Hazmat Modine (US) „Good Friends“ Tour

In the organizer's words:

25 years ago, something emerged in New York that could perhaps be described as more of a phenomenon 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 fell victim to Covid 19 and the third attempt in summer 2022 brought them back to familiar European stages.
These are strange times in America, strange times in the world. Friendship is a real anchor and a light in these times. Friendship between people, friendship between cultures and nations.Hazmat Modine is an ensemble that includes men and women of all ages and backgrounds. The band is like New York itself, drawing on the diversity of sounds woven into the city's history, with compositions and lyrics influenced by a myriad of genres and musical languages: they have American roots with world music ramifications.
Hazmat Modine has been touring and performing in more than 40 countries for over 25 years. Worldwide appearances include: WOMAD (England, Australia, New Zealand, Russia); jazz and folk festivals in Berlin, Vienna, Seville, Montreal, Pori, Cambridge, Vancouver and Calgary; FMM Sines in Portugal and live on BBC3. The band has toured China, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, India, Malaysia, Central Asia and most of Europe. They have written for Japanese television (Tokyo Joe), their music was used in Wim Wenders' film "Pina" and they performed at the Nobel Laureates 75th Anniversary Conference. Hazmat Modine has been featured on NPR's "The Next Big Thing" and "All Things Considered," 3 SAT - "Soundcheck" concert broadcast on WNYC, "The World" on BBC/PRI and on WKCR radio.
The genre is fluid, and 29 years after its inception, the band continues to grow and thrive. As some members have retired or moved away from NYC, new musicians with new experiences and musical ideas have joined the band. Varun Das brings a background in jazz and Indian music; Kenneth Bentley brings his years of experience with a variety of musical styles and a lifetime of playing music in the church. Wade, Daisy and Erik continue to write new songs and melodies, with Daisy taking on more vocal parts, and as always, the Hazmat Horns bring over 30 years of musical experience to the table.... Overall, we find our unity in the friendship and camaraderie of music. In life, we all need a good friend.
The tour and also the new album 2026 will be dedicated to him after the sudden death of sousaphone player Josef Daley = Good Friend. The band will travel to India for the second time in spring 2026, with concerts planned in Dehli, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, before returning to Europe in May and June 2026, with concerts in Georgia, Romania and Bulgaria for the first time. New to the band are Kenneth Bentley Jr on sousaphone and the young Indian drummer Varun Das, who is considered one of the percussion talents in New York.


Wade Schumann Diatonic Harmonica, Guitar, Banjitar, Lead Voc
Erik Della Penna Lead and background vocals, 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 This content has been machine translated.