NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Thursday marks two years since we lost six beloved children and adults in a shooting at The Covenant School.
Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, Hallie Scruggs, Mike Hill, Katherine Koonce and Cindy Peak.
The Covenant School has said in part, 'still, we remember. We grieve. We hope.' On this two-year anniversary, we pause to honor the precious lives lost.
In true Music City fashion, some major names in bluegrass are sharing a tribute to those who died.
"I've kinda decorated it to show where I've been and hopefully stay inspired to go somewhere new," said Grammy-winning musician Tim O'Brien, looking around a room of his home.
He sat with wife and fellow musician, Jan Fabricius. It's in this room they write songs.
"We end up with a pretty good thing most of the time," Jan said.
"Really, what songwriters do is tell what's happening," Tim added. "Songwriting is just kinda a reflection of what's going on in your life."
That applies to a new song.
It was two years ago, Tim and Jan heard something was happening not very far from their home; a mass shooting at The Covenant School.
"We just heard about it immediately on the news," Jan remembered. "It just really hit."
"It was stunning and heartbreaking," Tim continued.
The first year after the shooting, Tim and Jan went to an event called Linking Arms For Change.
"[It was to] sort of witness for gun reform," Tim said. "This is an issue that is going to keep plaguing us."
"There's been more gun shootings in schools since The Covenant School," Jan added. "Pain that the parents and the community have suffered will always be there."
In June, Tim and Jan are releasing an album called "Paper Flowers." It's the story of their life together. What happened so close by two years ago never left their minds. Collaborating with songwriter Bill Paxton, Tim and Jan went into that writing room and created a song called "Covenant."
"Shootings are a recurring thing in our lives today," Tim said. "As a storyteller, it seems good to tell the story of what's going on."
"What we'd like for people to take from this song is to not forget the lives that were taken," Jan added.
"It just seems important to sing that song and tell that story," Tim continued. "Don't want people to forget it, y'know."
To hear the full song, visit here.
My friend and colleague Carrie Sharp had a lot of fun last week, on an adventure to a country more than three thousand miles away! She’s back now – sharing her Adventures in Iceland through stories, and incredible images of this remarkably beautiful and unique island nation (kudos to Chief Photographer Catherine Steward)! But did you know Nashville has something very important in common with Iceland? Tourism! Here, Carrie explains how a volcanic eruption decades ago helped save the country’s economy from collapse!
-Rhori Johnston
