ION INDIE MAGAZINE November 2016, Volume 30 | Page 70

MADISON RISING

Interview by JP Rawk • Photo credit: Jammi York Photography
I had an opportunity to chat with RIO HIETT, front man for MADISON RISING--fresh off tour and working on new music as they
gear up for a crazy, busy, 2017. It feels like they are the cusp of something big in the industry. Madison Rising is made up of
Rio Hiett on vocals, SAM FISHMAN on drums, guitarist AJ LARSEN and TOM DIPIETRO on bass. Enjoy the read and the music!
JP: Madison Rising--America’s most patriotic rock band.
Rio Hiett: That is us.
JP: That was a vision created though, am I correct, before the band was even put together?
Rio: RICH MGRDECHIAN is the owner of the band, the owner of the concept, and by all accounts…he went into a Guitar Center
and had to ask people what it takes to make a band. He didn’t know hi-hats from a crash cymbal or anything about the music
business--but he had a vision and said it needs to happen. He had the vision and put out an ad for some musicians…and
that’s how it all came about.
JP: There is a lot of patriotic themes to your music. I know something about your military service. Would you mind sharing that
with the readers of ION?
Rio: I would love to! I did twenty years in the Air Force and Air National Guard units; several deployments to combat zones. I’m
retired now…a Master Sergeant. I’m an ammo troop to the Corps and with that, when Madison Rising needed to fill a vacancy,
at the vocalist position, with it being what it is and what kind of community it serves, I just couldn’t say no. I’ve come to fall in
love with it one hundred percent.