Guitar & Vocals - Liam Mackey

    Drums & Vocals - Roy Plisko

    Fiddle & Vocals - Tim Sadow

    Keys, vocals, flute, whistle,
    accordion, sax etc. - Mark Lanus

    Bass & Vocals - James Cowley

The Brazen Heads are a 5 piece Celtic rock band from Phoenix Arizona with a bawdy sort of The Pogues-meets - Christy Moore - meets - Horslips - meets - Flogging Molly style; performing an eclectic variety of high energy music from all over the Celtic Isles. The Heads will either get the crowd going or get kicked out trying!

The band's sound is a modern, backbeat driven, fiddle and flute driven, Celtic rock flavor with tight vocal harmonies, instrumental diversity and a few dirty jokes. It can be sweet at times and funny at other times but it can also be darker, with a very driving, punchy, sound for a band with no electric guitar. Think of an edgy rock band playing on MTV unplugged; a more melodic sound than Celtic punk or hard rock but also much more rockin' than your typical folk rock or acoustic pop. Songwriting is drawn from traditional Irish, modern rock, rockabilly, classical and fusion influences.

Acts that inspire their sound include: The Pogues, Christy Moore, The Saw Doctors, The Waterboys, The Horslips, Thin Lizzy, Luka Bloom, Great Big Sea, The Young Dubliners, Johnny Cash, AC/DC, Metallica, Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, Pacabel, jazz and funk acts. . . . oh. . and Benny Hill.

Review:

Excerpted from Az Nightbuzz Article:

The Brazen Heads bring the Irish at the Dubliner

2006-07-31
jb

There are a lot of average bands in town that play the Irish pub circuit, playing the cliché musical equivalent of the lucky charms leprechaun. I sort of equate this with the blues community here, which is populated with lots of mediocre talent under the mistaken idea that the straightforward construction of the music should make playing the stuff automatic.

When seeking Irish music there seem to be a few standard modes. You've got old dudes with acoustic guitars and maybe a backing multi-instrumentalist playing weepy ballads with total sincerity that will bring a tear to your beer, which are nice when you are feeling sentimental but not when you want to jig. There are also thinly veiled hack cover bands who bring as much authenticity and feeling to the tunes as they would to 70s rock classics. And then you have the true believers, the real talents that are able to fuse the old traditional music with a fresh take and mix it up with more contemporary music to keep the audience on their toes. They often use electric instruments, pay homage to the standards in the genre but don't rely on the chestnut for their emotional power, and exhibit master of the form and their instruments.

Obviously for me the third kind is preferable and the band I saw there, the Brazen Heads, fits firmly in the true believer category. Seamlessly combining traditional elements with contemporary flair and having a good time while doing it, they were definitely the best band in this mode I've seen in some time.

They played a nice mixture of Irish rock and traditional tunes, many of which were not standard fare. They also had fun with many of the standards, presenting original and inspired versions of the songs. The players all knew their way around the music and their instruments, and lead singer Liam Mackey had a strong voice and stage presence. The band features the usual rock lineup of guitar, bass and drums with the requisite fiddle and a nice addition of keyboards.

The Brazen Heads appeal was broad. I was happy to see several groupings of people in their early 20s enjoy the music without irony. It was a nice time and the place had a busy, enjoyable energy, and while there were a lot of cute girls and plenty of dudes, it didn't have the attitude of a meat market or dance club.