August 20, 2025 • 29 mins
In this powerful episode of “Music Saved Me,” with your host Lynn Hoffman, singer-songwriter Scotty Hasting opens up about his journey through life’s darkest moments and how music became his lifeline. Scotty shares the struggles he faced, the healing power of songwriting, and the transformative role music played in reclaiming his peace and purpose. Tune in to hear his inspiring story of resilience, redemption, and how the melodies that saved him can inspire us all.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Music Saved Me. Welcome to Music Saved Me, the podcast
where we dive deep into the transformative power of music
and the stories behind the artists who inspire us. And
if you're into stories of inspiration and resilience, which I
suspect you might be, please check out our sister podcast,
Comedy Saved Me, hosted by Yours Truly wherever you get
your podcasts. I'm your host, Lynn Hoffman, and today's episode
(00:24):
is a story of extraordinary resilience, courage, and the pursuit
of purpose. Joining us rising country star Scottie Hasting, an
Army veteran and singer songwriter who is a living testament
to the human spirit. Scotty's journey from active military service
on the battlefields of Afghanistan to surviving being shot ten times,
(00:47):
surviving and confronting PTSD is nothing short of remarkable, But
it's what happened after all of that that marks his
deepest transformation, picking up a guitar during the darkest days
of the pandemic to combat PTSD and discovering that music
wouldn't just be a lifeline, it would be a new
path forward. Since his first record deal in twenty three,
(01:09):
he shared the stage with country giants like Tanya Tucker,
Jelly roll In, Chris Jansen, and he's also become a
proud advocate for organizations like Creative Vets and Guitars for Vets,
and as a Purple Heart recipient himself. His music carries
the weight of his story in the hope of his
message that no matter how tough things get, there's always
(01:30):
a light on the other side. Today's conversation, Scotty opens
up about songwriting, how it became his saving grace, how
sharing his story helped his fellow veterans, and what it
feels like to connect with his audiences from stage to stage,
reminding us all that sometimes music truly does save us.
So wherever you're listening, settle in for an honest and
(01:51):
inspiring and unforgettable episode with Scotty hasting right here on
music Saved Me. Scotty, Welcome to the show. It is
so wonderful to have you here.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Thanks for having me well, first and foremost, thank you
for your service and for joining us today and your
incredible journey. I have goosebumps just thinking about it, and
I know we didn't plan this and it's not like
this won't live on forever, but today just happens to
be the day I get to talk to you on
National Purple Heart Day.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Oh wow, did you even know that I even noticed that?
Speaker 1 (02:25):
It's incredible. Well, I can't wait to talk to you
all about your incredible story, starting with how you survived
and how that survival shaped your music. But first we
got to take a quick break and have a word
from our wonderful sponsors who pay for all of this
to be able to happen. So we'll be right back
with Scotty Hasting, Music Saved Me. Welcome back to Music
(02:46):
Save Me, my guest, Scotty Hasting. All right, let's talk
about your journey from serving in the army to becoming
a musical artist, a country music artist. Can you describe
what role music played for you before four year time
in Afghanistan and then after?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Yeah, you know, it's funny. When I was I grew
up listening to music, I grew up singing it. But
music was never a thought as like a career or
something that I ever thought that I could do.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
You know, music was just for me. It was just
a hobby.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I just I sang songs in the car or in
the shower. I'd never let anyone ever hear me sing.
It was just something for me. It was my happy place.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Did you did you know that you were a good
singer or was it just in the bathroom in the
shower like good acoustics.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yeah, I mean my mom told me I was good once,
but no, I mean I would sing like karaoke and
stuff like. As I got older, I started singing karaoke
because my dad was at karaoke DJ for a while.
And and yeah, I mean I was always told that
I was, you know, good, But you know, it's hard
to be like, oh, well thanks, you know, some drunk
guy at a bar I thought I was good at karaoke.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
It hard to be like, yeah, I'm good, you know.
But but now it was for me.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
It was just it was my happy place. Was what
I did for me? And and yeah, I never thought
in a million years i'd be doing what I'm doing now.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Wow, it's pretty incredible. And it's only been a few
short years. I know that you've spoken openly and in
vivid detail about surviving being shot, and not just shot,
but like ten times at point blank range. I mean,
you were looking into your shooter's eyes. And it will
also deal dealt a lot with PTSD which followed, and
(04:23):
I'm very familiar with that. My dad was in the
military as well, so he suffered greatly with that. How
did those experience shape your musical voice and basically your
purpose moving forward?
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Yeah, you know, I think it shaped my musical voice
in the sense that it was therapy for me.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
You know, I started all of this as just a
form of therapy.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Learned how to play the guitar, learned how to write music,
and the music that came out, it was just therapeutic.
It was what I needed before the cover flowed. And
it's amazing because I remember going to my first show
ever and I played the first song I've learned how
to play, which should have been Cowboy. And I was
at an open mic night and Cookeville, Tennessee, out in
(05:05):
the middle of nowhere at Red Salard Brewing Company, and
I was just like, you know, I'm just gonna go
up there and play and see what happens. And I
and I remember playing that song and I remember feeling
like this is what I need to do forever. It
was like in that moment, like the stage became my sanctuary,
and it was it was my place where I could
escape and live in a moment away from the PTSD,
(05:26):
the depression, of the anxiety, all of that stuff, and
it was and for me, that's all it was.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
That's all. That's all I wanted music for was to
be therapy. That was it.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
And and then I started writing songs for myself as therapy.
And then I started playing those songs out and I
started realizing that veterans were and other people who were
struggling were connecting with these songs. And I was like, well,
hold on, like I might be able to do some
good with this, Like let me hold on, so.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Like, let me let me do like I remember going.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
I played for one of the first shows I ever
played for veteran nonprofit was for Creativets and it was
in Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona before the Super Bowl, when I
was opening for Dave Grohl, and there was like two
hundred veterans in this room and I was like, I
was so scared.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I was nervous.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
I wasn't It was like the first time I'd ever
truly been by myself in a big show. And I
remember playing a song about my Survivor's guilt. It's called
how Do You Choose. It's a song about my best
friend being killed, and it's something I struggle with every
day still to this day. It's something I struggle with.
Survivor's guilt is there. It's always going to be there.
And I remember playing it and it was the first
(06:37):
time that I ever played a song and no one
clapped after and I was like, oh my god.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
They hated it.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
They hated it, like I just poured my heart, my
soul into this. They hated this song. And then I
looked around the room and I realized that everyone was
kind of consoling each other, and they were consoling each other.
