Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Dave Bray, the lead singer of the new openly conservative rock band, Madison Rising. The band’s self-titled debut album was released on October 17, 2011 and has already charted in the top 100 best selling rock albums on both iTunes and Amazon.com. The overarching theme of the band’s music is that of liberty, independence, smaller government and personal responsibility. Visit the band’s site at MadisonRising.com. They are playing this Tuesday, January 17, in Washington, D.C.

FP: Dave Brave, welcome to Frontpage Interview.

Thanks you for joining us today.

Bray: Sure. Happy to be here.

FP: Congratulations on your debut album and all your great success.

First, let’s begin with your admirable background. I noticed is that you’re a Navy veteran. Can you tell us a little about that part of your background? And thank you for serving this country and for putting your life on the line for us and our liberty.

Bray: Thanks Jamie.

I served as an 8404(FMF) Corpsman for STA platoon, 2nd battalion/2nd Marines out of Camp Lejeune, NC. It was an honor to serve side by side with the USMC!

FP: So when it comes to being a patriot, you’re definitely the real deal.

Bray: Absolutely. The stars and stripes fly high at my house!

FP: And the band itself is patriotic and all of you describe yourselves as pro-American. Tell us what that means to you and was that a conscious decision on your part?

Bray: Well, pro-American simply means we’re glad to be Americans. We’re grateful for all the things we have in this country and we’re damn proud of all that we’ve accomplished as a nation. We know that that’s the complete opposite of most people in the music industry, and the entertainment industry in general, but that’s who we are. And yeah, it was definitely a conscious decision. The guys all recognized the fact that there was no great pro-American rock music out there and we decided we needed to change that. There was a huge void and it was about time someone had the guts to stand up and fill it.

FP: So what message in general are you stressing in your music?

Bray: Our message is pro-American vs. anti-American. Hard work vs. entitlement. Creating as opposed to destroying. Personal responsibility as opposed to government dependency. We’re about what this country was founded on – integrity. Not whimpering or whining, but actually doing something. And not only do we have an overall message as a band, but each of our songs themselves has a specific message as well. Like “Soldiers of America” which is a rock anthem for the men and woman who serve our country and the sacrifices they make. Or “Rally the Youth,” a motivational song about the need for young people to take action, get informed, and to create a better future for themselves.

FP: The first song in the album is called “Right To Bear” – tell us about that song.

Bray: “Right To Bear” is a really guitar heavy rock song about protecting the 2nd amendment, which for some reason is always under attack from the Left. Our new video will be coming out very soon. I love that song and the video rocks!

FP: It looks like you have some videos out already. Which songs are those and why did you choose those?

Bray: We do have some videos out: “Walking through that door,” “Where was the media then,” and “Honk if you want peace.” We thought they were the most relevant.

FP: Media bias is a concern for a lot of conservatives. Tell us a bit about your song, “Where was the media then.”

Bray: Well, that’s probably our heaviest song musically, but also one of the most interesting thematically. It’s really a song that compares and contrasts how much attention the media gives to situations based on who is involved. How the media hides anything the liberals do that would make them look bad, and how they vilify and blow everything conservatives do way out of proportion. We think we did a pretty good job telling the story and also writing it on a fairly intelligent level.

FP: I’m looking at some of the lyrics: “Defenders of the free / The fourth pillar they were meant to be / Masters of duplicity / The fifth column they’ve become.” It all looks very profound and interesting:

And the lyrics of the other song, “Honk If You Want Peace”:

“Summers on the campus / Not a lot to do / The smog hangs low and the boredoms grow / Among the jaded youth / Idle hands breed righteous plans / They miss the anarchy / ‘Let’s find a way to rule today / and fix society’ / ‘The war machine must stop’ / ‘Life can’t go on this way’ / We’ll scream of greed and all our needs / We know just what to say.”

Certainly sounds like a lot of people in the Occupy crowds.

Bray: Exactly. Honk is a dark, epic, song about the pretentiousness of “peace” protesters and the damage they do. It was something we wrote and recorded last summer, but when all the Occupy protests started a couple of months ago, it was the perfect vehicle for us to use to say hey, take a look – this is what these people are really about.

FP: You have a song, “In The Days That Reagan Ruled.” Tell us about it.

Bray: It is a hard rock tribute to Ronald Reagan, the kind of man he was and all he did for this country. It is about individualism, optimism, pride, patriotism, honesty and integrity.

FP: You were the main event at the We Stand With Gibson Rally a few months back. Why did they choose you over all the other bands out there and how did that go?

Bray: It was an honor to play the show for Gibson. The show went very well and the crowd in Nashville was very responsive to us. I think we were chosen because of our strong patriotic and constitutional message as well as the fact that we appeal to all ages.

FP: Any plans to tour?

Bray: Yes, actually quite a bit. We’ll be launching the American Dream 2012 tour in Washington, DC next month and expect to be playing all over the country. Ironically though, we’re having problems getting booked in NYC, our home base, because it’s so liberal. I don’t think we’ll be playing Berkeley any time soon.

FP: What do you hope to accomplish through your music?

Bray: A big part of what we’re doing is to leverage great music and popular culture to improve the conservative image, and unfortunately, thanks to fifty years of media bias, they need all the help they can get.

FP: What do you think are the biggest problems that conservatives face in the upcoming elections?

Bray: The swing vote in this (and all) elections is the younger demographic and the only way to get that vote is through influencing popular culture. If conservatives can’t get that swing vote, everything else they do and say – and I mean everything – is a complete waste of time.

FP: I just wanted to mention for our readers that your group recorded its debut album with a multi Grammy winning producer Ron Saint Germain (who worked with artists such as Creed, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Muse) and that it is receiving incredibly strong support from fans – like so many other popular bands that seem to come out of nowhere to suddenly become a house hold name.

You’re starting to develop an impressive reputation in conservative circles and have generated a decent amount of press. As a result, the band has been in and out of the top 100 on iTunes and Amazon.com over the past several weeks and has been ranked as high as #29.

Congratulations.

Bray: What can I say, Jamie, we’re musicians, but at the end of the day, we’re musicians that are fueled by an eternal gratitude and love for our country and that seems to resonate with a lot of people.

FP: Dave Bray thank you so much for joining us. Best of luck to Madison Rising and thank you.

For all of our readers who would like more information on the band, visit www.MadisonRising.com.

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