The Staunch Moderates Are Soundtracking Unity With Grammy-Level Ambition

With The Staunch Moderates Experience, Gregory T. Simmons is not just producing an album. He is constructing a cultural blueprint that combines music, film, philosophy, and political neutrality into an ambitious multimedia movement, capturing attention around the globe. Following the Oscar-ballot recognition of their previous Mission Peace Soundtrack, this new release is now on the 2025 Grammy ballot and has won awards at more than a dozen international film festivals. This is more than a body of work. It is a statement.

At the center of it all is Simmons, the visionary founder of the Staunch Moderates Movement. Over the past five years, he has built a platform for peace, reason, and dialogue during a time when polarization seems to dominate every conversation. Through music, he has found a new way to reach hearts and minds.

Musically, The Staunch Moderates Experience defies easy categorization. It draws on the elegance of Frank Sinatra, the complexity of Steely Dan, the soul of the Doobie Brothers, and the introspection of Tears for Fears, hip-hop, jazz, and spoken word mix together to form a rich and layered listening experience.

One standout track, “Bill Maher,” is a bold tribute to the famously unfiltered media figure who embodies many of the Movement’s ideals: free speech, nuanced thinking, and fearless debate. The production is clean, sharp, and perfectly in tune with the lyrical message.

Jazz legend Ramsey Lewis is also honored posthumously. His influence is evident in the album’s musical sophistication and timeless tone. It is a fitting tribute to an artist whose work elevated and expanded the genre.

And then there is DJ Staunch, the animated Bigfoot mascot turned beatmaker and cultural icon. He brings a playful, creative spark that adds balance and personality to the project. Whether at rallies, concerts, or college campuses, DJ Staunch delivers energy, beats, and an unexpected dose of charm.

Simmons envisions concerts that go beyond performance. He is exploring the use of AI visuals, holographic design, and real-time philosophical interaction. As he puts it, the stage is a space for education, connection, and unity.

The Staunch Moderates Experience succeeds because it blends purpose with creativity. It proves that music can be intelligent without being preachy, and bold without being divisive. Gregory T. Simmons is not chasing trends. He is building something lasting. This is the sound of a movement that refuses to be ignored.

What inspired the shift from activism into music and multimedia for the Staunch Moderates Movement?

The shift you speak of was after our campaigning in the 2020 primaries, conventions, debates, and Election Day with many vital societal issue forums, holding polls, interviews, and such. A couple of us on our board have experience in the music industry in some way shape or form, so I suggested to the other, (Shaq), why don’t we make a hip hop album to tell our first year in operation story and to spread our message.  He said that’s a really cool idea man, so we went ahead and did it.  That was our first album produced in 2021 entitled, “The First Realm.”  The first track on it got us nominated at the Grammys for Best Rap Song, so that news, along with The First Realm being a successful tool for us to spread our message, we decided to make a second album, “Mission Peace.”  We’re now four albums deep, have had over 200,000,000 Views & Streams of our content, and have continued to be competitive at the Grammys with many First Ballot Bids, including 2 for Album of the Year and three for Song of the Year. I do need to clarify that we don’t feel we shifted away from activism, but instead are using the tools we love of music & films (four albums dropped & four feature films made in five years) to encourage others to embrace our ideology of peace through the philosophy of moderate activism. It’s basically all common sense! We also have our sights on going into education, that’s education through entertainment = albums, concerts, plays & classes. To get a gist of what I’m speaking of, I suggest listening to our just recently dropped live album, Staunch Moderates Experience Live ( a 19 track summary of our music & story), then watch the following films: “Mission Peace” (our first feature Documentary about Year 1 in operation), Staunch Moderates Experience or Staunch Moderates Experience Live (a movie of our live concert), and then finally our second documentary, “Mission Peace 2 MP2,” which is the history of the U.S. & Staunch Moderates 2021 through current day.  

How does “Bill Maher” reflect the core values of the movement?

Formerly a Liberal Comedian, Bill Maher reflects Staunch Moderates' values, especially now, by finding himself in the middle of the political spectrum due to the birth of the Woke & Cancel Culture Movements. He despises both as much, if not more, than he despises and/or attacks extreme conservatism. He attacks what’s wrong with both parties now, which is a bipartisan/moderate perspective.  It seems he uses the same battle cry that we do, “Stop all the hating!”

What was it like bringing DJ Staunch to life as both a mascot and musical collaborator?

Bringing DJ Staunch to life has been quite the process from his first conceptual idea off a Bigfoot mask hanging from a restaurant wall then designed and developed as the story is told in our first feature film, “Mission Peace,” and then who’s character further developed  into a DJ in a multi-genre hip hop band, a football player & a Baseball player per our music videos.  He’s Staunch Moderates, “Micky Mouse,” and once you’ve created a character like this and work with him over the years, he takes on characteristics. He brings a sense of levity and entertainment to what otherwise is quite a serious endeavor, our intellectual movement for love & peace through moderation.

How has the response from the international film festival circuit shaped your future plans?

Due to the film festival circuit’s response being a good in that we have been included in many film festivals, won many awards for our films and music, have gotten distribution deals for our films, this all works as a set of stepping stones to help us achieve our ultimate goal of education through entertainment for love & peace implementing the use of our: tracks, albums, movies, intended concerts, plays and academic courses.  What I’m trying to say is that it is a sense of validation for the objectives we intend to achieve.

What is your vision for integrating AI, philosophy, and performance into live music experiences?

It’s an interesting question that you ask. I am happy to be able to say that AIs: Chat GPT, GPT-3, and Claude all seem to give our “Staunch Moderates Movement” rave reviews.  It seems to me that we are all on the same team, want to help create a better world. Please enter “Staunch Moderates Movement” into either of their “chat with” or “ask anything” windows, if you would like to learn more.