Lansing songwriter records song about gun violence spurred in part by MSU shooting
Some people turn to art when trying to make sense of the unimaginable.
Tom Heideman, a singer/songwriter from Lansing, did just that with his song, "Find a Better Way," which he wrote in response to the Feb. 13 shooting at Michigan State University that killed three students and critically wounded five more.
"Find a Better Way" challenges listeners to conquer gun violence and change the violent direction in which the country has been sprinting. It is the fifth and title song on a EP/CD Heideman recently released.
He said he'd been playing with an idea related to the song for some time.
“You’re watching the news and there’s all this gun violence,” Heideman said. “I was working on it and the whole MSU event happened. It made me want to make my own statement about it and just say that it’s just too much. We need to find a better way — no more crying, no more dying. I’m just sick of it. I think everyone’s sick of it.”
Heideman said he's not opposed to people possessing rifles, but he thinks owning assault rifles is unnecessary.
“If it were up to me, everybody would own a musket,” Heideman said. “The Founding Fathers would be appalled by what’s going on. We should issue everybody a musket and say good luck. They’re inaccurate, you won’t hit the side of a barn.”
He said he isn’t making light of the tragedies surrounding gun violence. He's trying to make a point.
“The assault rifle is fine for the police and for the military, but for the average Joe to be able to get that kind of thing is just ridiculous,” Heideman said.
Heideman said the song contributes another voice to those who are calling for action.
“There has to be some kind of radical change in this country,” Heideman said. “I don’t know if people are willing to do it or not.”
Before the MSU shooting, Heideman was preparing for his 50th high school reunion. He contacted a friend with whom he used to write songs in high school. Together, the two of them wrote the song that opens this EP/CD, “Reunion.” His friend, Kevin William Ball, who lives in Nashville, wrote the second verse and did a digital recording that he sent to Lansing.
“So, my project was kind of sparked by two things — my happy event, going to my 50th reunion and looking back with nostalgia, and then the whole gun violence,” Heideman said. “There’s five songs and the other three are a little more love related.”
The other songs are: “I Found Love,” “One More Tomorrow” and “I’ll Be There.”
Heideman's band performs with him on the CD with Mike Daniels on drums, Mike Lynch on keyboards and Lucas Holliday providing vocals. Others who contributed were Heideman's wife Mary Koenigsknecht, Tamiko Rothborn, Kay Rinker Oneil, Marty McLean, Jeff Starr, Ed Fedewa, Bart Moore, DeShaun Snead-Pratt, CJ Pratt, Pat Strzalkowski and Corey DeRushia.
“Lucas Holliday helps out on ‘Find a Better Way,’ the song about gun violence,” Heideman said. “It starts out slow and builds to a real big ending. Lucas and his great voice that only he can do comes in at the end and takes it home.”
The songs are available on Spotify, Amazon, iTunes and Apple iTunes. CDs can be purchased at Marshall Music or directly from Heideman.
Heideman and Koenigsknecht will be performing the latest songs in August:
7:30 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Coffeehouse at All Saints, East Lansing
3 p.m. Aug. 26 at East Side SummerFest
2 p.m. Aug. 27 at the East Lansing Farmers Market.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Songwriter Tom Heideman's 'Find a Better Way' takes on gun violence
