Live at Brudenell Social Club in Leeds: Brass Against

Led and curated by Brad Hammonds, Brass Against began as a meeting between friends. Brad and Andrew Gutauskas (Brass Against’s musical director and its baritone sax player) got together in 2017 to vent about the unsettling, divisive and isolationist tones of the moment. The only way to do that? Rocking out to Rage Against the Machine.

“I wondered what I could do as a musician, and my first idea was to do a performance of ‘Killing in the Name’ by Rage Against the Machine with a choir and an orchestra,” Brad explains. “I really felt like we needed Rage Against the Machine during that time period.”

After playing five tracks with Andrew on baritone sax, the effect was immediate. What Brad and Andrew ended up creating was a unique “cacophony of sound”–the brass band was more containable than an orchestra, but it simultaneously allowed them to make a big statement. They asked fellow musician friends to join–a violinist here, a vocalist there, and the band grew incrementally. They shot a video to gauge listeners’ potential appetite, and within six months, a handful of videos went viral. The collective soon had managers and booking agents, progressing to a European tour in 2018.

“That first year was really, really fun,” Brad says. “Just because it was so unexpected, and we were doing it with good friends and we felt like we had a big mission and message. We were playing the songs that we love.”

That effort has grown into a dynamic, evolving group of artists–the “collective.” Rather than having a set number of band members, Brass Against is a revolving kaleidoscope of like-minded souls. The collective is composed of mostly professional jazz musicians, allowing creativity, flexibility and inclusivity among the group and differentiating themselves from the usual all-male rock bands. With the band’s home base in New York, it allows participation from what Brad calls “some of the best musicians in the world,” allowing for something unique and constantly evolving.

The music has evolved, too. Originally starting out as covers of their favorite bands like Rage Against the Machine, Tool, Soundgarden, Black Sabbath and more, the group has also recorded their own music, having released five recorded albums featuring Sophia Urista on vocals, as well as Liza Colby, Michael Cunio, Samuel Hope and others.

The electric mix of curated seminal heavy rock songs plus original music is something that brings audiences together around the world. From Copenhagen to Cologne, Manchester to Milan, New York to LA, Brass Against is playing the songs that audiences grew up with–and keeping fans enthralled throughout the whole set. Fans are so engaged that they stick around after the show to bond about the songs, the music and the bands. Brass Against has carefully curated its setlist over time to ensure everyone has something to look forward to on that journey–and it’s just as fun for them when they are on stage.

“We always love playing our originals and they always do really, really well,” Brad said of their live shows. “At our shows, we play ‘Killing in the Name’ halfway through the set and people go nuts. Tool is one of those bands that has diehard fans, too. We'll mix it up; the encore is usually ‘Back in Black’ by AC/DC. It's hard to describe how much fun it is because you look down at the setlist and you can't wait to get to the next one. It's always exciting.”

It’s an excitement that has allowed Brass Against to play a variety of venues, share the stage with some big-name collaborators, and revel in their success in new ways. Their version of “Wake Up” was featured on the end scene and credits in Matrix: Resurrections and they just finished scoring their first full length film, set to be released at the end of the year. They’ve performed at the Glastonbury Festival, Boomtown, Pukkelpop, Download Madrid, Welcome to Rockville, Java Jazz Festival, Splore and Electric Avenue. They recently did a five-week arena tour with Tool, opened for Lenny Kravitz, joined Living Colour for Cult of Personality and have shared the stage with Slipknot, Prophets of Rage, Royal Blood, Mike D of the Beastie Boys, Ben Harper and others.

At these shows–which have been well-attended all around the world–concertgoers get more than just the entertainment factor. Since its inception, Brass Against has had the goal of creating music that resonates with people’s emotions and encourages them to act. The music itself is edgy and empowering, but it’s also about escapism from the chaos and turmoil of everyday life, especially as life imitates some of the same patterns that prompted the band’s founding.

“Liza, one of our singers, usually gives a really impassioned speech at the shows about love and understanding and peace and doesn't get into the weeds politically,” Brad says. “It can feel hopeless. We're kind of right back to where we were in 2016. We have a song called ‘Umbra,’ where the chorus is, just breathe. I think that song encapsulates what we talk a lot about within the band, which is that we're all in a kind of a state of psychosis. There really is just this present moment now, and how do you start to calm your chaotic mind.”

Rage. Turmoil. Struggle. Energy. Motivation. Community. Acceptance…Brass Against is providing the sound of the times…and a magnetic soundtrack to daily life.