Small Town Titans Offer Pro-Veteran Acoustic Track, 'Too Much To Dream'

Don't judge a book by its cover...

Sometimes a cringy band name is just enough for me to not listen to a band. It's a crucial thing, that key first impression and your band's name is just enough of a first impression to turn someone on or off. So fucking up that first impression is what can separate a potential fan from an indifferent listener whose ears you'll never, ever burrow into. This was almost the case with Pennsylvania's Small Town Titans, whose name is definitely up there as one of the cringiest that I've ever heard.

Yet out of some very small inner curiosity, I clicked on the email I'd been sent and discovered an utter gem of a track within!

See, this typically rock/metal trio recently dropped a powerful acoustic single called 'Too Much To Dream'. This song was based on a poem written by one of their own fans - Don Mattox, a veteran of the U.S. Military of 20 years, with multiple tours in the Middle East racked up over that time. On November 29th, 2016, Mattox contacted the York trio with a poem he had written, titled "Chemical Dream Catcher". His grand idea was to turn said poem into a song and asked the group if they were up to the task. And Small Town Titans were indeed up to the challenge.

The result? A beautifully touching acoustic track with the very lyrics being written by a seasoned war veteran, adding real human weight to lines like the chorus lyrics of "I had too much to dream/too much to dream last night/I am too hungover from war"; the family-life trauma of "Wide awake now/she wants to help but how/I'm alive, I'm at home/Or so it seems..."; and the unforgettable moments that plague many veterans minds with "All the sudden noises/I hear my brothers voices/getting dark again, laying down my head".

It's moving stuff, honestly.

Musically, the dynamic mid-tempo song is driven by soft acoustic chords and intimate, emotional filled vocals that both create a touching melody, and the booming, reverb-heavy percussion evokes the distant gunshots and explosions of a war zone. Small Town Titans have taken a soldier's honest poem about his own experiences serving overseas and they've turned it into a fittingly melancholic soundscape that's as honest as it is saddening. And that's exactly why it works!

The three-piece band - made up of vocalist/bassist/harmonica Phil Freeman, guitarist Ben Guiles, and drummer Jonny Ross - will be using the PledgeMusic platform for pre-orders for an official full-band release of 'Too Much To Dream' with an accompanying music video, both due out later this year on November 11th, 2017, Veteran's Day. (In fact, the pre-orders for this first went live on May 29, 2017, Memorial Day).

This avenue not only gives what all bands at their smaller level want - added exposure - but it also helps in raising awareness for local and regional U.S. PTSD support groups. As after the band spoke with Mattox and other military veterans, it became apparent that there was and is no “one stop shop” for those veterans suffering from PTSD effects and who desperately need help and support on a local level. Because without that support, they turn to suicide. In the States, it is estimated that around 22 veterans take their own lives every single day. Now, you may have seen that statistic in the recent Beartooth music video for 'Sick Of Me' but as this and this report, it's not quite 22 veterans a day, but the overall figure is still too high across the U.S. on average, sadly.

All of the proceeds from this campaign - both it's $10,000 goal and any further funds - will be donated towards getting the song recorded professionally and releasing an official music video. (Without knowing who they're recording and who with, whose mixing and mastering, 10K does seem a bit much, but whatever). From there, 100% of the remaining proceeds from what is released on Veteran's Day will be going towards charities chosen by Mattox himself and Small Town Titans.

Also, some pretty damn lofty plans are being made for the expansion of “Too Much To Dream” to be a brand more so than just a song. The website "toomuchtodream.org" has been purchased with the hopes of the band continuing to create and monitor a network of local support organisations for PTSD support programs for veterans. Shit, even an app is in development with the same goals all in mind. While I do wish the band luck in such endeavours and while I am always dubious of the Patreon model for bands, for now, this acoustic cut is a sublime one.