Madison Rising was the creation of New York City entrepreneur Richard Mgrdechian, who chose the members of the band by placing ads on Craigslist and YouTube, and then holding "endless" auditions in 2011.

[4] In March 2014, the band announced they had been chosen to provide the theme song for Amazing America, a Sarah Palin-hosted program on the US cable network Sportsman Channel.

[14] Madison Rising's original songs incorporated political themes, with a particular emphasis on conservatism;[5] "Come to the Ready" contains lyrics critical of Barack Obama, alluding to the "re-election of an antichrist" and describing him as a "liar".

Mgrdechian explained that the "antichrist" lyric was meant to "highlight our belief that he doesn't have our country’s best interests in mind and is in fact doing a lot to hurt us in the long run, in particular turning Americans against one another, which is the last thing we need right now", rather than from a religious standpoint.

[15] Madison Rising received prominent attention for their arrangement of the U.S. national anthem; considering it a contrast to Jimi Hendrix's rendition, lead singer Dave Bray explained that he "took the words and formatted them so that they feel more like a modern day rock song" and "took liberties with the melodies to make it a little more singable.

[18] The band's performance of the anthem at the DRIVE4COPD 300, the opening event of the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series season at Daytona International Speedway in February 2014, was poorly received by critics and those in attendance, attracting significant media attention.

Track president Joie Chitwood III defended his decision to bring in Madison Rising based on past performances but noted that "[...] our fans are very opinionated and they make sure that they comment, and that's their right.

[27] On April 14, 2015, the Young Marines, a national youth organization, announced a partnership with Madison Rising, kicking off as the band began their Concerned Veterans for America-sponsored "Defend Freedom" Tour.

[29] On December 8, 2015, Madison Rising performed for an event as part of Wreaths Across America, an organization known for supporting American veterans and fallen warriors, at Saint Bernard School in Connecticut.