Army vet releases new music single inspired by old marching cadences
Ryan Curtis has done it again. We’ve written about this Army vet before, like when he made a neo-noir film based in LA’s underbelly, or when he hosted his own series about kick-ass careers post-service, or when he pivoted to making music in his 40s.
The man is the epitome of the warrior-turned-artist—and his band RustRiders just released a new single in time for Veterans Day. It’s called “Stand Up” and it’s built from the marching cadences he sang in basic along with inspiration from “We Were Soldiers Once… and Young.”
He calls it a tribute to the soldier he was at 19.
“I think we all write what we know, write what calls to us, write what we love,” Curtis told We Are the Mighty. “Now looking back at my service when I was young, it’s such a fond memory and something I’m so proud of. ‘Stand Up’ is literally me looking back at the kid and soldier I was. Us military folks aren’t known for our art or storytelling, so I think it’s important to show young service members and civilians alike that art and artists can come from anywhere.”
There’s something to be said for transfiguring an experience like military service—especially combat-related service—into art. Curtis joined the Army on Aug. 29, 2001, twelve days before 9/11 changed everything. He served for eight years, deploying twice, before following his ambitions in film and television in Los Angeles, where he wasted no time building his craft.
From commercials to short films to the Oprah Winfrey Network to his own feature films, he has led the charge for other vets to pursue filmmaking post-military service.
And now he’s really unleashing his wild side with RustRiders (just take a look at their “Wild Buck” music video).
But “Stand Up” isn’t just a killer song; it’s one packed with meaning. I asked him about the marching cadences and what they bring up for him when he hears them. “Man, such nostalgia,” he said. “I loved them when I was in and have such fond memories marching around in basic training, singing the songs… marching along… brings a smile to my face thinking about it.“
In the writing session with guitarist Jon “Lovebone” Gus and songwriter and former bassist Nick Gomez, he began to craft the song, but somewhere along the way it became much more personal to Curtis. The song also took inspiration in part by “We Were Soldiers Once… and Young,” the book by Hal Moore and Joseph L. Galloway that would later be adapted to the Randall Wallace film “We Were Soldiers.”
Curtis said his song looks back at the young men and women who enter military service believing they are already grown only to realize years later just how young they really were.
“When you’re 18 or 19, you think you’re an adult. You think you have everything figured out,” Curtis said in the official press release for the song. “Looking back now, we were kids. We were soldiers, but we were so young. ‘Stand Up’ is me looking back at that kid with a lot of pride, a lot of gratitude, and probably a little disbelief. It’s for the people I served with and for anybody who still carries those years with them.”
The music video includes footage from a Veterans Affairs commercial starring U.S. Marine Corps veteran Rudy Reyes, which would later win Curtis an Emmy award. In this way, Curtis blending his history into one piece: his military service, his filmmaking career, and his new music endeavor.
He wants to show the creativity of veterans. He has consistently hired other veterans on his projects and emboldened them to pursue their dreams. And that passion runs through his band. Both Gus and singer Victoria Renee come from military families. They’re the bridge where civilians and service members come together.
RustRiders’ sound blends California country, classic rock, and three-part harmonies with songs that are catchy as hell but also pack a strong storytelling punch.
I asked Curtis what he’d say to any other young adult looking to serve in the Armed Forces. He was pretty unequivocal in his response: “Do it. It will be one of the best things you’ll ever do. It will give you such a different view on the world than your peers have. It gives you leadership, opportunities, and a life outside your comfort zone—whether you do four years or twenty.”
You can catch “Stand Up” and other RustRiders songs on Spotify or Apple Music, but don’t sleep on their music videos—they’re made by an Emmy-award winning director after all.
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