Steve D. Wilson

Steve D. Wilson is an award-winning singer-songwriter and a veteran of both the Army and the Air Force. The son of a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant, he served for 16 years as an Army paratrooper, with two combat deployments, and as a B-52 Electronic Warfare instructor. Steve has created a unique style with a driving beat and authentic lyrics developed from his experiences in life and the military. His music is an autobiographical road map of Steve's lifelong drive to play music, but also subtly touches on the way war affects veterans.

Delivering lyrical poetry with a unique and powerful voice, Steve’s songs captivate his audience, while taking them on a soulful journey to the heart. Steve was one of the original Operation Encore artists on its first compilation album in 2014.  In addition to Steve’s solo acoustic projects, he has fronted the Dallas, TX area rock bands Black Doves and Matte Blacke.

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Scotty Hasting

           

Scotty is a former infantryman that was shot ten times in Afghanistan. “I may have nerve damage in my right hand, but I can still strum the strings and entertain a crowd!” A Nashville-based singer/songwriter, he performs everywhere a good tune and good story is appreciated. Scotty recently released his first original single "Truck It" and is a new addition to the Operation Encore family.

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Tyree Woods

       

Tyree Woods is a Singer/Songwriter born and raised in Muskegon Heights, Michigan. Coming from a biracial home, he was exposed to a very diverse palate of music as a kid. He first got into music singing in his Baptist church choir and when he picked up a guitar when he was 12 years old, he was hooked. In 2006 he joined the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado as a member of the 4th Infantry Division. He served two tours in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. After being medically retired in 2014, he moved to the mountains of NW Colorado, and started a SoulGrass band called Buffalo Commons. He's won several awards for his music, including “Steamboat Creates Artist of The Year” and back to back “Best in the Boat” awards. Tyree is currently busy in the studio with multiple projects and with the support of Operation Encore, he has recently released a new single “Monday”.

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Andrew Wiscombe

 

A folk musician based out of Utah, Andrew Wiscombe’s style has been referred to as foot-stompin’ street music. He showcases his musical talents in one-man band fashion, playing up to five instruments at once. A Berklee trained award-winning songwriter, Andrew has a unique ability to clothe stories, words, and emotions in American roots music. A married father of two boys and former U.S. Army sniper, he joined Operation Encore with “The River, the Lark, the Pine,” an upbeat song about having the guts to play music in front of people, and being okay with yourself regardless of what others think.

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Rachel Hill

     

A musician inspired by her Kentucky roots and a deep commitment to her faith, Rachel Harvey Hill is a military spouse and mother. She began her love for music as a child; Rachel sang with her family and at church, and through a great deal of support and encouragement has developed into an exceptional songwriter and vocalist. Through her music Rachel recounts experiences she and her family have shared throughout their time in the military. She has recorded songs on both Operation Encore albums, including “Another Trip Around the Sun,” and “I’m Going Home,” a song about longing to return to our roots. In January of 2019, Rachel released her first Operation Encore EP, “Straight Toward Love”, which contained five original songs that showcased her poetic songwriting and incredible voice.

View Rachel’s EPK…

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Operation Encore EPK Link…

Stephen Covell

       

Stephen Covell first picked up a guitar at age 17, and he has been creating music ever since. He enlisted in the Army in 2006, serving as a combat medic in the 82nd Airborne on two tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom. A recent graduate of the University of San Francisco Writing program, he is currently finishing his first book, "Bring Your Gun To Work Day." He returned for Operation Encore’s second album with a song that inspired the album title, and has recently produced a new EP through Operation Encore, Longing For the Hills.

View Stephen’s EPK…

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Shannon Book  

   

Shannon was Born and raised in the small town of Hazel Green, KY, and grew up with a great appreciation of music. He expressed that appreciation both vocally and by playing various musical instruments throughout his life.

Feeling an urgency to serve his country after Desert Storm, he joined the United States Navy in July of 1994 and trained as a Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman. He served in in two combat deployments in Iraq and to help relieve the stresses of combat and deployment felt by both him and others in his unit, he would play guitar and sing during his down time, when he began to write his own music about his experiences. In 2010 he retired with seventeen years of service to the United States Navy, with both Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and symptoms from traumatic brain injury (TBI).

He is working on a complete collection of original songs reflecting his time in combat, injuries (both physical and emotional), and living with the aftermath of war. He hopes his music will help to educate military families and civilians, as well as help to heal those that have shared in some of the same experiences. He was the lead vocalist/lyricist and rhythm guitar player for the band Vetted. He joined Operation Encore to help him write a new chapter of his story. One that involves God, family, hope, happiness, healing, respect, love, and music

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Barbara Sim

Barbara was born in Wisconsin, but has roots in Scotland, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, and South Carolina. A traveler her whole life, her love for music began while listening to her mother sing gospel songs and singing harmonies with her two sisters. Barbara served as a Landing Support Specialist in the Marine Corps from 2005-2009. She was stationed in Okinawa, Japan from 2006-2008 and served one tour in Iraq. During her tour in Iraq she volunteered with Lioness Task Force - a female engagement team that were tasked with searching females and children in order to maintain cultural sensitivities. She was honorably discharged in June 2009.
After leaving the Marines, she began doing solo acoustic gigs in the Denver and surrounding area. Her country music, with its unique and angelic vocals, tells the story of a woman finding her way in the world as she learns to believe in herself and chase her dreams.

