Like a musical shape-shifter, Emily Brass takes you on a psychedelic hippie-hop journey, channeling the ghosts of old school rap, rock-steady reggae, ragtime jazz, and 60's rock & soul, while relentlessly keeping you in a sweat-inducing, smile-inspiring trance-dance, all night long.
Her lyrical message is empowering, progressive, and poetic, sung through her countless vocal styles, conjuring up the spirits of Zap Mama, Sade, Chrissie Hynde, Erykah Badu, Lauren Hill, Billie Holiday and even John Lennon. Between rapid-fire raps, catchy choruses, and sensuously sung verses, she uses her sax as a wailing, magical instrument, making audiences lose themselves under the influence of Maceo Parker, Manu Dibango and Dean Frasier-inspired riffs.
Former frontwoman of Foundation Stone, Brass recently recorded her debut solo record entitled "Open Door." Fond of the Philadelphia sound, Brass enlisted the help of musical allies, The Princes of Babylon (a funk-hip-hop-reggae-soul trio), as well as reknowned studio musician, Jeremy Dyen (of Fathead and Alo Brasil), on keys.
The musical match-up was astonishingly hot. Straight from the ranks of G. Love's "All Fellas Band," bassist and vocalist Dave (Katman) Katowitz jumped in as co-producer, lending his mad-scientist musical genius to the project, while guitarist Dave Quicks, of Burndown Allstars fame, engineered and mixed the sounds in his own Burndown Studios in Philly. Ry Pilla, who toured extensively with Foundation Stone, and who also plays in New York-based bands The Last Broadcast and Gottagetgot, and rounded out the line-up on drums.
Raised in multi-cultural Montreal, Brass learned to play sax at age 12. The daughter of an accomplished Canadian jazz musician, music comes to her naturally. After spending a number of years as a freelance writer and radio DJ, Brass returned to her love of music in her twenties, when she brought together her first band, Foundation Stone. The group went on to sell thousands of CDs and toured far and wide, playing festivals and music halls from New England to Florida.
With the release of Open Door, she again calls upon her musical powers, casting her spell on audiences throughout North America and beyond. Join the circle, become entranced...her music is headed your way!
Emily Brass
