‘Madison Rising’ Rocks Patriotism

The ground shakes from the thumping drums and throbbing bass. The lead singer belts his heart out as the crowd jumps, pressing forward in a mass throng, lost in the music.

There is, though, something different about this band rocking the stage. A passerby might think it was U2 or Pearl Jam, but listen to the lyrics and it becomes clear this is no ordinary band. They’re singing about military veterans, about a disconnected media, and they’re rocking out to the one song you don’t rock out to and somehow pulling it off: The Star Spangled Banner.

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The band is Madison Rising, and they are “America’s most patriotic rock band.” Their slogan is “Music With Meaning,” and they are quite the contrast to the current music scene.

“We, as a band, have made Madison Rising our mission,” says Dave Bray, the band’s lead singer. “And that mission is to use our music to help to spread the word and to let the citizens of this nation know that we as patriots need to stand up, stand tall, stand proud and stand together for the future of our freedom, our liberty, and our country.”

While other popular musicians of today are showing the variety of uses for autotune and discovering different ways to drag their names through the muddy Hollywood tabloids, Madison Rising has found success through performing for veterans and using their unique niche to represent a cultural part of America long ignored by the arts.

Their success has culminated in their recent performance at the premiere of the new movie “13 Hours” and their viral video for their rock ballad version of The Star Spangled Banner. They’ve even recently worked with conservative icon Sarah Palin.

Madison Rising has found success through performing for veterans and using their unique niche to represent a cultural part of America long ignored by the arts.

Their “mission” has included songs like “Where Was the Media Then,” taking the biased liberal media to task, and “Right to Bear,” a love letter to the Second Amendment.

The trending popularity of Madison Rising speaks to a long gestating cultural shift that may be culminating as we speak. Rising speaks to a middle America left behind by the arts, specifically a music industry that promotes shock value over meaningful music.

The larger cultural shift has led to independent news outlets working to combat the mainstream news cycle, more military and religious friendly movies, and a presidential race where being a politician is not always an asset.  However, for Bray, A Navy vet, and Madison Rising, it’s still about the art in the end. Though Rising has found unique success through their tunes and live performances, Bray says he views the band as a continuation of his military career.

“I feel that it is important for all veterans to understand that they have an obligation to the oath that they swore when they joined the military and to maintain the integrity of that oath throughout the entirety of their lives,” he says.

Whatever the future holds for Madison Rising, it is clear their music is a part of something that is larger than themselves. Their success is further proof of a rising, freedom loving, independence valuing group of Americans, the same group that has pushed Donald Trump to the top of the GOP pack.