New label aims to bring music of US troops to the public

FALL RIVER -- The music pours into their e-mail inbox like a rising tide -- rock and country, reggae and hip-hop and rap -- songs stacking up by the hour with hardly a pause, all of it recorded by men and women of the US military.

Every day, as the flood of music arrives, Sean Gilfillan and Sidney DeMello click and listen to the stories of war and duty, fear and pride. The voices they hear are clear and authentic, and so important, say the two Rhode Island friends, that they have founded their own record label to bring the music of the service members to the American public.

"The population gets one story about the war, which is typically politicians arguing back and forth, and the people we don't hear from are the men and women of the military," said DeMello. "The rest of the country is making decisions affecting their lives, and we wanted to give them an opportunity to be heard, because they are so talented, and they have so much to say."

The first CD from the fledgling label, To The Fallen Records, was released last month, and is for sale for $10 on the label's website. A hip-hop compilation, it includes 14 songs by artists who are active members and veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Six of the featured artists are currently in Iraq. Eleven of 14 have served there.

Two of the artists are from Massachusetts: Iraq war veteran Alex "Lex" Mateo of Worcester, a Framingham High School graduate and National Guard sergeant whose stage name is Lexcano ; and Greg Perpignan , a Brockton Navy recruiter raised in Dorchester and Lexington, who performs as G.R.E.

The local artists hope the record will help the public see the rich diversity of talents and perspectives in the military.

"I think it's going to change a lot of people's outlooks on soldiers and sailors," said Perpignan, 28, who has served in Korea, Japan, and Puerto Rico as a member of the US Naval Construction Force, or Seabees. "So many people in the military have artistic and musical talent, and no one pays much attention, because we have one job and that's what we're known for."

All the songs on the album have military themes. More importantly, say the record's producers, all showcase artists with real musical gifts. DeMello has asked Rolling Stone magazine to review the CD, and Gilfillan, an Iraq war veteran and rap music aficionado, calls it one of the best hip-hop records of the last decade.

"This is not a charity project," said DeMello. "I'll put it up against anything on the Billboard charts."

The record is not meant to make a political statement. ("It's not about politics -- it's about music," is the label's slogan.)

Some song lyrics do question the motives for the war: "Pray for me, send me mail, and I'm a be strong . . . I still think we killing them for no reason," sing the members of Dirty Boi Vets in "Combat Zone," a song that describes an ambush the two Marine sergeants survived on patrol in Iraq.

Elsewhere, the album offers passionate statements of commitment to the cause. "But we are soldiers, is something that you have to understand," raps Worcester artist Mateo in Spanish. "That this is our job, to fight for freedom."

Mateo, 24, said he wrote the song, titled "Soy," three years ago, while stationed at the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"I was watching the news, seeing a lot of antiwar movements, and it felt like people didn't understand that even though the war might not be 100 percent right, it is happening, we're soldiers, and that's what we do," he said. "I come from the Dominican Republic, but a lot of people in this country haven't lived with the experience of a government that doesn't take care of its people."

The record's producers did not edit the song lyrics; some include profanity. "They've earned the right to say what they want," said DeMello.

"We want to be a direct, uncensored link between the American people and the soldiers," said Gilfillan.

The two friends began making plans for their record company less than a year ago. Gilfillan, 28, is an Army veteran from Lincoln, R.I., who served 15 months in Iraq, and DeMello, 31, is a former teacher and social worker from Middletown.

Both were at turning points in their lives last summer, and seeking a new direction. Gilfillan had struggled to find satisfying work after returning from the war, and DeMello was looking for a way to start her own business.

Discussing their hopes for the future, they hit on an idea: To take the music Gilfillan had collected casually for months from military friends and produce it professionally for a mass audience.

Their efforts to secure a business loan for the project went nowhere; no bank officer would even meet with them, they said. So they scrounged to pay production costs themselves.

Naming the new company was easy: They borrowed the phrase "To The Fallen" from a large, intricate tattoo on Gilfillan's back, a tribute to his seven friends who were killed in Iraq.

They put out word on the Internet that they were looking for talent, and began sorting through hundreds of tracks submitted electronically. Some of the songs they accepted after one listen. Others sparked discussion and contemplation.

The producers respond to every submission, sometimes with detailed critiques and specific suggestions for making songs better. Last November, after sharply narrowing the pool of contenders, they teamed up with John Mailloux , a recording engineer and producer who remastered the tracks at his Fall River studio, Bongo Beach Productions.

Mailloux, who remastered a recent Grammy-nominated album by blues guitarist Duke Robillard , said he was drawn to the project because his wife's brother served in Iraq.

"I was surprised at some of the musical talent," he said. "There's a lot of creativity on the record, and a few artists I think will develop careers."

The tidal wave of music continues, with as many as 20 new tracks arriving daily. Gilfillan and DeMello have received about 1,000 submissions, mostly from service members in the United States, but also from Korea, Europe, Cuba, Japan, Australia and Iceland. (Artists on the first CD are from Atlanta, Chicago, Texas and Michigan, among other places.)

They are planning a second CD -- a country and rock compilation, tentatively scheduled for release this summer -- and a third, also featuring hip-hop. They plan to produce a new album every six months, for as far into the future as they can imagine.

"We're never going away," said Gilfillan. "When the USO started, I'm sure they said, 'Let's do a show,' and then, 'Let's do another one.' We want To The Fallen to have that status, so service members know they will always have this opportunity to be heard."

More information is available on the record label's website, tothefallenrecords.com. Jenna Russell can be reached at jrussell@globe.com.