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Staunch Moderates just released their debut album ‘The First Realm,’ a Hamilton-esque story about the state of America’s political divide. Not many albums today are as transparent as Staunch Moderates latest release, even to the extent of landing them in the short-run for potential Grammy nomination.
Below, we interviewed the movement, the minds behind Staunch and the idea of utilizing music as a way to spread their message of peace.
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Hello! It’s a pleasure to meet you. How are you all doing today?
Greg Simmons: Thanks for asking. I’m doing great & thanks for having us!
Casanova Ace: Thanks for asking – I’m doing great! Thanks for having us.
Could you share with our readers what Staunch Moderates is all about?
G: Staunch Moderates is all about addressing the Divide and striving for national and world peace through the philosophy of Moderation: evaluate, negotiate, compromise and decide into the most equitable solutions humanly possible.
C: Staunch Moderates is all about global peace. The movement demonstrated their commitment with me by backing the creation of the hip hop album ‘The First Realm’ philosophically and financially. The movement is what we sing about.
You just released your debut album, ‘The First Realm‘. The album features a ton of notable musicians against an old-school hip-hop groove. Nestled inside the LP is a clear message of peace, love, and unity. What made you gravitate towards releasing music as a way to get your message across?
G: In my past decades in showbiz, I tried to get a scripted comedy TV show off the ground, where a season arc idea of mine was that the cast of characters was going to produce a hip hop album. During the process of developing, producing and marketing that series I worked with several rap artists in doing so, one of which was Casanova Ace whom I met back in 2003. Anyways in late 2019, I switched my career from Comedy TV Producer to Founding and CEOing the Staunch Moderates Intellectual Movement. I was sick and tired of all the hate and severe division in our country, especially since 2016. In 2020, I shared with one of my partners that is connected to Chicago Recording Company (CRC), “wouldn’t it be cool to make a hip hop album about our intellectual movement?” He said, “very interesting concept, one he hadn’t heard of before.” Q2, Q3 and Q4 of 2020 I reconnected with Casanova Ace, a most talented freestyle rap artist. He co-hosted the New York Primary with me live from Time Square on our show located at Staunch Moderates News. After the election, Q1 2021, we were laying down tracks at CRC, starting to make our 14 track album, drawn from the experiences and people we met along the ride of producing the Staunch Moderates Intellectual Movement. Campaigning 16 State Primaries with roughly 35 different vital societal issue forums, holding polls, interviews while attending the conventions, debates and even hosted a celebrity attended panel Election Day Show, distributing all via our website and social media channels. Most of all of the above is on record via our website and said channels. Right after the Election, we got to work making the album and finally dropped it on 9/10/21, the same weekend as the opening of the NFL Season.
C: Working with icons such as Jeffrey Skunk Baxter, CJ Vanston, etc. almost gets me choked up in disbelief every time I write or say that. It was an incredible honor – they added such depth to the project. To answer your question, our message of peace is a universal on, and the universal language is music. Music transcends language barriers and culture clashes – it brings people on one accord.
Could you share what the recording process was like for ‘The First Realm’?
G: Well, I described the reconnection with Casanova Ace above and that one of my partners has a connection to Chicago Recording Company (CRC.) They were able to produce pretty amazing beats for us. Cas and I had been collaborating on lyrics – man is he the most amazing poet! We laid down our tracks over 12, 5 hour Studio sessions and spent a ton of time mixing the songs after that. Through my former Showbiz career, I had worked with CJ Vanston (Tears for Fears) & Jeffery Skunk Baxter (Doobie Brothers & Steely Dan), so I reached out to them again and had the good fortune of their agreeing to work with us. That really punched up our album! Our publicist introduced us to Mamie Van Doren who also agreed to collaborate.
C: Could I? Imagine waking up Christmas morning and Santa really was standing in your living room. As an artist that is the gift I got every day when I was recording at CRC. Janet Jackson and her brother Michael Jackson, to share the space with greatness. Even so, in the same booth Miley Cyrus just recorded a few minutes before me. It inspired me in ways I can’t explain. And with Greg Simmons at the helm of producers like Rico Tolbert, Meshach Lewis – I had the best inspiration and help an artist can get.
How did you meet?
G: I met Casanova at the Night of 100 Stars Oscar Party in 2003. Within a few minutes of meeting, he freestyled a rap song about my Aspen: The Series TV show that I had created. We’ve been working together and friends ever since. I met our social media director who knows the people at CRC through my entertainment attorney in 2018, when I was still pushing my TV shows.
C: My manager of thirty years, agent to the stars Norby Walters, gave one of the biggest Academy Award parties year after year. He would invite me so at the bar there was this corporate type looking guy. We got to talking and it was of course Greg Simmons. He told me about a TV series he was developing called Aspen: The Series. For a laugh in freestyle rap form I told him what he said. We quickly became friends and started working together. Twenty years later he founded Staunch Moderates, called his buddy Casanova Ace to pitch in and here we are talking with you fine folks.
Your DJ Staunch mascot is a prime figure in the Staunch Moderates movement. He’s a common character in your videos and also has a cameo on your album cover. Is there a particular reason why you chose big-foot as a symbol for the Staunch Moderates movement?
G: Bigfoot Staunch just kind of happened to us! I stopped at a Rocky Mountain log cabin road side diner full of taxidermy on the walls and they had this coolest looking Bigfoot head. I asked my waiter about it. He said it was for sale, so I bought it. Coincidently, this happened on the same day as Bo Persiko and I attended our Socrates Café Meeting at the CMC Campus, Glenwood Springs Campus. Bo is the other founding partner of the Movement. Anyways, the Sasquatch head made it on to the set, later got named Staunch and had since become the mascot of our Movement and then some. We see him as the coolest being on the planet. Coincidently, he’s not human. He’s Bigfoot and just shakes his head at how we humans just can’t get along. Some have said he is my alter ego. Staunch is the alter ego of our movement!
C: Staunch is my partner in crime, you’ll see a whole lot more of him believe me.
What are some plans down the line for Staunch Moderates as we ring in 2022?
G: Currently we are enjoying rolling out our music videos to tell our Hamilton like story, but I can’t tell you too much. If I did, it wouldn’t be gorilla, I mean Bigfoot marketing!
C: To keep spreading peace and love in any way we can.
How can our readers get involved with the Staunch Moderates movement?
G: Go to StaunchModerates.org, check out our website. There are many opportunities there to sign up as a Staunch Moderate. We would love to have you! You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook as well as subscribe to our YouTube channel, ‘Staunch Moderates News’ for the release of our latest music videos!
