Hazmat Modine

Box of Breath

Wade Schuman, diatonic harmonica, guitar, banjitar, lead vocals
Erik Della Penna, lead- und background vocals, banjo, guitar
Joseph Daley, sousaphone
Patrick Simard, percussion, drums
Steve Elson, baritone sax, tenor sax, clarinet, duduk, flute
Daisy Castro, violin, vocals
Pamela Fleming, trumpet, flugelhorn

'Hazmat Modine sound as if Tom Waits and Kurt Weill had teamed up
with a New Orleans marching band.'
Nürnberger Nachrichten newspaper

New York-based seven-piece Hazmat Modine basically 'blows a lot of hot air', according to its founder Wade Schuman, a reference not only to the band's many wind instruments but also to their style mix, which seems to have emerged straight from the melting pot that is New York, and already promises to be astonishing simply due to the collection of assorted instruments that make an appearance. This explains the second part of the band's name: 'Modine' is a well-known US fan heater brand. The first part, 'Hazmat', stands for 'hazardous material', of course. The resulting boiling hot vortex is a breathtaking blend of blues, country, klezmer, Jamaican calypso, jazz, rock 'n' roll, Balkan beats, African music and much more. All of this can also be heard on a total of by now five CDs; however, this band is a particularly breathtaking experience live. Enthusiasm, energy and intoxicating expertise in the art of improvisation: Hazmat Modine is joie de vivre turned into music.