Ava Aston: The Soul of a Singer, The Heart of a Patriot

I originally “met” beautiful, talented singer/songwriter Ava Aston when a mutual  friend connected us on Facebook. The budding entertainer was seeking footage from the 9/12 March on Washington and photos from various, local tea party protests to enhance the video production of her newest single, We The People. Knowing of my involvement with all things Constitutional, our common friend sought me out for help, and I happily obliged.

The ensuing result was an inspiring anthem to American patriotism, designed to energize, inspire and — whenever necessary — life the spirits of dedicated citizens across the country who are fighting back against massive government, and standing tall for freedom.

Recently, my Conservative Republican Forum co-host Steve and I had the pleasure of interviewing Ava about her new song, her motivation for writing and recording it, and her experience as a right-leaning performer in an industry dominated by lefties.

What was your motivation for writing and recording We The People?

I am an unsigned artist, which means I have a day job. I live and work in the New York area as a bartender, so I do a lot of events. One day in particular, I was really mad after listening to a.m. talk radio, something I do regularly to stay informed. As I recall, it was Fashion Week in New York and I was doing an event at Banana Republic. The more I thought about what was bugging me, the angrier I got. So just as I’ve done from the time I was five years-old, I conceived a melody in my head, which I wrote down on a cocktail napkin. Then I began to list all of the things that were annoying me about this current administration.

By the time I left work, I had the first verse and chorus, which I immediately shared with my husband. He assured me it wasn’t silly, and encouraged me to keep going. By 4 a.m. the song was done. When I sang it to my mom over the phone, she was adamant about me recording it and producing a companion video. Because in my family, we’re like many others out there — we’re watching the news everyday and we’re horrified by what’s going on.  In some small way, I am hoping We The People will help keep the tea party movement mobilized and energized. It’s also a tribute to all Americans who are fighting so hard to preserve our freedom — first and foremost the US Military.

You had an interesting experience in DC when you recorded portions of the video. Please share that story.

Well, my honey and I drove down to DC from New York one weekend to get some footage of me singing with various shots of the Capitol and other Washington monuments in the background. The plan was to meet up with some Facebook friends who lived in the area, and include them as well. While we were still parking the car one of our friends called to ask if I was aware that there was a gay pride march going on that same day. I was completely taken off-guard as I had no idea anything like that was taking place.

Sure enough, as we walked along Pennsylvania Avenue, we were greeted with tons of rainbow flags and men making out everywhere. Lady Gaga was on a mike screaming out to Obama. And there we were, trying to capture some footage for a conservative video! It was actually kind of funny, in a surreal sort of way. We did manage to get the shots we needed in the end, although I did get a little peeved when people would repeatedly run in front of the camera with rainbow flags just as my husband was recording me singing. It was like, “Can’t you see we’re filming something here?”

Did you face any backlash as a result of making the song and video?

It’s funny, for the longest time I avoided any discussion of politics on my Facebook Fan Page, because I didn’t want to turn off any liberals who might be interested in buying my music. But when I was inspired to write and record We The People, I realized I had to get it out there using every avenue possible. And several fans did leave my page once I posted the video. I even had one critic on the right accuse me of “profiting from patriotism” which is hysterical, given the fact that, as I mentioned, I am an unsigned artist who works as a bartender to pay the bills.

Fortunately, my Fan Page numbers have been steadily increasing as I’ve made more like-minded friends.

Why do you think so many in the entertainment industry lean left ?

In my experience, and just to clarify, I don’t really know anyone famous — but in my experience, most people are unaware of the roots of the terms Republican and Democrat, and what they really mean. They get confused by the social issues. For example, my co-workers who are gay immediate think, “Well I’m gay so therefore I am a liberal Democrat”. Oh really. You might be socially liberal, but what about economic policy? What about national security?

If I were to create a questionnaire and ask my colleagues to complete it, I’d bet that generally speaking, the majority of them would come out on the conservative side. I base that on individual conversations I’ve had with people in which they’ll say in response to something I share with them — for example, the horrid healthcare proposal — “Oh no. I’m totally against that. I don’t believe in that.” Yet they continue to vote for politicians who support big-government socialism.

As for Hollywood, all I can say is it must the bleeding heart thing, although I can tell you that there have been times I’ve given my last dollar to a homeless person. As a conservative, that’s just in me; like other conservatives, I don’t need somebody to tell me to do that. The misconception that liberals are all about helping the unfortunate and that conservatives are just out for themselves is something that really needs to be shattered.

So many people are unaware; magnify that by the fact that they’re watching things like MSNBC, CNN and ABC, and it’s easy to tell why. I get so infuriated by what’s happening, it makes me want to scream. I tend to avoid a lot of discussion about politics at work because I get so frustrated when I’ll ask someone, “Can you believe what Congress did today?” only to have them stare back at me blankly, completely clueless as to what I’m talking about.

What influenced your conservatism?

My dad came to this country as an immigrant from Greece, with $20 in his pocket, and worked to make something of himself. You cannot do that in any other country in the world. You cannot be poor and turn yourself into a millionaire anywhere else but in the United States. But if they (The Obama Administration and Congress) keep going, it’s not going to be there anymore. America as we’ve known it will cease to exist.

Because of my father, I grew up believing in the American Dream, the individual’s ability and right to create a better life, and the Judeo-Christian values that shaped this country. For me, conservatism is simply a commitment to the US Constitution and our Founders.

Where can people buy your music?

At my website, Ava Aston.com. They can also listen to my music on the Ava Aston Facebook Fan Page; on my YouTube Channel, MySpace and on itunes.