Staunch Moderates™ – Rap Star Casanova Ace and DJ Staunch Feature Jeffrey Skunk Baxter of Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan
On Their Just Dropped Single “Socrates Café”
The First Song From the Movements Recently Produced 14 Song Hip Hop Album, “The First Realm” Dropping September 8, 2021
The Influential Intellectual and Political Movement Staunch Moderates Was Born out of the 2020 Election Year
This Socrates Café Single & First Realm Album Tells the Movement’s 2020 Story Through Music
Aspen, Colorado – The first single to be released by the intellectual movement Staunch Moderates is called “Socrates Café,” a melodious spoken word narrative of the history of the movement written and performed by Staunch Moderates co-founder Gregory T. Simmons and rapper Casanova Ace (a.k.a. Clemmie Garard), with lead guitar by Jeffrey Skunk Baxter of The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan – all morally supported by the movement’s bigger than life mascot, Staunch. Staunch is a seven and a half foot tall bigfoot character who embodies the movement’s home base of Aspen, CO and is the face of the movement’s musical endeavors, not only spinning its beats but also hosting concerts and marches to spread the word.
The single is the first of 14 songs that make up the movement’s debut album called “The First Realm”, which was produced at the legendary music studio Chicago Recording Company, where an almost endless list of the greatest musicians have recorded, including the likes of Michael Jackson, Coldplay, Sting, Smokey Robinson, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube to name a few. The album will also include input by iconic actress and rock & roll singer Mamie Van Doren, former Congressman Barry Goldwater Jr., and former Presidential Counselor on Physical Fitness, actor and Hulk Lou Ferrigno.
The single “Socrates Café” and the other 13 songs that make up the album as a whole can be likened to that of a current day Hamilton musical and are quite theatrical in their storytelling. The stories in these songs cover what the Staunch Moderates movement is all about, the various big characters associated with it, a number of iconic American personalities both liberal and conservative, American culture through the country’s beloved game of baseball, the major challenges our society is dealing with today and the Staunch Moderates journey through it all. To address today’s political divide the movement’s staunch posture and open invitation is to celebrate love, peace, and all that is good in humanity, while also trying to get the whole world to consciously do the same. Through this music they are making it attractive to do just that.
Staunch Moderates Movement, since founded in 2019, has been driven by passion and emotion, and they believe there is no better way to elevate and demonstrate passion and emotion than through music. After the election, starting in December of 2020 Staunch Moderates began this new album project to help tell the story of the movement, the people behind it. Led by rapper Casanova Ace and DJ Staunch, the album’s 14 distinctly different songs were inspired by four of the most influential musical genres of the 20th Century – jazz, R&B, hip hop and rock. Those behind the movement feel they have created a collection of relatable tunes producing what can only be considered as super chill hip hop sounds – peaceful melodies that perfectly represent the Staunch Moderates’ mission of world peace. They believe they’ve successfully represented the movement’s message throughout the album: “Chill, peace and meditate to de-escalate, rather than exacerbate.”
The Staunch Moderates Intellectual Movement was established by its founders Gregory T. Simmons’ and Bo Persiko’s belief that a new ideology was needed to address the intellectual and political divide that has taken hold of society leading up to the 2020 Presidential Election year. Their philosophy is rooted in the principle of addressing each other with thoughtful moderation when confronting intellectual and political differences, rather than with self-centered extremism.
“Socrates Café” is now available on all major music streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, Amazon Music, Facebook Music, Pandora, SoundCloud, and YouTube, along with an additional 54 outlets globally.