Songs4Soldiers began in 2013 as a concert to raise funds for combat veterans in need.
To date, the organization has managed to put more than $900,000 into the hands of more than 650 combat veterans and their families, and Songs4Soldiers founder Dustin Row hopes to break the million dollar mark with this year’s concert .
With the organization’s ninth annual event this Friday and Saturday, Row reflected on the concert’s growth and the positive effect it has had on hundreds of veterans.
Row specifically noted how the concert has grown beyond himself and the handful of individuals who run the organization year-round to become a staple event in Monroe County thanks to those who support it .
“If no one came, we wouldn’t really have anything, would we?” Rowe said. “At this point, what’s so good about ‘Songs’ is that I know that I personally don’t feel like it’s mine anymore. It never was, really. It seems like it’s really become something that Monroe County is proud of and, you know, we’re just kind of steering the ship.”
Row added that along with the support of attendance, the concert couldn’t come together without the many volunteers who help put it together and the businesses and organizations that sponsor it, from local restaurants to businesses like Budweiser.
“He’s 100 percent credited to everyone who supports him,” Row said. “From sponsors who help pay for the show here to the nearly 300 volunteers who volunteer and sign up to sell tickets, sell T-shirts and work the show, and the community of Columbia and Monroe County.”
Row also credits the event’s radio sponsors, 105.7 FM The Point and 92.3 FM WIL, for the reach it provides as well as the role it has played in helping secure artists for the annual concert.
Considering the event’s long list of corporate sponsors, it’s clear that Songs4Soldiers has struck a chord with a variety of businesses. Row suggests that this is largely due to the organization’s positive focus.
He said they are a transparent and “very genuine” charity.
Helping combat veterans who are struggling, he added, is “one of the few things left that I think the general population sees in sight.”
“I think just sticking to our guns and being a great charity and doing what we say we’re going to do with the money, that’s attractive,” Row said.
Featured bands at this year’s concert include Feel, Stir, Tonic and Everclear on Friday with Charles Glenn, Superjam, The Mighty Pines, Dazed n Confused STL, Alexandra Kay and LOCASH on Saturday along with Andrew Dahle and Clusterpluck performing on the second stage of the event
The lineup marks a notable shift in the event’s traditionally classic rock acts. Row said the lineup remains “classic rock” in a sense, given the emphasis on 1990s rock that those in their 30s and 50s are likely to feel some nostalgia for.
Row explained that the change is just meant to shake things up a bit.
“I’m a firm believer that no matter how great or great something is, if you keep doing the same thing over and over and over again, it can become stale,” Row said. “And so I thought and my team thought, you know, this is our ninth year, let’s try something else.”
Despite the slight change in artists, Row said the concert will remain the family event people have come to know.
There will be refreshments and food from a variety of local vendors, and veterans and children under 12 will still be admitted free, although the bouncy houses and entertainment of years past will not be present.
Most importantly for Row, the concert will be in the same place he’s been for several years: Columbia’s Bolm-Schuhkraft Park.
Row said a lot of people have approached him about how the event will definitely have to be moved considering how big it’s gotten, but Row said he has no intention of tearing the concert of its local roots.
“Why screw up the formula?” Rowe said. “Columbia is his home, Monroe County is his home, and this field is one of my favorite places in the world. I don’t want to move it, and I never will.”
Row added that if the event sells out both nights, he will simply bask in his success. At this size, the event is very successful while still being small enough to be run by volunteers.
For more information on Songs4Soldiers, visit songs4soldiersstl.org.