And then after that, I started getting messages from all
these people, and then they came up to me and
they started talking to me and talking about how like
how I was giving them a voice when they didn't
(07:01):
know what to say, and all this sudden and I
was like like, like I like I could I could
help people with what I'm doing, Like I want to
do that, Like I want to help Like this is
like getting the messages that I get and all that stuff,
like that's what this is all about. I never came
into music, thinking, you know, this is going to be
a career for me, and I'm going to make a
buttload of money and I'm going to be super famous.
(07:23):
Like no, for me, it was it became a mission,
and it became a way for me to help people.
And that's in a way for me to help myself
honestly as well, and and that's all it will ever
be for me.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
I find it hard to believe that you are scared
of anything after everything that you went through.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Well, you know, it's funny. It's funny.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
I get a questions all the time about, man, are
you nervous about to go on stage? You're nervous, And
I'm like, well, no one's shooting at me today, you know,
so right, But.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
But no, I mean I think a little bit of
nerves is good.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
I think it means that it means something to you,
you know, I think that it's important.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
But yeah, it was.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
It was the first like big stage I've ever been
on and it was just me by myself with my guitar,
so it was it was definitely nerve wracking for sure.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
I bet it was. You know, I want to I
want to start this next question off with one of
your quotes. You were quoted as saying, for me, the
demons of PTSD knock the loudest when it's quiet, and
when I have my guitar in my hands, I find peace.
At what point did you realize that music was more
than a hobby and therapy? And if you already said that,
(08:29):
forgive me for asking again. But can you also describe
that moment when you picked up the guitar during the
pandemic and how that changed your whole path of existence?
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Yeah, one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
So before the pandemic, I was shooting archery with the
US Paralympic program. I traveled all over the country. I
represented the United States for me shooting archery. Seven seconds
before I released that era, nothing in the world matter
PTSD depression. It all disappeared for those seven seconds. And
I lived for those seven seconds. And then COVID happened
in the world shut down, and my escape in my
(08:59):
way to deal got taken away, and I was struggling.
I was struggling really bad. I started going into a
very dark place. And yeah, and you know, like I said,
the demon's not the loudest when it gets quiet, and
COVID was very quiet, and I needed something. I needed
something to focus on and needed something to get out
of my head.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
And I had a guitar in.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
A corner of my room and one day I was like,
I'm just gonna I'm going to learn how to do this,
Like I'm going to figure out how to play this thing.
Like I've you know, ever since Walter Reed, I've never
let anything stop me from doing something, a matter of
my injury or whatever, like I'm just going to try it.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Who knows.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
And I jumped on YouTube and I started learning how
to play the guitar, and it was like that escape
was back again, you know. I was able to I
was able to just focus on one thing, and I
spent every day playing that and learning how.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
To play the guitar.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
And then I went from there to Okay, well, now
I have this escape and I have I have this
ability to get away from everything, but I still have
all these feelings and emotions that are bottled up, like
I need to find a way to get these output
them somewhere. I need to figure out a way to
do this. And so then I started learning how to
write songs. I jumped on YouTube and I started learning
how songs are structured. And I started learning how it
(10:10):
goes from a verse to a chorus to a bridge,
to how.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
It all comes together and becomes one thing.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
And then I started writing songs for myself, just so
I could get the things that I was dealing with
out of myself and put them somewhere else. And and then,
you know, that's what I did for the longest time
while COVID was happening, that that was my way of
dealing with the demons that I was dealing with. And then,
you know, slowly the world started opening up again.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
And that's when I went.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Out to cook Wiltonnessee, the Red Salad Brewing Company, and
I the moment that I knew that I was that
I wanted to do this was forever. Was that day
I went and I put my name on a list,
and that opened my night, just said why not, it's funny.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
I went out there, I.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Put money on the list, and I was like, man,
I don't know if I want to do this, Like
there's gonna be a lot of people there, whatever. And
I got up on stage and there were four people
up there. There were four people out.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
This out in the in the audience. Yeah, I was like,
good for you.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
It was during COVID, so like everyone was like six
and I was like, man, I've made a full out
of myself in front of way more than four people,
so like.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Why not, why not going for it?
Speaker 4 (11:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (11:17):
So I went I played should Have Been a Cowboy?
And in that moment, it was like.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
That escape, that that purpose, that that drive, it was there,
but it was magnified a hundred times, and I knew
that that's that, this is what I need to do forever.
In that moment, the stage truly became my sanctuary. And
and you know, for I went from seven seconds at
a time to be able to nothing else matter in
(11:41):
the world, to now three minutes at a time where
nothing else in the world mattered, to then you know,
slowly the world started opening up.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
And I went down to Nashville and.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Broadway and learned that you can play three or four
hours at a time while you're down on Broadway. And
I was like, well, you're telling me three or four
hours a day, I can disappear from all of the
stuff that I deal with, Like I want to do that.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Hell, could you put a can you put an apartment
in the back of this place, because I'm going to live.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
Here, there's anywhere I could stay, like on the roof
or something.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
But yeah, so I went, you know, I went and played.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
At one point in time, I was playing six nights
a week down on Broadway for three to four hours
a day, and and my vocal cords hated me. But
the therapy that I got from it was more than
anything I've ever experienced. And and you know, it has
since grown into so much more than I ever thought possible.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
And now I have a platform where I can try.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
To help people find something the way that I was
able to find music.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Wow, YouTube and focus. Yes, And I guess the only
thing you didn't look up was was how not to
fry your vocal cords.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
No, no, I didn't. I just went for it.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
But that's determination, and that has to come from somewhere
deep within, and especially when you're going down a dark path.
I mean, it's a slippery slope.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
So yeah, you know, I've just I've lost a lot
of friends that have and I have kids, and I
didn't want to be I didn't want to be that.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
I didn't want to just leave early.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
I wanted to be able to experience my kids and
watch them grow up and.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Be there for them when they needed me. So I
needed to find something.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
So you became a country superstar. It's just incredible to me.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
I just started, I started singing songs started.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Yeah, but it all starts somewhere. You know, in this
songwriting process for you, can you share how writing a
song helps you process these difficult emotions?
