Rock and roll is a genre where anything goes. When it comes to fashion, there’s a place in rock n roll for that. Just ask Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix, or Lenny Kravitz. When it comes to debauchery, there’s a place in rock n roll for that. Think Keith Richards, Ozzy Osbourne, and Motley Crue. When it comes to rock n roll shows, you never know what is going to happen. That’s the good, bad, and ugly of a genre that prides itself on energy, emotion, and excess. The energy runs high, you should expect the unexpected, and sometimes lines get crossed in the process.
Recently, at a festival where Brass Against was playing, lead singer Sophia Urista had to pee. Really fucking bad. She made several comments about it while the band began a cover of Rage Against The Machine’s “Wake Up.” She coaxed the audience and declared “Get my man with the can on his head ready, ’cause we’re going to bring him onstage and I’ma piss in this motherfucker’s mouth. I gotta pee,” she continued. “And I can’t make it to the bathroom. So, we might as well make a show out of it.” How rock n roll is that? And him being a willing participant, he made his way on stage, she dropped her pants, and took a golden shower all over him. I mean how rock n roll of these two right? It was reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne pissing at the Alamo in 1982 or Jim Morrison supposedly exposing himself on stage in the late 60’s. Let us back up here though. Who the hell is Brass Against?
Video of the performance and golden shower here for your viewing pleasure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_i-A-5jJ8s
Brass Against is a collective of musicians led and curated by Brad Hammonds. Made up of some of the most talented New York musicians around, this group wants to “create music to inspire social and personal change.” They got their name from Rage Against The Machine, a 90’s Nu metal/Rock band who were known for expressing their revolutionary political views. They pull from influences like “Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Soundgarden, Black Sabbath, Run the Jewels as well as their own compositions in a heavy brass filled symphony.” Think hard rock and metal with lots of brass. They are more than just a cover band, having released three albums of covers along with an ep and loosies of original songs. With a rotating cast of singers (with Urista featured prominently), a band full of talent, and a meaning behind what they do and who they are, Brass Against is everything you could want in a band and more. Lead singer Sophia Urista has an interesting journey herself. A former pre-med student and contestant on The Voice (in 2016) handpicked by Miley Cyrus, she moved to New York with $700 and found work as a cabaret singer. Before The Voice, Quincy Jones took her under his wing, and she was playing regional festivals where she was making a name for herself. She is electrifying, full of attitude, has a grittiness to her, and is unapologetically her. She gives off punk but can’t be put in one box, just like the collective she is a part of. All this energy and raw talent spills over into her on stage performance, and she leaves it all out there.
Rock n’ Roll has always had these moments, tales, and stories of debauchery, excess, and shock value. Most rock and roll listeners know this. They expect this, for better or for worse. As stated before, stuff like this has happened in the past. It is nothing new. Most of the time it was written about or talked about in the media or among fans. Jim Morrison was arrested (and posthumously pardoned) for the previously mentioned indecent exposure incident. There is not always audio or video around to know the real story when these moments of debauchery happen. This time, it was at a festival, on video, and in full view of everyone. Then, it made its way to both media’s, mass media and social media. Was it shocking to the public? Sure. But there’s a couple points to unpack here. Ones that are deeper and more thought out than what a headline or an outraged social media commentator says. You are at a rock festival. A festival full of bands on the bill like Metallica, Slipknot, Gwar, Social Distortion, Butcher Babies, and many others. Bands that are not exactly clean cut and are rough around the edges. Bands with fans and listeners who look at themselves as outcasts and are not necessarily naïve to the good, bad, and ugly the world has to offer. These fans showed up to the festival expecting a fun time, great music, some chaos thrown in, and for the bands to put on a fucking show. All the bands did, including Brass Against. Urista put on a hell of a performance, complete with rock n roll behavior. What is a hard rock and metal festival without a little chaos? What about the recipient of the golden shower? By all firsthand accounts and video footage, he was a willing participant. She stated her intentions, he voluntarily came up on stage, and received what he knew was coming, willingly. He laid out on the stage, stretched out his arms, took it, and enjoyed it. Did the crowd ask for it? No. Did he ask for it? Yes. An act occurs between two consenting adults, and both seem to enjoy? When you strip it down to that, it does not sound as bad, does it?
For clarity purposes, I am not an advocate for golden showers. I like piss to go in a toilet, not on my face. Was the footage appealing to me? No. But, it was an example of everything Rock N Roll is, the good, the bad, the ugly. It was at a festival where debauchery, hard partying, and a lot more is expected. It is embraced by most of the fans who go there and when there is that take it or leave it attitude, things get taken a little too far. If the public never saw a clear as day video of it, they would not be outraged. It would just be another tale of rock n roll debauchery out there in the world wide web and reddit threads. Because there is a video that went viral, articles with ALL CAPS headlines, and social media commentators that are ready to put their two cents In on the situation, it is a bigger deal. They are being judged off this one incident in the court of public opinion. The band they got their name from, RATM, were a part of some concert incidents which made them outcasts in the media and society. One that comes to mind was the 2000 Democratic Convention where they headlined, were blamed for the crowds getting riled up, and then blamed for the ensuing riots. They eventually recovered with their legacy still intact. Fergie peed herself on stage and recovered. At least until that rendition of the National Anthem at the NBA All Star Game. Brass Against will be fine. Sophia Urista will too.
Final Thoughts: Brass Against apologized after the show on Twitter, stating “We had a great time last night at Welcome to Rockville. Sophia got carried away. That's not something the rest of us expected, and it's not something you'll see again at our shows. Thanks for bringing it last night, Daytona.” They knew it went too far. They said their peace about the situation. They addressed it, apologized, and did not defend the behavior. Sophia put out her own statement that mirrored theirs. Leave that moment where it is at and move on. The news cycle will eventually. Social media will too. On that note, Brass Against opens for Tool on a European tour in 2022. Chances are, their music will only get better and the collective will only get bigger as they get more of these kinds of opportunities. You will hear more from Sophia Urista too. Check out Brass Against and Sophia’s music below:
Brass Against originals you should listen to: “Pull The Trigger” and “Umbra”
Brass Against Covers worth checking out: “Cherub Rock” (feat. Sophia Urista), “Killing In The Name” (feat. Sophia Urista), and “Cult of Personality” (feat. Mazz Swift)
Sophie Urista songs to check out: “Everything About You” and “Arms of Love”
Brass Against website: https://brassagainst.com/
Sophia Urista YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/SophiaUrista/featured
The New York based collective, Brass Against.