Madison Rising – DREAM TOUR

In this Dream Tour segment, the rock band, Madison Rising, let you know who they would like on their ultimate tour lineup. You can check out the feature, after the break.

First and Foremost: Madison Rising is a band that is committed to supporting our troops and veterans of the United States Armed Forces through uplifting, patriotic rock music that triggers a prideful response of love for our country and service members in all who listen. That being said, a dream tour for us may not necessarily stem from who we play with, but rather who we play for. Recently, we were lucky enough and honored to play for troops stationed abroad in South Korea, Okinawa island Japan, and mainland Japan. It was a blessing to be able to bring a piece of “home” to the men and women of our armed forces stationed out there, but it would truly be a dream to tour many of the military bases located abroad the world over to remind the men and women stationed there that what they do matters, and that those back home in the states are grateful for their service.

From a musical influences standpoint, I think a dream tour in which members of the band were allowed to choose a group that influenced them would result in a wildly eclectic and brow raising mix of artists! Collectively, the musical acts that we tend to favor cover a wide range of genres and styles. Our vocalist Dave is quite the showman, and although this is coming from me, I feel that he would be honored to tour with legends such as Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, whose emphasis on thematic elements and stage imagery go beyond the scope of just the music being presented. No doubt, Dave channels the intensity of a Soldier who has done his time and has been to hell on earth and back in each and every one of his performances.

As for the rest of the guys in the band, we all have our own distinct influences. I am a little bit of a closet metalhead myself. I’m a big fan of extreme metal bands with progressive tendencies, and if I had to pick one band to dream tour with, it would probably be the Swedish metal band Opeth. I’ve always loved how those guys seamlessly and naturally mix the most blistering metal sections with acoustic guitar more reminiscent of folk music and lighter meandering passages that take a page from 70’s progressive rock. Our drummer, Sam, is deeply influenced by jazz music and he especially loves those percussionists who can channel this style of playing within the rock/metal spectrum. Brann Dailor, who is the drummer for Mastodon, is most certainly one of Sam’s many influences and Mastodon would be his top pick for one of our dream tour artists. Our guitarist, AJ, cut his teeth on early Metallica albums when he began playing guitar in his early elementary school years, and his vocal harmonies take a page from bands such as Story of the Year and Periphery, whose singers have quite the impressive vocal range to go along with their brand of rock and metal. As for AJ’s dream tour pick, Periphery would be his first choice for sure, as they essentially have the vast majority of his influences all rolled into one band. In the end, either of these dream tour scenarios would be nothing short of amazing, but regardless of where we tour or who we tour with, honoring those who served and spreading pride for our country through music remains the top priority for Madison Rising.

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