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Yeah? You know.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
When I first started, it was just a way for
me to get emotions and feelings out and put them
somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
You know, it was it.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
Wasn't you know a lot of those songs don't make
any sense, and they're not even really songs.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
It was just like word vomit that I needed to
get out.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
And and now they live in this notebook and that
that's where they stay. They live here like that's that's
this is where it belongs now. And you know that
for me, that was that was huge. You know, I
was able to take to take all the things that
were eat me alive and put them somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
And and you know.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Now that I've gotten a little bit better songwriting, I
you know, now I can kind of.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Make sense more of the emotions and.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
And honestly, like songwriting has given me the opportunity to
really to really focus on the emotions that I'm feeling
and to really think about them and talk about them.
And you know, before I just put them in a
box and just hope that that box doesn't ever bust open.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
And now I'm able.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
To talk about them and think about them and put
them somewhere and find a way to make it connect
with people. And and it's it's it's truly taking you know,
the trauma and the things that I deal with and
flipping it and trying to make it something that means something.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
We'll be right back with more of the Music Save
Me Podcast. Welcome back to the Music Saved Me Podcast.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
I don't know how deeply you are able to speak
of the situation you came out of. I have seen
you speak of it, but I just I can't stress
enough to our listeners what a turnaround your life is,
because literally you were pretty much gone, and I was
(15:25):
wondering if you could, in a short amount of time
kind of give an example of where you can. And
then also, can you just tell me did you ever
find out who that woman was that whispered to you?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
And I have no idea.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Okay, well, no one knows what I'm talking about but
I figured i'd leave you in wild.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
But yeah, I'll talk a little bit for sure. I
have no problem talking about it.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
I think it's important for people to hear it because
maybe it can help somebody. Twenty first, twenty eleven, I
was shot ten times in Afghanistan. Everyone always asked, so
I got to say it five times I'm short or
four times and hit once in a.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Thigh and.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
I had lost so much blood at one point in
time that my eyesight shut down.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
You know. For me, I think that that's you know,
it was kind of like a white film.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
And for me, the way that I think about it
now is like when people say, man.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
I see the light, Like that's what I associate with that.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
But somehow I pushed and I pushed and I didn't
give up it. I remember feeling how easy it would
have been to just kind of slip off and just
let go, but I was not going to do that.
I pushed and pushed and fought until I got the
Candahart Airfield. When we got into the can Hear airfield,
that's when they started. They hooked me up to blood
(16:36):
immediately and started pumping blood into my system while they're
trying to patch up holes and stuff like that, and I, yeah,
like you said, my eyes I started coming back and
I heard a lady bend down and say, hey, it's
okay for you to let go, it's okay for you
to go to sleep. It's okay, it will be fine.
We have you, and I passed out. I woke up
a couple of days later, and yeah, you know it,
(17:00):
it's crazy because, like like you said, I mean I
found out a couple of years later that there wasn't
a woman in that room when they were initially doing
the trauma like that, when they were initially doing the
emergency trauma procedures on me, there was not a woman
in that room.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
So whoever that was, I.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Have no idea, but it's crazy and it still gives
me goosebumps to think about you.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
When I heard about it the first time, I was like,
I have to share this because I mean it truly,
it's you know, to go from that to battle, just
to get your life normal again, just to walk, And
I mean, I don't even know how you hold a
guitar being shot that many times in your own.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Yeah, yeah, you know, thank God for guitar straps because
like that. But you know, it was, Yeah, it was hard.
It was a crazy hard ride, and honestly it's still
kind of is.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
You know. I mean, it never, you know, it never.
You never stopped trying to heal, you know, And I
think that that's that's the most important part out of
all of it, is that you never stopped trying to heal.
You know.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
I feel like when you stop trying, that's when when
the bad things, when that wins. And you know, it was,
you know, learning how to walk again, learning how to
write and do everything left handed because I was originally
right handed.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Like, oh wow, that was that was that was rough.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
You're incredible, Scottie.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Well, thank you, Yeah, it was.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
It was so I felt it was crazy in the
moment because I remember my my son at the time
had a children's book where he was learning how to write,
like he had to like outline like letters and stuff,
and I had to do that with my left hand.
So we were both working on the same children's book
trying to learn how to write.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
It was crazy.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
That's a great bonding moment though, for sure.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
But it was, you know, it was, it was rough,
It was hard, and it still is I mean, I
still have days where, you know, that are so much
harder than others, and and a lot of times that's
where I'm able to just grab a guitar and kind
of escape for a second. And you know, and I'm
blessed that I have that outlet. You know, I've been
lucky enough and blessed enough my whole time, ever since
(19:10):
getting injured, that I've had some type of outlet. There's
a lot of people who don't, and and and that's
that's terrifying.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Well, and that's where music comes in, which is why
we're even talking about this right now, because it is
so powerful. It allows you to focus, and there's so
many aspects of why it can be helpful to pull
us out of those moments where we could just you know,
hit the check out and say goodbye. And it's you've
become really active al so in supporting fellow veterans dealing
(19:39):
with mental health struggles, I understand, and I want to
know why this mission for you is so important and
so personal.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Obviously, like I said, I've lost too many friends. I've
lost too many of the greatest people I've ever known,
and just with something that you know, with the struggles
that we do with here. I've lost more people here
than and I ever did in Afghanistan. And that's that's awful,
Like that is, that's that shouldn't it shouldn't.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Be that way.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
And honestly, my mission of my purpose is to try
to get rid of that number as much as possible.
I mean, if I can, if I can help one
person decide to try tomorrow, then I've done more in.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
This industry than I could have ever imagined. Like that's
that's all I care about.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
What message do you hope other veterans and listeners who
are struggling, who aren't veterans, just with with mental health.
What do you hope that they take away from your
story and your journey?
Speaker 3 (20:33):
You know, I hope that they see that there's hope
that that you don't have to be defined by what happened,
but you don't have to be defined by the bad,
but rather be defined by what you do with it.
You know, I never you know, there's there were so
many times when I could have just given up, and
I could have just said I don't I don't want
to do this.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I could I could be sitting on my cap right
now feeling sorry.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
For myself and and just in a really bad place.
