"Songs for a Nation in Need" penned by Robert Bryant for 2016 elections still relevant in 2026

Thetford resident Robert Bryant grew up in the 1970s in the heady atmosphere of Washington, D.C., among neighbors whose names read like a "who's who" of the political scene. Three houses away lived Ed Muskie, the leading Democratic presidential candidate who was the early target of Nixon's Watergate break-in. Another neighbor was John B. Anderson, chair of the House Republican Committee who in 1980 ran against Jimmy Carter as an Independent candidate.

Despite all the distinguished figures, what impressed the teenaged Robert Bryant most were the lightning anti-Vietnam war demonstrations that took place outside the home of Melvin Laird, Nixon's Secretary of Defense. They often took the form of rapidly deployed street theater skits that disappeared by the time police arrived on the scene. 

It was the street theater that inspired Robert, at core a musician with a secret stash of lyrics he had written but never dared perform, to become an activist in his high school years. This was much to the displeasure of his father who was a staunch Nixon supporter. After high school, however, came a change of heart. Robert abandoned politics and moved 500 miles away to rural Michigan to become a farmer, part of the "back to the land" counterculture that grew out of the anti-war movement. As a kid from the city, Robert knew little about farming, but his kindness and generous spirit quickly endeared him to the community of farmers. 

It was in Ann Arbor, MI, that he started volunteering at a shelter for runaway youths. Something about this work really clicked with him, and he developed skills that would open up a career path. Young and restless, he then bought a beautiful but crumbling house in Benson,VT, and taught himself carpentry in order to shore up the main building with the remains of the carriage house. He considered joining a nearby Quaker Meeting group but, after experiencing the Hanover Friends Meeting, decided in 1986 to relocate to the Upper Valley. 

The path to Thetford went via 100 acres in Sharon which he then sold, moving in 1987 to a tiny cabin in Thetford on land owned by essayist, environmentalist, and Dartmouth College English professor Noel Perrin. When Perrin put up his 145 Thetford acres for sale, Robert jumped at the chance to purchase it. 

In the meantime he had also started working at Headrest in Lebanon in 1986, helping people whose lives were in crisis. The sheer volume of need meant he worked 60-hour weeks. It was an intensive, hands-on training on the fly, working with people struggling with all stages of despair. He got very good at guiding his clients into recovery.  

To make the difference he was looking for, he was encouraged to start working with the area high schools. Fortunately the principal of the Hartford school saw the value of his efforts and invited him in. And since Headrest funded the work, it did not cost the school anything. Robert became an expert in suicide prevention and in collaborating with clients to understand their distress and give them a sense of control over their situations.

Soon he was working with the NH Youth Suicide Prevention coalition and coordinating all aspects of public safety in schools. The workload was overwhelming, with calls in the middle of the night followed by early morning appointments. Sometimes the funding ran out, and he worked without pay. Nevertheless, he traveled to offer his skills to over 200 schools in VT, NH, and ME, working with students ranging from pre-schoolers to 4th year medical school. 

He understood that a comprehensive approach was necessary and enlarged suicide prevention into what we now call "community policing" — building bridges between mental health, public health, and public safety. A major step was the acceptance of police in the Lebanon schools, police that Robert personally trained in crisis work.

As a trainer of mental health professionals, Robert was noted for his personal style. Rather than using computer and PowerPoint, he would walk into the audience like a performer and start telling stories. He became known as the "Garrision Keillor of prevention." In 2012 he was at the top of his game.

His segway into music and songwriting was precipitated by a terrible revelation. He had stage 3 cancer. Given a prognosis of only a few years to live, he dropped away from his over-committed professional life. He had become the go-to person for everyone, it seemed, and the trajectory was unsustainable.But he still cared deeply and pondered how, as a very sick man, he might contribute in some way.

He resuscitated his interest in music and the stash of lyrics that had lain fallow all these years. Back in high school, he had been passionate about music and made an effort to meet performers like Taj Mahal and guitarist John Fahey. He even interviewed John Prine at the Cellar Door Club for his journalism class project. Prine's generosity and humility left a lifelong impression on him. 

And so, decades later and sick, Robert attended the Fresh Grass music festival in N. Adams, MA, and his passion for music was reborn. He wrote many letters to musicians, hoping to connect. None answered, till bluegrass legend Bob Amos agreed to meet with him. He guided Robert and convinced him he had enough of a singing voice to perform his material himself. Then blues performer Dave Keller (currently on tour in Scandinavia) took Robert on as a student and became his songwriting partner. Fiddler Patrick Ross connected Robert with Chelsea VT producer and musician Kristina Strykos with whom he made his first album, with Kristina often filling in as session musician.

Another brilliant and generous musician lived not far away in Thetford. The late Ed Eastridge, whom Robert had encountered on the DC music scene many years ago, was also a master producer and engineer and ran a recording studio (Big Mo Records) out of his home. They connected, and Ed "made it easy" for Robert to record three songs in an hour, about all he had energy for. Because he had so few energy reserves, he never performed any of his material. The songs stayed "on ice."

Robert survived two near-death experiences and made "Songs for a Nation in Need' with Ed Eastridge. The album was inspired by the political climate surrounding the 2018 mid-term elections of the first Trump presidency. Robert maintains there is no malice towards the president in these songs, the sentiment is one of concern: "What do we do now?" and encouragement for people to stand together. After 2018, he felt the album was no longer as relevant. But the last two years have proved him wrong.

Great debates don’t humiliate.
We can’t let hate be our fate.

This time around Chico Eastridge, Ed's son and chief engineer at Junction Arts and Media, is releasing Robert's albums on the JAM You Tube channel.

Nothing would please Robert more than to see other performers using these songs.

All for One, One for All, Living in the Land of the Free.
Will we catch each other if we fall from sea to shining sea?  
Eye to Eye, Face to Face, Looking at the Home of the Brave.
If not me and you, then tell me who will help us to be saved?