Brian was raised in Lowell, Massachusetts. During his school years, Downesy found himself drawn to music while fumbling with the guitar. His early inspiration came from such bands as The Beatles, Deep Purple, U2, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix to name a few. It was around this time he began attending weekend jam sessions at the home of his good friend Mike Bindas. The start up musicians did not have a singer so Downesy stepped in and has assumed the front man role ever since. The charismatic lead singer was anointed "Space" early on for his onstage antics and practical joking. Eventually the band's line up and show evolved and matured and the moniker was dropped.

After numerous player rotations the band settled into a more permanent line up and took on the name Zen Ten (Rich Cowdrey - guitars and keys; Elliott "Dodger" Cowdrey - guitars and bass; Dave "Redman" Redding - guitars; Steve Thellen - keys and programming; Dave "Spanky" LaTorre - drums).

CD releases to date include 11th Hour, Zen Ten & Catorce, which was remastered and released by Downesy as Water From A Stone in 2008.

Currently, Downesy is performing with the premier U2 Tribute act "Zootopia". Downesy continues to collaborate with long-time friend and writer/producer Richard Cowdrey.

Brian and his wife, Nancy, make their home in Pelham, New Hampshire with their two children.