But you know, I think it's in it's important to
push forward and keep going. You know, there's there's so
much to live for, and there's so many incredible things
out here and and yeah, man, and the world is
better with them in it, with you in it. And
and I think that that's hopefully that that's what people
(21:14):
take from me and from my story, is that, you know,
some type of hope, you know. I mean, I never
in a million years thought that I would be where
I am, And I hope that that.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Shows other people that they can literally do anything.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
If I can be up there playing guitar and singing
songs and on some of these stages that I'm on,
literally anyone can do anything. There's always you can find
it on YouTube. You can figure it out right. Yeah,
there's you know, dream to come true every day, and
there's and if you if you work hard enough and
you push hard enough, you can make anything happen.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
You know, considering your journey and your recovery and battling
back all of the issues mentally that come along with it,
can you describe what it feels like to you when
you hit the stage performing a sanctuary. What's the like
a piece or this.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
It's just yeah, it's it's a it's a piece like
it's it's it's insane. So there's only you know, for
someone who suffers from PTSD depression anxiety like it's it's
really hard to live in a moment and not be
over there and not think about my friends that are
that got killed and not think about you know, all
the bad it's it's it's very hard to find a
(22:26):
place where you can just be there. For me, there's
only two places that I can find that when I'm
on my motorcycle and as soon as I step on stage.
The stage has become a sanctuary for me. It is
the place where I can truly live in a moment
and enjoy that moment and just be there with whoever
(22:46):
else is there.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
It is. It is truly one of the most magical.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Most incredible places that I can be, and I live
to for every moment that I get to be on
a stage.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
More grateful that you are. I'm curious, can you share
a moment that maybe stands out in your mind when
you've maybe had a conversation with a fellow veteran who's
told you that your music has helped them.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Oh man, there's been so many, but the one that
really sticks with me is the one that made me
realize that I needed to keep doing what I was doing.
So it was when I opened for Dave Girl in Phoenix, Arizona.
There was a guy who came to the show who
reached out to one of my buddies.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
We didn't realize, we didn't know that we knew each other.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
But I played how do You Choose, the song about
my survivor's guilt and everything that I'm dealing with, and
he texted one of my buddies and news like He's like, dude, Like,
there's this guy that was in Phoenix. I played and
he played a song called how do You Choose? And
he said, I'm gonna be one hundred percent honest with
you man, Like I was going to this show because
I wanted to see Dave Gold go before I killed myself.
(23:52):
And he's like, but listening to Scottie like I, he
showed me that there's so much more And that song
made me underst that that I'm not.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
The only one who suffers from this, but I'm not
the only one who's dealing with this and that that.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
Moment will forever, forever live in my heart and in
my soul, and that is That's the one thing that
as soon as I saw that, as soon as I
heard that, I was like, I have to open my
chest and let people see who I am, and I
have to show them that I struggle and that I
am still successful and that I have been through the
worst of the worst and I'm still here and I
(24:31):
have to write music and I have to perform music
that means something to not only myself but other people.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Well, that that was meant to be. I mean, you
were supposed to be there that day with Dave Growl,
which after you have that conversation, man.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
It was it was insane. That moment will truly live
with me forever.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Wow. Well, you know something that really tickled me was
that you got to recently work with I mean, this
is incredible to me, your rise, but not incredible because
if your incredible skill and talent. Sorry I keep using
the word incredible all the time. But it got to
work with one of my favorite people on the planet,
Dolly Parton and Lee Brice for your rendition of that
(25:10):
song till the last shots fired. I'm curious, what was
it like working with them, and are there any new
projects or songs or collaborations like that in the horizon
that you're excited about.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
That song changed my life. That song. The first time
I ever heard that song, I was at Walter.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
Reed and we were at an event and the original version,
tray Akins version came on. It was the first time
I'd ever heard that song, and it touched a part
of my soul and it grabbed me and I cried
like a baby for two hours and I couldn't stop.
And in those two hours, I made the decision I
was going to live my life to the fullest, that
I wasn't going to let my injury.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Dictate my life.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
And fast forward ten years and I'm sitting in the
office of one of the guys who wrote the song
talking about signing a record deal, and.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
He's like, hey, like, I put out this song with
Trayce Akins.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
I don't know if you've ever heard it, like it's
you know, it's a song called Till Last Shots Fired
like and I was like, yeah, I've heard it, Like
I love that song, Like that song changed my life.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
And he was like, he said, well, would you want
to do a version of it?
Speaker 3 (26:06):
And I was like, yeah, man, absolutely, I want to
do a version of it. So we went into the
studio and we had and I did a version of it.
It was just me on it, and I put every
emotion in every feeling that I originally felt when I
heard the song into that song and I thought it
was perfect.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
I thought it was it was exactly what I needed
when I needed it.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
And then Doug Johnson, who was one of the writers
who was also my producer, is friends with Lee Brice,
and he's like, Hey, we're going to reach out to
some other artists and see if they want to be
a part of this, Like what do you think? And
I said, man, send it to everybody, like let's see
what happened. Yeah, And Lee Brice was the first one
to jump on it. He's a testament to who Lee
Brice is the person. He's an incredible person. He's become
(26:46):
a very dear friend of mine now, which is crazy
to say, but he was like, man, I don't care
what part I play in the song. I just want
to be a part of what you're doing with this,
Like this is incredible.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
I want to be a part of this.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
And so we then we had me and Lee's version,
and I thought it was perfect. I was like, dude,
this is all I like, this is more than I
could have ever imagined. And then, you know, three weeks later,
I get a call from dougging in with the producer
and he said, Hey, Dolly Parton wants to be on
this song.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
What do you think?
Speaker 3 (27:13):
And I was like, Dolly, do whatever she wants, Like
what are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (27:17):
What do I think? Why are you calling me? Oh?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
But yeah, And you know that that song, that song
changed my life. When I was at well to read it.
It made me decide that I wanted to live my
life to the fullest. It's the reason why I'm doing
music now. And and you know, a song that changed
my life that I thought was perfect truly became perfect
when I heard Dolly's voice on it. It was It's so
angelic and it's absolutely beautiful. And still I probably listened
(27:42):
to that song thousands of times at this point, and I.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Still get chills every time she comes on.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
It's it is unbelievable and it's more than I could
have ever imagined. And as far as stuff in the works,
we have some stuff in the works. I can't really
say too much, but we asked some stuff in the
works with some other artists and stuff.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
So okay, well, I mean, gosh, I have so many
more questions for you. But I've you know, sitting here
with you thinking that I introduced you as a rising
country star. I mean, when you're on a song with
Dolly Parton, you've achieved, you know, success in music.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
I still don't know how that happened.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
What does success look like to you personally? And beyond?
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Success to me is it's not wealth, it's not fame.
Success to me.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
Is is making one person decide that they want to
continue tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Success to me is being able to make.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Some headway in the twenty two a day for our veterans,
and success to me is being able to help somebody, anybody,
as much as possible.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
That is success.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Well, that's the whole reason why we do this podcast.