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Schaefer Mueller

       

Schaefer Mueller is a native of Virginia and spent his life in VA until he left for the Army. He is a Combat Veteran who served with the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division. Schaefer specialized in explosives, mountaineering, and Airborne operations. He deployed as an attachment to an ODA team in Afghanistan.  After the Army he began letting his music be heard. He began booking shows in local bars, expanding to regional shows, and creating a following of loyal fans. While he is a full-time musician, he is also a scientist and researcher currently working at LSU Health. Schaefer is a member of the Texas Country Music Association, Nashville Songwriters Association International, and an Operation Encore artist.

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Kate & Secily Anderson (Winter Grain)

       

This Los Angeles-based duo, Winter Grain, started making music in Salt Lake City in early 2017. They recently played NAMM in Anaheim as well as House of Blues. Out at the Fair picked them to play both Alameda County Fair and California State Fair this summer. Kate's lyrics are often musings of her life as an Army helicopter pilot. In their most recent EP, Secily and Elliott Klein (Sungazer) play guitars that play off each other like a Mark Knopfler jam. Like many creatives, Secily and Kate fell in love and married soon after their debut EP was released. The release was via a laser light show in Clark Planetarium, winning the band City Weekly's Best of Utah award. Grammy Award-winner Ryan Hadlock (Brandi Carlile, The Lumineers) of Bear Creek Studio produced both of Winter Grain's debut and most recent albums. With influences from Joseph, Fleetwood Mac, Jade Bird and Brandi Carlile, this folk-pop band values craft, dynamics and vocal harmonies most.

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Mike Ponder

       

Mike Ponder was born in Hot Springs, North Carolina. Mike first began playing the drums when he 6 years old. Soon he was touring with the family band, J. L.and the Country Squires, on weekends and after school, playing churches, festivals, and doing opening shows for the likes of little Jimmie Dickens, The Kendalls, Kitty Wells, and Archie Campbell.

As the years progressed, Mike joined the military at 18, serving in the United States Marine Corps and then joining the United States Navy serving as a Corpsman until retirement in 2009. Mike continued his music while enlisted and started the band, “Steel Rail Express,” in 2001 in Beaufort, South Carolina. Steel Rail Express entertains people with Classic Country, Top 40 Country, Beach and Funk, and Motown.

Mike and Steel Rail Express began to play the Beaufort Water Festival in June 2006 and continues to support and entertain the Beaufort Water Festival on local nights. Mike resides in Lady's Island, South Carolina with his partner Tanya, and his son, Jeremiah. Mike is also the CEO and owner of SREJAMS.COM.

Mike is an Alumni member of Zac Brown's Camp Southern Ground, where he completed the Warrior Week program and has volunteered to help veterans. Mike gives back to the military community by coordinating and leading active-duty local Marines and military family members every week in music lessons and jam sessions. Mike’s motto is, " Do good, feel good, repeat."

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Brandon Mills

         

Brandon Mills has experienced more than most as a warrior, a poet, a servant, and an artist.  His conscious lyrics and message of hope and courage continue to resonate in the hearts of many pursuing change for the betterment of mankind.  With strong conviction and a wealth of experience, Brandon’s voice is stable and powerful, evoking belief and hope that problems can be solved and divides can be narrowed.  Speaking from the soul, Brandon invites the listener to take action, to lead with love, and to choose understanding over ignorance. Paste Magazine says,“His style is personal and energetic…”

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Logan Vath

Logan Vath was born and raised in Nebraska, where he began writing and playing music in high school. He joined the Navy in 2009, serving as an Aerographer’s Mate and bringing his guitar with him along the way. After leaving the Navy in 2012, Logan decided to pursue music. He released his first EP, Better Man or Ghost, in 2013. Logan joined the project with “Once Was,” a captivating song about learning from mistakes and gaining new perspective. A prolific songwriter, he recently released his latest EP, In the Presence of the Kingdom, and he has a new EP on the way.

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Zack Sliver

               

Zack Sliver was a field radio operator in the Marine Corps from 2010-2014. During his time stationed in Quantico, he released a demo CD under a band “Angry Young and Poor”. After Quantico’s OCS shooting, he decided to leave the military and seek a degree in Political Science while pursuing a future in the music industry. He received his degree in 2018 and became the lead singer and guitar player of Yuppie, a local Daytonian alternative rock band that creates honest music that encapsulates Ohio life…music to listen to when you hear the train passing the apartment you can’t afford, after a night of drinking you shouldn’t be able to afford. Yuppie’s debut album, Old Feeling New, was released in October 2017. It was recorded at Encore Recording Studios and Zack was signed to their record label, “Invention City Records”. From military to civilian, businessman to bartender, Zack has worked many jobs and has worn many hats, but music is the one constant in his life that he feels makes worth it all.

