ROCKING FOR PATRIOTISM: Interview with Dave Bray of Madison Rising, Part 2 

(Last week, we posted the first portion of our interview with Dave Bray, lead vocalist for the band Madison Rising, who are promoted as America’s Most Patriotic Band. In this installment, Dave goes into more detail about the band’s perspective and their upcoming live appearances.) 

Clash Daily: I saw on your web site that you call what you do “patriotic rock”. So, how does it differ from material such as Skynrd’s “Red, White, and Blue”, Sammy Hagar’s “Remember The Heroes”,and even country material such as Charlie Daniels’ “In America” and Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The U.S.A.”?

Dave Bray: I guess it differs in that all those other artists sing about other things that are not necessarily relevant to patriotism and to the betterment of our nation. Some of those artists sing about things that are inappropriate as well. We try to keep it all family friendly by giving gratitude to our soldiers and first responders and by singing about being proud and grateful for the nation we live in. To us, our message isn’t just including a song or two about freedom and patriotism on every other album; it’s about every song having that message in one way or another on all of our albums.

CD: There’s a long history of patriotic music, dating back to the beginning of the country, and including material from WWI such as “Over There” and even some Andrews Sisters material from WWII. How do you feel our present culture and music in particular, is representing our military?

DB: There are a few bands out there trying to support the troops and the military and I think that’s really cool. But I feel like Madison Rising does it directly with their music…I feel like we build a bridge for the people in this country to really experience some of the things that our men and women in uniform are experiencing and I feel like we are opening up some civilian eyes by doing so.

CD: Have you gotten any negative criticism? If So, how do you respond?

DB: We’ve certainly gotten criticism, but in most cases, it’s either from people who absolutely hate the message, or due to ignorance or a lack of comprehension about what we are trying to do. Even some of our most harsh critics, once they realize what we are actually doing, finally “get it”. Sometimes, I even end up getting an apology a few days later!

CD: How have your videos been received?

DB: People of all ages love our videos. They are our best vehicle for marketing and distribution, especially since they are so easy to share through email or social media. Even better are the videos we get back from people, especially of little kids jamming out while they are watching our videos and being excited about their country and that for which she stands.

CD: Any future plans you can share at this time?

DB: We’ll be announcing about 40 tour dates over the next week or two, and probably another 20 or so later in the year. Our next release will be a new rendition of “God Bless America” done in Madison Rising style, but also absolutely true to the way the song was originally written. There’s a reason Irving Berlin wrote it the way he did, and we’re proud of the way we’ve decided to cover it.

CD: What do you feel is the biggest threat that America faces, both domestically and internationally?

DB: Domestically, it’s our government and their ability to control, take over and do whatever they please to the citizens and our nation. Internationally, it’s our government’s lack of will to stop those who also want to do the same thing. Both of them are driven by the same thing–apathy. Our hope is that the energy our music provides will help inspire people who really care about the direction of this country to take more action to preserve it.

CD: If you had one thing to say to liberals, what would it be?

DB: That we know the game, because you’ve been pushing it for decades trying to indoctrinate the next generation with dependency, helplessness and weakness. Each of those are exactly the opposite of what this country was built on, and some of us still believe in liberty, freedom, hard work and the American Spirit.

CD: I was interested in the list of sponsors that Madison Rising has…everything from a law firm to a legal moonshine distiller. What’s the purpose behind such sponsorships? How beneficial is it for both parties involved? And, how does a company and/or individual get involved?

DB: A lot of our sponsors are friends who have done work at no cost as a favor for us because they support our message. We also sometimes put up logos of friends we make on the road to help them get some more exposure for a few months here and there. We do have several major sponsorship deals we’re working on, and a lot of organizations are starting to see the value of the military, veteran and patriotic fan base we have. Plus, they also see that through our music, videos, concerts, personal appearances and so on, we have a very unique and intimate relationship with them. By being a sponsor, they get access and exposure to our audience, and our audience gets access and exposure to products, services, causes or other things they might not otherwise have known about. Everyone wins, so everyone is happy.

CD: What advice would you offer to young musicians, singers, bands just starting out?

DB: Learn it all, study it all, set your own path, find your own groove, do something different. Keep in mind that it’s a tough industry no matter how talented you are…so be sure to have a back up.

CD: In closing, any final thoughts?

DB: Let your fans, friends and family know that they need to BELIEVE in America. That they need to stand up and be proud to be AMERICANS! Get involved with and know what their local and national politicians are voting for and voting against…let them know that American is NOTHING without genuine, God fearing freedom loving, flag waving, gun owning, smart voting, bad ass patriots who are willing to fight to the death to give that freedom to the next generation.

Finally, let them know that when everything seems all too impossible, and the days of TRUE freedom and liberty seem too far gone and at that second that they may want to raise the white flag of surrender, that they should know that as long as We The People stand…AMERICA STILL STANDS!

(Author’s Note:   For more information, please check out www.madisonrising.com; also on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.  Music available through Amazon.com,. iTunes as well as the band’s web site.)

Image: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0068RHH9G/ref=as_sl_pd_tf_lc?tag=madirisi-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B0068RHH9G&adid=0ZXCK4C1VQVA8CR0XK49&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.madisonrising.com%2F