So it makes total sense that we would have you
on today, and I'm so grateful. I want to let
you go, but Scottie Hasting, thank you so much for
your service again to this country, for all of these
people that you're helping every day with your music, your
story and your passion to help and inspire others. We're
(29:12):
so grateful to have the opportunity to have you on today.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Thank you
so much for having me
Music Saved Me. Welcome to Music Saved Me, the podcast
where we dive deep into the transformative power of music
and the stories behind the artists who inspire us. And
if you're into stories of inspiration and resilience, which I
suspect you might be, please check out our sister podcast,
Comedy Saved Me, hosted by Yours Truly wherever you get
your podcasts. I'm your host, Lynn Hoffman, and today's episode
(00:24):
is a story of extraordinary resilience, courage, and the pursuit
of purpose. Joining us rising country star Scottie Hasting, an
Army veteran and singer songwriter who is a living testament
to the human spirit. Scotty's journey from active military service
on the battlefields of Afghanistan to surviving being shot ten times,
(00:47):
surviving and confronting PTSD is nothing short of remarkable, But
it's what happened after all of that that marks his
deepest transformation, picking up a guitar during the darkest days
of the pandemic to combat PTSD and discovering that music
wouldn't just be a lifeline, it would be a new
path forward. Since his first record deal in twenty three,
(01:09):
he shared the stage with country giants like Tanya Tucker,
Jelly roll In, Chris Jansen, and he's also become a
proud advocate for organizations like Creative Vets and Guitars for Vets,
and as a Purple Heart recipient himself. His music carries
the weight of his story in the hope of his
message that no matter how tough things get, there's always
(01:30):
a light on the other side. Today's conversation, Scotty opens
up about songwriting, how it became his saving grace, how
sharing his story helped his fellow veterans, and what it
feels like to connect with his audiences from stage to stage,
reminding us all that sometimes music truly does save us.
So wherever you're listening, settle in for an honest and
(01:51):
inspiring and unforgettable episode with Scotty hasting right here on
music Saved Me. Scotty, Welcome to the show. It is
so wonderful to have you here.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Thanks for having me well, first and foremost, thank you
for your service and for joining us today and your
incredible journey. I have goosebumps just thinking about it, and
I know we didn't plan this and it's not like
this won't live on forever, but today just happens to
be the day I get to talk to you on
National Purple Heart Day.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Oh wow, did you even know that I even noticed that?
Speaker 1 (02:25):
It's incredible. Well, I can't wait to talk to you
all about your incredible story, starting with how you survived
and how that survival shaped your music. But first we
got to take a quick break and have a word
from our wonderful sponsors who pay for all of this
to be able to happen. So we'll be right back
with Scotty Hasting, Music Saved Me. Welcome back to Music
(02:46):
Save Me, my guest, Scotty Hasting. All right, let's talk
about your journey from serving in the army to becoming
a musical artist, a country music artist. Can you describe
what role music played for you before four year time
in Afghanistan and then after?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Yeah, you know, it's funny. When I was I grew
up listening to music, I grew up singing it. But
music was never a thought as like a career or
something that I ever thought that I could do.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
You know, music was just for me. It was just
a hobby.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I just I sang songs in the car or in
the shower. I'd never let anyone ever hear me sing.
It was just something for me. It was my happy place.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Did you did you know that you were a good
singer or was it just in the bathroom in the
shower like good acoustics.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yeah, I mean my mom told me I was good once,
but no, I mean I would sing like karaoke and
stuff like. As I got older, I started singing karaoke
because my dad was at karaoke DJ for a while.
And and yeah, I mean I was always told that
I was, you know, good, But you know, it's hard
to be like, oh, well thanks, you know, some drunk
guy at a bar I thought I was good at karaoke.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
It hard to be like, yeah, I'm good, you know.
But but now it was for me.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
It was just it was my happy place. Was what
I did for me? And and yeah, I never thought
in a million years i'd be doing what I'm doing now.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Wow, it's pretty incredible. And it's only been a few
short years. I know that you've spoken openly and in
vivid detail about surviving being shot, and not just shot,
but like ten times at point blank range. I mean,
you were looking into your shooter's eyes. And it will
also deal dealt a lot with PTSD which followed, and
(04:23):
I'm very familiar with that. My dad was in the
military as well, so he suffered greatly with that. How
did those experience shape your musical voice and basically your
purpose moving forward?
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Yeah, you know, I think it shaped my musical voice
in the sense that it was therapy for me.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
You know, I started all of this as just a
form of therapy.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Learned how to play the guitar, learned how to write music,
and the music that came out, it was just therapeutic.
It was what I needed before the cover flowed. And
it's amazing because I remember going to my first show
ever and I played the first song I've learned how
to play, which should have been Cowboy. And I was
at an open mic night and Cookeville, Tennessee, out in
(05:05):
the middle of nowhere at Red Salard Brewing Company, and
I was just like, you know, I'm just gonna go
up there and play and see what happens. And I
and I remember playing that song and I remember feeling
like this is what I need to do forever. It
was like in that moment, like the stage became my sanctuary,
and it was it was my place where I could
escape and live in a moment away from the PTSD,
(05:26):
the depression, of the anxiety, all of that stuff, and
it was and for me, that's all it was.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
That's all. That's all I wanted music for was to
be therapy. That was it.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
And and then I started writing songs for myself as therapy.
And then I started playing those songs out and I
started realizing that veterans were and other people who were
struggling were connecting with these songs. And I was like, well,
hold on, like I might be able to do some
good with this, Like let me hold on, so.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Like, let me let me do like I remember going.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
I played for one of the first shows I ever
played for veteran nonprofit was for Creativets and it was
in Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona before the Super Bowl, when I
was opening for Dave Grohl, and there was like two
hundred veterans in this room and I was like, I
was so scared.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I was nervous.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
I wasn't It was like the first time I'd ever
truly been by myself in a big show. And I
remember playing a song about my Survivor's guilt. It's called
how Do You Choose. It's a song about my best
friend being killed, and it's something I struggle with every
day still to this day. It's something I struggle with.
Survivor's guilt is there. It's always going to be there.
And I remember playing it and it was the first
(06:37):
time that I ever played a song and no one
clapped after and I was like, oh my god.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
They hated it.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
They hated it, like I just poured my heart, my
soul into this. They hated this song. And then I
looked around the room and I realized that everyone was
kind of consoling each other, and they were consoling each other.