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Stephen Wayne

             

Marrying a southern upbringing with the influential “Seattle Sound”, Stephen balances his time between managing Army maintenance facilities and entertaining audiences throughout western Washington.  Although music has always been a major part of his life, Stephen began seriously pursuing his musical aspirations in 2016. After cutting his teeth on the open mic scene, Stephen released his debut album “Sideways” in the summer of 2019, then joined Operation Encore in the Fall of 2020.  With a strong musical influence and encouragement from church and family members, along with the undying support from his wife and children, he’s determined to make his mark.  An Americana/Acoustic Rock singer/songwriter, Stephen’s unique sound is inspired by musicians such as Eddie Vedder, Aaron Lewis, Corey Taylor, Kurt Cobain, and Jason Ross.

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Mike Straw

       

Doc Straw & the Scarecrows are an alternative Southern Rock & Roll group in Virginia led by songwriter Mike Straw. Straw is joined in the studio by lead guitarist Vaughn Thomas, bass guitarist Shelton Sprouse and keyboardist Taylor Bess. Musically and lyrically, this artist is about authenticity, musical flow and potent lyricism touching on themes of resilience in facing life's enduring challenges.

"I did a tour in Iraq mostly in Fallujah then Kirkuk. In between tours an army buddy and I started a band, Pilly Wete, and I think music really helped me in those days. A few years later I went to Afghanistan in Kunar province. Both tours we conducted route clearance (driving around clearing roadside bombs). After Afghanistan a lot changed for me: I got out of the Army, went back to school, stopped making music, and started having a tough time with mental health. All of these things seem to compound the significance of the others. When I went to PT school, that education was so helpful not just for the career but because it taught me about the body, brain, and changes we undergo when subjected to stressful experiences/environments. Since school I’ve been focusing on being the best version of myself and part of that has been resuming music."

  One single off the album ‘The Little Things’ is the introspective "Get On By". As with much of Straw's music, the inspiration comes directly from real life experience, real life struggles universal to all of us.

"I wrote this song after getting off of a 3-hour long phone conversation with my sister, Jessica, and a lot of our conversation that evening  centered around some of the tougher things in life and how we were dealing with these struggles. If a person lives long enough then at some point they will experience these trying seasons. I've learned that it's important to pay attention during those times because that is when we have some of the best opportunities to grow."

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Adam Gaffney

     

Adam served two years deployed in the Persian Gulf between 2010-2014 as an Navy Aviation Ordnancemen on the Carl Vinson and George Bush aircraft carriers, where he loaded munitions for electronic attack aircraft that conducted combat missions in the region. Now a prolific singer-songwriter based out of St. Louis, MO, he weaves songs of desperation, love, loss, and the American experience. Adam delivers a heaping-helping of Americana with classic covers and a big dose of original songs that connect to his audience.  Featured on numerous radio stations and his local NBC morning show, he’s an up-and-coming artist who keeps the crowds coming.

View Adam’s EPK…

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Jerry Maniscalco

 

A Mississippi native, Jerry Maniscalco first picked up a guitar at 16 and he has been writing and performing original music ever since. In 2003, he entered the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 2007 and entering service as an SH-60B Seahawk pilot. During his time in the Navy--including 3 deployments and a remote tour--he found that music allowed him to unwind and escape. Jerry recorded two songs on our debut compilation album, the upbeat “Wake Up,” and our unofficial anthem, “We Are.”  He rejoined OE for our second album with “Waiting," written from the perspective of a pilot's spouse waiting for her husband to return home. Jerry continues to write music and play locally in the Jacksonville, Florida area.

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Morgan Warneke

         

Originally from Arkansas, Fogg Warner graduated from the Naval Academy in 2015 and served five years as a Surface Warfare Officer. He left the Navy and moved to Nashville in late 2020 to a music career and released his first studio-recorded song "Porch Boogie" in 2021. He describes himself as more “Spicoli” than cowboy, but he still wears boots and dukes on stage and hopes to leave his mark on the Americana genre with a unique sound he describes as, "Opossum Pickin'".

View Fogg’s EPK

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Brian Boland

     

After joining the Coast Guard at eighteen and experiencing a few twists and turns, Brian joined a ragtag group of C-130 pilots and learned to fly to some of the most remote places in the world. While flying throughout the Caribbean, Central America and the northern reaches of the Atlantic Ocean, he felt an insatiable urge to capture the emotion and experiences that shaped his life. After publishing his first novel, Caribbean’s Keeper: A Novel of Vendetta in 2016, Brian sat down with his guitar and started to chronicle nearly two decades of experiences gained from his military experiences.

Under the name Unknown Rider (a nod to his oftentimes solitary trans-oceanic flights), Boland launched a project with a group of North Carolina musicians to capture his ideas through song. Unknown Rider released its first album, RTB, in May of 2017. With the grit of Southern Rock and Roll and the tempo of Americana music, it displayed the raw emotion of a life on the road. Now an Operation Encore artist, Brian has recently released another set of songs on a self-produced new album entitled “Oceans”.

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