let go of. I still have that warrior side in me and if you try to come and take that piece from me I could stick an ax in your face, I guess,” he said, chuckling at the irony of the moniker.

After the end of Scooter Brown Band, when Brown saw the term War Hippie in the headline, he thought maybe it showed his “softer side” and soon after as he was linking up with Reis the name came to him as fitting for their new endeavor.

“I happened to link up with Donnie, and I was like I got this idea, man, and it’d be cool to have another combat vet involved in this for the music.”

Reis chimes in with “I said, sounds dope.”

Thus, the waging of peace with tunes began.

West & Midwest & Mideast

Hailing from Colorado, Brown grew up with America’s pastime, playing baseball, competing in rodeos and knowing he wanted to become a Marine. Enlisting in 1999, Brown went into a Western Pacific deployment, which included time in East Timor during their civil war.

“I had no other plan but to be in the military. I was going in for 20 years and retire or go 20-plus years. I learned how to play guitar in the Corps and I fell in love with it. And then I was in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and then I had my re-enlistment planned to go to Bridgeport, Calif. And become a mountain survival instructor.

“And I kept playing over and over in my head ‘Man, I became a Marine. I went to war. I came back with all my pieces. Is there something else I should be doing with my life?’”

Brown said the Corps was “very upset’ with him for not re-enlisting. He headed to Texas and quickly learned what the something else to do with his life was as he became part of the music scene.

There was something more than music though as Brown said he met his wife and, through her booking his shows along with Cody Johnson, they forged a relationship several years later with Charlie Daniels.

“My wife and I were like every time we come to Nashville (Tenn.), the magic happens. Maybe we should move there. By this time we’ve had kids and when I met Charlie Daniels he kind of took me under his wing. So about eight years ago we made the move and it’s been one of the best things that’s ever happened to us.”

Reis’ journey was different, although the trajectory landed him in Brown’s path.

Reis described himself as “a poor kid from Ohio. I was drawn to the violin from a young age, though, when I was 10. I started playing and really took to it and got real good at it. And, honestly, I wasn’t planning on going to college but I kept getting scholarship offers, so I ended up getting a full ride to Miami University in Ohio and was actually the first person with the last name Reis to ever go to college.”

From there, Reis went into basic training in the Army and months later the World Trade Center towers fell and as he says “I’d just briefly been in and the towers went down and it changed my whole trajectory.”

“I ended up deploying with the 216th Engineer Battalion as combat engineers and I was attached to the First Infantry Division and spent a year in Iraq beginning in 2004.

After that year, Reis came back home and realized, much like Brown had, that “music wasn’t so bad.” But, after another four tours Reis decided that music was his path gaining an opportunity to tour with groups Little Texas, Lone Star and Restless Heart.

Studio sessions

With Reis’ moving to Nashville off his stint with touring groups rather than battalions, he was able to build his dream recording studio.

Already scoring several number one records both in country and gospel genres Reis was enjoying recording, but was needing something else to spur his talent for performing again.

“Scott came along, and I got to go out and play the fiddle again.”

Brown had toured in support of Charlie Daniels Band with his own Scooter Brown Band and had been introduced to the Shepherd’s Men organization by Daniels who was an integral partner in supporting the charity before his death in 2020.

“Through Charlie’s connections and his people we became acquainted with the project,” Brown said of his initial involvement.

Reis added, “I ran into Travis [Ellis, co-founder] at a

Journey Home project, and he came back to my studio with a couple of the operators and military guys we hang out with and we began talking about the program and I was just fascinated with the work and what they were doing and how they were actually helping in real time change the lives of these veterans.”

Proud to step into the role of supporting the organization with concerts and promotions, the duo also recognizes, according to Brown, that they can be “pigeonholed into the idea that ‘Oh, you’re the vet guys who do veteran stuff. But, we’re songwriters, artists and performers who happen to be veterans and we still want to serve our brothers and sisters in some way.

“There aren’t many of us in the music community. And, you know God’s given us the talents and the pedestal to use in this platform. And if we aren’t doing something good with it, then what are we doing at all?”

Intersection of faith

When listening to their music the intersection of faith and fealty is evident and the duo is quick to credit God with both those talents and the quality of life they’re able to enjoy after those combat deployments.

Many of their songs read as morality tales, and Brown asserts that’s his favorite part of songwriting is to be a storyteller.

“That’s what drew me to country music, the storytelling aspect of it. Maybe my favorite songwriter is Kris Kristofferson and the poetic way he writes about, say, watching the sun rise and there’s a vibrant image in my head and that’s what I want to create.”

“It’s hard to come up with something truly different. Every song has been written. Every chord played. Every melody out there. But, I feel like with War Hippies we’ve found a way to say that same thing differently.”

Brown also credited Reis’ diverse musical background from orchestral to classical with the driving force as Reis credits that fact that “God is obviously at the center of our lives and our faith is a huge part of what we do.

“So, Scott’s technique is being able to put in the morality and the characters that make these songs almost parables, which the secular world will not always allow you to do that. I want to be a positive influence.”

Brown and Reis hope to always provide an experience for their audiences while raising awareness about veterans’ issues, but ultimately they want the audiences to feel they’re part of “a movement that draws attention to things going on in America and empowering people to become a part of it to make changes and see what good we can do for each other.”

Not their first rodeo

The duo not only offers support to Shepherd’s Men, but also many other private organizations that offer services to veterans.

Brown started his own charitable organization that promotes outdoor experiences for 30 to 40 veterans throughout the year. Based in his home state of Colorado, Base 40 provides hunting and fishing expeditions for veterans to connect to their outdoor environs in order to combat stressors and provide experiences in where Brown said he finds his own “God, peace and spirituality.”

Reis added that they also host a charity celebrity golf event annually in Nashville along with being involved with the Special Operators Transition Foundation which works to help former Green Berets, Navy Seals and others from the special operations community transition back into civilian life by providing leadership training from and positions within Fortune 500 companies.

The concert for Murphy Music & Brews holds a special place for both as their career track has risen since last year’s performance, with new music coming this year.

“Last year was fantastic, and we got there the night before and had a little get together at the brewery and we actually have our own beer for sale. It’s called Tear of My Enemies Porter and will be back this year,” Donnie said proudly.

“There were thousands of people on the street, it was beautiful. And we were asked back and we’re headlining, so we’re so excited to be back,” Scott added.

The duo concludes with wanting to focus on the organization to help Shepherd’s Men, if only one person is able to be helped, they say it’s worth every moment.

“We get to go on that stage and play in front of those people who’ve served and those who support them. That’s our reward for everything else we have to do in this business. We’re grateful and humbled to be back.”

War Hippies will headline Murphy Music & Brews from 8:45-10:30 p.m. Saturday on a blocked-off Tennessee Street downtown.

Details: Visit shepherdsmen.com, warhippies.com and murphymusicandbrews.com.