Gifted Valley vocalist Sean Mullaney

The Sean Mullaney Band

Writer Lynette Carrington sits down with a gifted Valley vocalist.

As with artists in any genre, musicians get their inspiration and training from a variety of sources. Musician Sean Mullaney would agree.

“I look up to icons like Freddy Mercury, Robert Plant, and Mick Jagger for their front-man, vocal, and melodic talents,” he says. “Musically, I love the Black Crowes and Neil Young for their whole bodies of work.”

As a vocalist and guitarist for the wickedly popular band The Instant Classics, Mullaney has proven his musical chops, his vocal prowess, and ability to engage a crowd. Now he’s branching out with The Sean Mullaney Band and will be laying down tracks for an album of original music, playing around the Valley, and embarking on a tour. The band has been in preproduction for the past few months.

“It is a collaborative effort, with me; Billy Cioffi, who is helping me pen some more effective lyrics; and Olivier Zahm, who is producing, arranging the music, and playing bass live,” he says. “I have Matthew Foos playing face-melting lead guitar, and Greg Jacks playing some ridiculous drums to round out the band. My goals for this are simple, to get heard by as many people as possible. I don’t want to stop playing for as long as I breathe, and hopefully the music supports that goal.”

Although Mullaney will continue with The Instant Classics, his new band is the next musical journey to which Mullaney is devoting himself.

Mullaney wasn’t raised in a musical family, but he sang in school choirs. As he began routinely snagging coveted solo opportunities, it became obvious Mullaney was naturally gifted vocally. In fact, during the summer of 2014, he dominated Peoria Idol, an annually hosted singing competition. His rendition of “Gethsemane” from Jesus Christ Superstar tore the house down, and he emerged victorious.

“I definitely gained interest when I noticed that people liked me more because I could sing well,” he says.

Mullaney is a great supporter of the arts and involvement in them, especially theater and rock and roll.

“Theater for me was a way to perform for an audience before I could play an instrument,” he says. “It was great to just get stage time, and stage time is critical in being a good performer. I’ve reached a point now where I feel more comfortable on stage than I do when I’m at home.” Mullaney received classical vocal training from John Giger when he was in high school, and it gave him the foundation upon which he has built his vocal talents. He’s had several other coaches, but Giger was the first one that set Mullaney up for success.

The Sean Mullaney Band will be performing in gigs all across the Valley and beyond. “I’m going on a huge solo tour of the West Coast to support this project and will be coming back to Phoenix periodically to play the scene locally with a full band, but my main focus will be on the major market cities of the western U.S. and in Hawaii,” Mullaney says.

Music is Mullaney’s passion, but again, like others in his field, he sees far beyond it.. “I would love to be involved with helping the world,” he says. “As a child, I never strove to work in a cubicle—so far, I’ve succeeded! I would love to be on the front lines of the many efforts to bring about positive changes on Earth. There are not enough people doing that!”

For local gig and tour dates, visit seanmullaneymusic.com.