Madison Rising and the Star-Spangled Banner

For the most part, I cringe whenever someone takes something like the National Anthem and in an attempt to inject some new life and interpretation into it, takes such liberties with the work that it becomes unrecognizable. 

That is so not the case with Madison Rising's kick-@ss version...


Certainly a more traditional rendition remains appropriate in formal settings (and there have been some really cringe-inducing, star-mangled performances done in the past); but until this version came out, I had never wanted to listen to the Star-Spangled Banner before in leisure, and as a rock song. This version, I actually listen to pretty regularly in the car as a track on one of my CD mixes.

Victor Luebker:

Madison Rising has composed, produced and performed the most compelling rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” since Francis Scott Key wrote the original poem in 1814.

A rock band led by singer Dave Bray and guitarist Alex Bodnar, Madison Rising composes and performs guitar-heavy rock music with an explicitly patriotic pro-American message and sound.

If you liked this rendition of our national anthem, please take a click on over to the original video by the band; they are attempting to reach 5 million views by July 4, 2013 (as of this writing, they are at 3,864,859).j


History of the Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key on Wikipedia.