And then after that, I started getting messages from all
these people, and then they came up to me and
they started talking to me and talking about how like
how I was giving them a voice when they didn't
(07:01):
know what to say, and all this sudden and I
was like like, like I like I could I could
help people with what I'm doing, Like I want to
do that, Like I want to help Like this is
like getting the messages that I get and all that stuff,
like that's what this is all about. I never came
into music, thinking, you know, this is going to be
a career for me, and I'm going to make a
buttload of money and I'm going to be super famous.
(07:23):
Like no, for me, it was it became a mission,
and it became a way for me to help people.
And that's in a way for me to help myself
honestly as well, and and that's all it will ever
be for me.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
I find it hard to believe that you are scared
of anything after everything that you went through.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Well, you know, it's funny. It's funny.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
I get a questions all the time about, man, are
you nervous about to go on stage? You're nervous, And
I'm like, well, no one's shooting at me today, you know,
so right, But.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
But no, I mean I think a little bit of
nerves is good.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
I think it means that it means something to you,
you know, I think that it's important.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
But yeah, it was.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
It was the first like big stage I've ever been
on and it was just me by myself with my guitar,
so it was it was definitely nerve wracking for sure.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
I bet it was. You know, I want to I
want to start this next question off with one of
your quotes. You were quoted as saying, for me, the
demons of PTSD knock the loudest when it's quiet, and
when I have my guitar in my hands, I find peace.
At what point did you realize that music was more
than a hobby and therapy? And if you already said that,
(08:29):
forgive me for asking again. But can you also describe
that moment when you picked up the guitar during the
pandemic and how that changed your whole path of existence?
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Yeah, one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
So before the pandemic, I was shooting archery with the
US Paralympic program. I traveled all over the country. I
represented the United States for me shooting archery. Seven seconds
before I released that era, nothing in the world matter
PTSD depression. It all disappeared for those seven seconds. And
I lived for those seven seconds. And then COVID happened
in the world shut down, and my escape in my
(08:59):
way to deal got taken away, and I was struggling.
I was struggling really bad. I started going into a
very dark place. And yeah, and you know, like I said,
the demon's not the loudest when it gets quiet, and
COVID was very quiet, and I needed something. I needed
something to focus on and needed something to get out
of my head.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
And I had a guitar in.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
A corner of my room and one day I was like,
I'm just gonna I'm going to learn how to do this,
Like I'm going to figure out how to play this thing.
Like I've you know, ever since Walter Reed, I've never
let anything stop me from doing something, a matter of
my injury or whatever, like I'm just going to try it.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Who knows.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
And I jumped on YouTube and I started learning how
to play the guitar, and it was like that escape
was back again, you know. I was able to I
was able to just focus on one thing, and I
spent every day playing that and learning how.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
To play the guitar.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
And then I went from there to Okay, well, now
I have this escape and I have I have this
ability to get away from everything, but I still have
all these feelings and emotions that are bottled up, like
I need to find a way to get these output
them somewhere. I need to figure out a way to
do this. And so then I started learning how to
write songs. I jumped on YouTube and I started learning
how songs are structured. And I started learning how it
(10:10):
goes from a verse to a chorus to a bridge,
to how.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
It all comes together and becomes one thing.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
And then I started writing songs for myself, just so
I could get the things that I was dealing with
out of myself and put them somewhere else. And and then,
you know, that's what I did for the longest time
while COVID was happening, that that was my way of
dealing with the demons that I was dealing with. And then,
you know, slowly the world started opening up again.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
And that's when I went.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Out to cook Wiltonnessee, the Red Salad Brewing Company, and
I the moment that I knew that I was that
I wanted to do this was forever. Was that day
I went and I put my name on a list,
and that opened my night, just said why not, it's funny.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
I went out there, I.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Put money on the list, and I was like, man,
I don't know if I want to do this, Like
there's gonna be a lot of people there, whatever. And
I got up on stage and there were four people
up there. There were four people out.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
This out in the in the audience. Yeah, I was like,
good for you.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
It was during COVID, so like everyone was like six
and I was like, man, I've made a full out
of myself in front of way more than four people,
so like.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Why not, why not going for it?
Speaker 4 (11:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (11:17):
So I went I played should Have Been a Cowboy?
And in that moment, it was like.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
That escape, that that purpose, that that drive, it was there,
but it was magnified a hundred times, and I knew
that that's that, this is what I need to do forever.
In that moment, the stage truly became my sanctuary. And
and you know, for I went from seven seconds at
a time to be able to nothing else matter in
(11:41):
the world, to now three minutes at a time where
nothing else in the world mattered, to then you know,
slowly the world started opening up.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
And I went down to Nashville and.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Broadway and learned that you can play three or four
hours at a time while you're down on Broadway. And
I was like, well, you're telling me three or four
hours a day, I can disappear from all of the
stuff that I deal with, Like I want to do that.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Hell, could you put a can you put an apartment
in the back of this place, because I'm going to live.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
Here, there's anywhere I could stay, like on the roof
or something.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
But yeah, so I went, you know, I went and played.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
At one point in time, I was playing six nights
a week down on Broadway for three to four hours
a day, and and my vocal cords hated me. But
the therapy that I got from it was more than
anything I've ever experienced. And and you know, it has
since grown into so much more than I ever thought possible.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
And now I have a platform where I can try.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
To help people find something the way that I was
able to find music.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Wow, YouTube and focus. Yes, And I guess the only
thing you didn't look up was was how not to
fry your vocal cords.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
No, no, I didn't. I just went for it.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
But that's determination, and that has to come from somewhere
deep within, and especially when you're going down a dark path.
I mean, it's a slippery slope.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
So yeah, you know, I've just I've lost a lot
of friends that have and I have kids, and I
didn't want to be I didn't want to be that.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
I didn't want to just leave early.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
I wanted to be able to experience my kids and
watch them grow up and.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Be there for them when they needed me. So I
needed to find something.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
So you became a country superstar. It's just incredible to me.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
I just started, I started singing songs started.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Yeah, but it all starts somewhere. You know, in this
songwriting process for you, can you share how writing a
song helps you process these difficult emotions?
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Yeah? You know.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
When I first started, it was just a way for
me to get emotions and feelings out and put them
somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
You know, it was it.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
Wasn't you know a lot of those songs don't make
any sense, and they're not even really songs.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
It was just like word vomit that I needed to
get out.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
And and now they live in this notebook and that
that's where they stay. They live here like that's that's
this is where it belongs now. And you know that
for me, that was that was huge. You know, I
was able to take to take all the things that
were eat me alive and put them somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
And and you know.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Now that I've gotten a little bit better songwriting, I
you know, now I can kind of.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Make sense more of the emotions and.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
And honestly, like songwriting has given me the opportunity to
really to really focus on the emotions that I'm feeling
and to really think about them and talk about them.
