“Some of the most important music being made in America.”
The Resilient is an American rock band focused on creating powerful music that reflects both the hardship and inspiration that they've experienced in their military and civilian careers.
Formed in the summer of 2018 in a small town in Pennsylvania and composed primarily of severely wounded US combat veterans, the music reflects their name- sincere lyricism, lulling melodies, hypnotizing beats, and weaving harmonies which are explorative yet unforgiving.
Building on their album One More, the band continues to write, record, and release new music, sharing stories of adversity, perseverance, and the resilience that connects us all.
photo by Ekaterina Gorbacheva
During their years of rehabilitation at Walter Reed Military Hospital, singer Tim Donley and guitarist Nate Kalwicki met musician Greg Loman through the MusiCorps program, where he was a senior artist in residence. With fresh wounds and new challenges in life to face, the servicemen dove headlong into the spiritually, physically and emotionally healing pursuit of music- practicing endlessly and gradually forming a deep and lasting brotherhood.
Performing live with the Kansas City Symphony at Celebration at the Station 2023
Meanwhile, drummer Juan “Dom” Dominguez was forging a once in a lifetime friendship with rock and roll legend Roger Waters of Pink Floyd. In a March 2020 Austin Chronicle interview, Roger reminisces about the first time they met, and the initial idea to form a band of wounded veterans:
“So I'm wandering through this [charity event] and there's lots of uniforms, and there's this one bloke in a wheelchair. It was Juan Dominguez. He's got no legs and only one arm... He went, ‘Yeah, I play the guitar.’ I looked at him and thought, "There's a bit of a f’n stretch. He's only got one arm!" And he could see the doubt in my eyes. He went, "Oh. Yeah. Well, I don't actually play the guitar anymore." And I thought, "This is too f’n sad." Then his face brightened. "Now I play the f’n drums…”
I went back to Bob and Lee [Woodruff, who run Stand Up For Heroes] and I had lain awake a couple of nights thinking it through. I said to them, "Hey, I've had an idea." "What is it?" "I've heard of this program at Walter Reed [Army Medical Center] where they use the playing of instruments to rehabilitate these guys in some way. I'll perform at Stand Up For Heroes – if you want me to – but only if you let me put a band together of these guys."
-Roger Waters to The Austin Chronicle, March 19, 2020
True to his word, in 2013 Roger invited what would become the members of the Resilient with him to the Madison Square Garden stage, along with ace guitarist G.E. Smith (SNL, Bob Dylan, Hall and Oates), and again in 2015 at D.A.R. Constitution Hall, with special guests Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine).Through these unforgettable experiences, a formidable bond developed between the four men as they recognized a shared commitment to music and the inevitability that they would continue what Roger started and form their own original band. With many of its members literally given a second chance at life, The Resilient now have a clear and compelling mission- to present and share their message of perseverance, fearlessness and heart through songwriting and a passion for honest musicianship.Over the course of their musical careers, members of The Resilient have teamed up with many musical greats including Yo-Yo Ma, Sheryl Crow, Aaron Neville, Ricky Scaggs, and Oleta Adams. They’ve collaborated with the Kansas City Symphony, the Grand Ole Opry, the Red Cross, Americans For the Arts, Holidays For Heroes, Operation First Response, and the Gary Sinise Foundation. Band members appeared on the landmark 300th episode of CBS television series “NCIS” as well as the Emmy-winning “Lucky Dog”. The band debuted their first original single "Freedom's Cost" at the 2020 NAMM Convention in California and released their first full-length album, One More, in 2024. The band has also been the subject of a feature-length documentary project with LA-based North Projects.
The Resilient's combination of military discipline and artistic freedom powerfully amplifies their radical message of hope. True to their name, they symbolize the universal human ability to overcome the unthinkable. Now they're here to play music like there's no tomorrow.Beyond the Music
As the first Beacon of The Reborn Project, The Resilient helps bring the nonprofit's mission to life through music, shared experiences, and meaningful community connections.Together, we aim to create opportunities for connection, purpose, and resilience that extend beyond the stage.