Hazmat Modine

In the artist's words:

Wade Schumann Diatonic Harmonica, Guitar, Banjitar, Lead Voc

Erik Della Penna Lead and Background Voc., Banjo, Guitar

Kenneth Bentley Jr. sousaphone

Varun Das Percussion, Drums

Steve Elson Baritone Sax, Tenor Sax, Clarinet, Duduk, Flute

Daisy Castro Violin, vocals

Pamela Fleming Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Twenty-five years ago, something emerged in New York that should perhaps be described as a phenomenon rather than a conventional band: Hazmat Modine, founded by the painter and professor at the New York Academy of Art Wade Schumann.

Since Hazmat Modine first came to Europe in 2007, they have built up a huge fan base. They have not only played here, but have also traveled to China, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Brazil and Mexico.

Their band name is just as complex as their music: Hazmat is an abbreviation for Hazardous Material and Modine is a well-known American fan heater company. Extremely fitting for a band that produces a lot of hot air with its horn section.

Fantastic stories embedded in no less imaginative music, loosely based on blues, calypso, jazz, folk, plus the unusual instrumentation with tuba, trombone, trumpet, harmonica, violin, supplemented by guitar, banjo, cymbal and percussion - and a charismatic stage presence to boot - all this makes Hazmat Modine an experience for the senses and the mind. In the year before Corona, the band had the most successful year in its history. The long-awaited CD "Box of Breath" made it into about 10 top album lists of 2019, into the charts in Australia and even into the top 5 in the download charts. The two years 2020 & 21 the concerts fell victim to Covid 19 and the third attempt in summer 2022 brought them back to familiar European stages.

Press:

Hazmat Modine remains a fascinating exception in the music business. The band's sound is unmistakable and still sounds as if Tom Waits and Kurt Weill had joined forces with a marching band from New Orleans. Wade Schuman and Co. present a sympathetic image of America that is being pushed into the background by Trump and the politics of the day.

Stefan Radlmaier / Nürnberger Nachrichten