And you know, before I just put them in a
box and just hope that that box doesn't ever bust open.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
And now I'm able.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
To talk about them and think about them and put
them somewhere and find a way to make it connect
with people. And and it's it's it's truly taking you know,
the trauma and the things that I deal with and
flipping it and trying to make it something that means something.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
We'll be right back with more of the Music Save
Me Podcast. Welcome back to the Music Saved Me Podcast.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
I don't know how deeply you are able to speak
of the situation you came out of. I have seen
you speak of it, but I just I can't stress
enough to our listeners what a turnaround your life is,
because literally you were pretty much gone, and I was
(15:25):
wondering if you could, in a short amount of time
kind of give an example of where you can. And
then also, can you just tell me did you ever
find out who that woman was that whispered to you?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
And I have no idea.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Okay, well, no one knows what I'm talking about but
I figured i'd leave you in wild.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
But yeah, I'll talk a little bit for sure. I
have no problem talking about it.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
I think it's important for people to hear it because
maybe it can help somebody. Twenty first, twenty eleven, I
was shot ten times in Afghanistan. Everyone always asked, so
I got to say it five times I'm short or
four times and hit once in a.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Thigh and.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
I had lost so much blood at one point in
time that my eyesight shut down.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
You know. For me, I think that that's you know,
it was kind of like a white film.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
And for me, the way that I think about it
now is like when people say, man.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
I see the light, Like that's what I associate with that.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
But somehow I pushed and I pushed and I didn't
give up it. I remember feeling how easy it would
have been to just kind of slip off and just
let go, but I was not going to do that.
I pushed and pushed and fought until I got the
Candahart Airfield. When we got into the can Hear airfield,
that's when they started. They hooked me up to blood
(16:36):
immediately and started pumping blood into my system while they're
trying to patch up holes and stuff like that, and I, yeah,
like you said, my eyes I started coming back and
I heard a lady bend down and say, hey, it's
okay for you to let go, it's okay for you
to go to sleep. It's okay, it will be fine.
We have you, and I passed out. I woke up
a couple of days later, and yeah, you know it,
(17:00):
it's crazy because, like like you said, I mean I
found out a couple of years later that there wasn't
a woman in that room when they were initially doing
the trauma like that, when they were initially doing the
emergency trauma procedures on me, there was not a woman
in that room.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
So whoever that was, I.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Have no idea, but it's crazy and it still gives
me goosebumps to think about you.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
When I heard about it the first time, I was like,
I have to share this because I mean it truly,
it's you know, to go from that to battle, just
to get your life normal again, just to walk, And
I mean, I don't even know how you hold a
guitar being shot that many times in your own.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Yeah, yeah, you know, thank God for guitar straps because
like that. But you know, it was, Yeah, it was hard.
It was a crazy hard ride, and honestly it's still
kind of is.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
You know. I mean, it never, you know, it never.
You never stopped trying to heal, you know, And I
think that that's that's the most important part out of
all of it, is that you never stopped trying to heal.
You know.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
I feel like when you stop trying, that's when when
the bad things, when that wins. And you know, it was,
you know, learning how to walk again, learning how to
write and do everything left handed because I was originally
right handed.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Like, oh wow, that was that was that was rough.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
You're incredible, Scottie.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Well, thank you, Yeah, it was.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
It was so I felt it was crazy in the
moment because I remember my my son at the time
had a children's book where he was learning how to write,
like he had to like outline like letters and stuff,
and I had to do that with my left hand.
So we were both working on the same children's book
trying to learn how to write.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
It was crazy.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
That's a great bonding moment though, for sure.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
But it was, you know, it was, it was rough,
It was hard, and it still is I mean, I
still have days where, you know, that are so much
harder than others, and and a lot of times that's
where I'm able to just grab a guitar and kind
of escape for a second. And you know, and I'm
blessed that I have that outlet. You know, I've been
lucky enough and blessed enough my whole time, ever since
(19:10):
getting injured, that I've had some type of outlet. There's
a lot of people who don't, and and and that's
that's terrifying.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Well, and that's where music comes in, which is why
we're even talking about this right now, because it is
so powerful. It allows you to focus, and there's so
many aspects of why it can be helpful to pull
us out of those moments where we could just you know,
hit the check out and say goodbye. And it's you've
become really active al so in supporting fellow veterans dealing
(19:39):
with mental health struggles, I understand, and I want to
know why this mission for you is so important and
so personal.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Obviously, like I said, I've lost too many friends. I've
lost too many of the greatest people I've ever known,
and just with something that you know, with the struggles
that we do with here. I've lost more people here
than and I ever did in Afghanistan. And that's that's awful,
Like that is, that's that shouldn't it shouldn't.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Be that way.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
And honestly, my mission of my purpose is to try
to get rid of that number as much as possible.
I mean, if I can, if I can help one
person decide to try tomorrow, then I've done more in.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
This industry than I could have ever imagined. Like that's
that's all I care about.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
What message do you hope other veterans and listeners who
are struggling, who aren't veterans, just with with mental health.
What do you hope that they take away from your
story and your journey?
Speaker 3 (20:33):
You know, I hope that they see that there's hope
that that you don't have to be defined by what happened,
but you don't have to be defined by the bad,
but rather be defined by what you do with it.
You know, I never you know, there's there were so
many times when I could have just given up, and
I could have just said I don't I don't want
to do this.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I could I could be sitting on my cap right
now feeling sorry.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
For myself and and just in a really bad place.
But you know, I think it's in it's important to
push forward and keep going. You know, there's there's so
much to live for, and there's so many incredible things
out here and and yeah, man, and the world is
better with them in it, with you in it. And
and I think that that's hopefully that that's what people
(21:14):
take from me and from my story, is that, you know,
some type of hope, you know. I mean, I never
in a million years thought that I would be where
I am, And I hope that that.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Shows other people that they can literally do anything.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
If I can be up there playing guitar and singing
songs and on some of these stages that I'm on,
literally anyone can do anything. There's always you can find
it on YouTube. You can figure it out right. Yeah,
there's you know, dream to come true every day, and
there's and if you if you work hard enough and
you push hard enough, you can make anything happen.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
You know, considering your journey and your recovery and battling
back all of the issues mentally that come along with it,
can you describe what it feels like to you when
you hit the stage performing a sanctuary. What's the like
a piece or this.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
It's just yeah, it's it's a it's a piece like
it's it's it's insane. So there's only you know, for
someone who suffers from PTSD depression anxiety like it's it's
really hard to live in a moment and not be
over there and not think about my friends that are
that got killed and not think about you know, all
the bad it's it's it's very hard to find a
(22:26):
place where you can just be there. For me, there's
only two places that I can find that when I'm
on my motorcycle and as soon as I step on stage.
