Music, News + Views, Personalities, Politics

Tandy Culpepper Talks with Acclaimed Singer-Songwriter John Ondrasik AKA Five For Fighting: Ukraine and Afghanistan, Music & More

You may know him as John Ondrasik. You may know him by his stage name Five for Fighting. No matter. By any name, this acclaimed singer- songwriter is recognized throughout the music industry as one of America’s greatest balladeers. Think Superman and 100 Years.

Last year, Ondrasik set out on an arduous and perilous journey. After Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, John sat down at his piano and composed Can One Man Save the World. It’s a paean to Ukraine and a soaring anthem that begged for an orchestral accompaniment.

Rather than perform the composition at home in Los Angeles, John secured approval from the Ukrainian government to come to Kyiv. There he produced a music video with the Ukrainian Orchestra.

On October 15th the Ukrainian rock band Antytila performed in Los Angeles as part of their North American tour. In a surprise turn, John joined them to sing Can One Man Save the World in a duet with front man Taras Topolia.

John devotes much of his off-stage energy to philanthropic work. Find out more on this website: WhatKindofWorldDoWeWant.com.

Follow his touring, news and general info at FiveForFighting.com. Follow Antytila at their website:  https://www.antytila.ua/en/

 

Published by Tandy Culpepper

I am a veteran broadcast journalist. I was an Army brat before my father retired and moved us to the deep South. I'm talkin' Lower Alabama and Northwest Florida, I graduated from Tate High School and got botha Bachelor's degree and Master's in Teaching English from the University of West Florida, I taught English at Escambia County High School for two years before getting my m's in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Auburn University. Following graduation, I did a 180 degree turn and moved to Birmingham where I began ny broadcasting career at WBIQ, Channel 10. There I was host of a weekly primetime half-hour TV program called Alabama Lifestyles. A year later, I began a stint as a television weathercaster and public affairs host. A year later, I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida and became bureau chief at WPTV, the CBS affiliate. Two years later, I moved to Greensboro, North Carolina where I became co-host of a morng show called AM Carolina. The next year, I moved cross-country and became co-host and story producer at KTVN-TV in Reno, Nevada. I also became the medical reporter for the news department. Three years later, I moved to Louisville, Kentucky and became host and producer of a morning show called today in WAVE Country at WAVE-TV, Channel 3, the NBC affiliate. Following three years there, I moved to Los Angeles and became senior correspondent at the Turner Entertainment Reportn, an internationally-syndicated entertainment entertainment news service owned by CNN. I went back to school afterwards and got an MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore. Oh, yes. I won a hundred thousand dollars on the 100 Thousand Dollar Pyramid, then hosted by Dick Clark.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *