New York collective Brass Against takes the power back.

A new week we are starting with a huge kick. It’s Brass Against and they are taking the power back. Brass Against is a collective of New York musicians, led and curated by Brad Hammonds, who have come together to form a unique brass band. They cover Rage Against the Machine, Living Colour, Gil Scott Heron, Janes Addiction, A Tribe Called Quest, and Led Zeppelin, amongst others. This time they rearranged Rage Against The Machine’s “Take The Power Back” with exceptional vocalist Sophia Urista. Their arrangements, which blends brass with heavy rock/metal instrumentation, plus anger, passion, and Sophia’s ferocious performance make this version so powerful and empowering.

Everything started in the summer of 2017 when Brad met with Andrew Gutauskas (Baritone Sax and Musical director). Due to the political climate at the time, they need some powerful politically charged music. The first choice was obvious, they played a few Rage Against The Machine songs, that’s where the band name came from. They called their friends to help create a video, and Brass Against was born, and quickly became one of the YouTube favorited cover bands.

Watch below to a video of Brass Against covering Rage Against The Machine song "Take The Power Back":

Brass Against features 9 band members: Andrew Gutauskas (Bari Sax/Arranger), Brad Hammonds (Guitar/Arranger), Darius Christian (Vocals/Trombone), Sophia Urista (Vocals), Mariel Bildsten (Trombone), Wayne Tucker (Trumpet), Oskar Stenmark (Trumpet), Steven Duffy (Sousaphone) and Nathan Bell (Drums)—some of NYC’s top musicians.

“Brass Against relies on the dedicated individualism of our members to do what we do. Therefore, we embrace everyone’s freedom of speech and expression, regardless of our differences. While we believe that anger, questioning authority, & fighting for freedom are vitally meaningful ways of expressing ourselves in society, we also hope to portray the absolute importance of acceptance, vulnerability, togetherness, excellence, curiosity & love. When our fans hear the new EP we want them to, ultimately, feel a connection (through our stories) to the strength within themselves, and thereby, those around them”, explains vocalist Sophia Urista.

Brass Against after three albums with brass-heavy covers of Rage Against The Machine, Tool, Audioslave, Pantera or Deftones, on 10th April 2020 they released their first EP with original work.

Listen below to Brass Against covering Rage Against The Machine song "Take The Power Back":