The stage has become a sanctuary for me. It is
the place where I can truly live in a moment
and enjoy that moment and just be there with whoever
(22:46):
else is there.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
It is. It is truly one of the most magical.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Most incredible places that I can be, and I live
to for every moment that I get to be on
a stage.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
More grateful that you are. I'm curious, can you share
a moment that maybe stands out in your mind when
you've maybe had a conversation with a fellow veteran who's
told you that your music has helped them.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Oh man, there's been so many, but the one that
really sticks with me is the one that made me
realize that I needed to keep doing what I was doing.
So it was when I opened for Dave Girl in Phoenix, Arizona.
There was a guy who came to the show who
reached out to one of my buddies.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
We didn't realize, we didn't know that we knew each other.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
But I played how do You Choose, the song about
my survivor's guilt and everything that I'm dealing with, and
he texted one of my buddies and news like He's like, dude, Like,
there's this guy that was in Phoenix. I played and
he played a song called how do You Choose? And
he said, I'm gonna be one hundred percent honest with
you man, Like I was going to this show because
I wanted to see Dave Gold go before I killed myself.
(23:52):
And he's like, but listening to Scottie like I, he
showed me that there's so much more And that song
made me underst that that I'm not.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
The only one who suffers from this, but I'm not
the only one who's dealing with this and that that.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
Moment will forever, forever live in my heart and in
my soul, and that is That's the one thing that
as soon as I saw that, as soon as I
heard that, I was like, I have to open my
chest and let people see who I am, and I
have to show them that I struggle and that I
am still successful and that I have been through the
worst of the worst and I'm still here and I
(24:31):
have to write music and I have to perform music
that means something to not only myself but other people.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Well, that that was meant to be. I mean, you
were supposed to be there that day with Dave Growl,
which after you have that conversation, man.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
It was it was insane. That moment will truly live
with me forever.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Wow. Well, you know something that really tickled me was
that you got to recently work with I mean, this
is incredible to me, your rise, but not incredible because
if your incredible skill and talent. Sorry I keep using
the word incredible all the time. But it got to
work with one of my favorite people on the planet,
Dolly Parton and Lee Brice for your rendition of that
(25:10):
song till the last shots fired. I'm curious, what was
it like working with them, and are there any new
projects or songs or collaborations like that in the horizon
that you're excited about.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
That song changed my life. That song. The first time
I ever heard that song, I was at Walter.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
Reed and we were at an event and the original version,
tray Akins version came on. It was the first time
I'd ever heard that song, and it touched a part
of my soul and it grabbed me and I cried
like a baby for two hours and I couldn't stop.
And in those two hours, I made the decision I
was going to live my life to the fullest, that
I wasn't going to let my injury.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Dictate my life.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
And fast forward ten years and I'm sitting in the
office of one of the guys who wrote the song
talking about signing a record deal, and.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
He's like, hey, like, I put out this song with
Trayce Akins.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
I don't know if you've ever heard it, like it's
you know, it's a song called Till Last Shots Fired
like and I was like, yeah, I've heard it, Like
I love that song, Like that song changed my life.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
And he was like, he said, well, would you want
to do a version of it?
Speaker 3 (26:06):
And I was like, yeah, man, absolutely, I want to
do a version of it. So we went into the
studio and we had and I did a version of it.
It was just me on it, and I put every
emotion in every feeling that I originally felt when I
heard the song into that song and I thought it
was perfect.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
I thought it was it was exactly what I needed
when I needed it.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
And then Doug Johnson, who was one of the writers
who was also my producer, is friends with Lee Brice,
and he's like, Hey, we're going to reach out to
some other artists and see if they want to be
a part of this, Like what do you think? And
I said, man, send it to everybody, like let's see
what happened. Yeah, And Lee Brice was the first one
to jump on it. He's a testament to who Lee
Brice is the person. He's an incredible person. He's become
(26:46):
a very dear friend of mine now, which is crazy
to say, but he was like, man, I don't care
what part I play in the song. I just want
to be a part of what you're doing with this,
Like this is incredible.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
I want to be a part of this.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
And so we then we had me and Lee's version,
and I thought it was perfect. I was like, dude,
this is all I like, this is more than I
could have ever imagined. And then, you know, three weeks later,
I get a call from dougging in with the producer
and he said, Hey, Dolly Parton wants to be on
this song.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
What do you think?
Speaker 3 (27:13):
And I was like, Dolly, do whatever she wants, Like
what are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (27:17):
What do I think? Why are you calling me? Oh?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
But yeah, And you know that that song, that song
changed my life. When I was at well to read it.
It made me decide that I wanted to live my
life to the fullest. It's the reason why I'm doing
music now. And and you know, a song that changed
my life that I thought was perfect truly became perfect
when I heard Dolly's voice on it. It was It's so
angelic and it's absolutely beautiful. And still I probably listened
(27:42):
to that song thousands of times at this point, and I.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Still get chills every time she comes on.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
It's it is unbelievable and it's more than I could
have ever imagined. And as far as stuff in the works,
we have some stuff in the works. I can't really
say too much, but we asked some stuff in the
works with some other artists and stuff.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
So okay, well, I mean, gosh, I have so many
more questions for you. But I've you know, sitting here
with you thinking that I introduced you as a rising
country star. I mean, when you're on a song with
Dolly Parton, you've achieved, you know, success in music.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
I still don't know how that happened.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
What does success look like to you personally? And beyond?
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Success to me is it's not wealth, it's not fame.
Success to me.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
Is is making one person decide that they want to
continue tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Success to me is being able to make.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Some headway in the twenty two a day for our veterans,
and success to me is being able to help somebody, anybody,
as much as possible.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
That is success.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Well, that's the whole reason why we do this podcast.
So it makes total sense that we would have you
on today, and I'm so grateful. I want to let
you go, but Scottie Hasting, thank you so much for
your service again to this country, for all of these
people that you're helping every day with your music, your
story and your passion to help and inspire others. We're
(29:12):
so grateful to have the opportunity to have you on today.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Thank you
so much for having me
Host
Lynn Hoffman
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