HAZMAT MODINE draws from the rich soil of American music of the 20's and 30's through to the 50’s and 60’s, blending elements of early Blues and Hokum, Swing, Eastern European music, New Orleans R & B, Jamaican Rocksteady, and Rock & Roll. The band is fronted by two harmonicas which use call and response, harmony, melody, and syncopated interweaving rhythms. The band includes tuba, guitar, trumpet, and percussion, sometimes claviola and Hawaiian steel guitar.  The band’s sound reflects musical influences ranging from Avant-garde Jazz to Rockabilly and Western Swing to Middle-Eastern, African, and Hawaiian musical styles.

Wade Schuman, Diatonic Harmonica, Guitar, Banjitar, Lead Vocals
The creative center of the band, Wade has been playing the harmonica since the age of ten, and is an accomplished master in the early Blues and musical styles of the 1920's and 30's. He grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which has long had a vital and interesting musical scene, and currently resides and works in New York City.  He draws musical inspiration from among others: Desmond Dekker, Jaybird Coleman, Sidney Bechet, Taraf De Haidouks and Slim Gaillard. Recording credits include Joan Osborn's "Relish" which was nominated for four Grammys.

Randy Weinstein, Diatonic Harmonica, Chromatic Harmonica, Sheng, Vocals
Originally from Kansas City, Randy became serious about harmonica during a seven year stay in Chicago where he fell under the spell of Little Walter and a few of his disciples. He has worked in a broad range of settings from Postwar Chicago Blues to Modern Jazz, to turn of the century Salon Music. Recording credits include records with Jazz Chanteuse Karen Alleyson, BCR and others.

Joseph Daley, Tuba
Joseph is a native of New York and perhaps this country's most consistent and creative "Lower Brass Specialist." Among others he has played with Sam Rivers, Carla Bley, Taj Mahal, Charlie Haden, Gil Evans, Lionel Hampton, Howard Johnson, Dave Douglas, and Muhal Richard Abrams. He appears on well over a dozen recordings.

Richard Huntley, Percussion
Richard Huntley is New York City based percussionist who plays a wide variety of music including Jazz, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, klezmer and other styles.  He has recorded and or performed with John Benitez, Luis Bonilla, Cameron Brown, Billy Drewes, Frank London, the Kleztraphobix, Hector Martignon, Mulgrew Miller, Dom Salvador, and Jack Wilkins.  He is on the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music.

Pete Smith, Guitar
Pete Smith is a New York City-based guitarist who performs in a wide range of musical settings. A founding member of Grupo Los Santos, a vanguard Afro-Cuban and Brazilian-style quartet, he has played New York’s Town Hall and concerts throughout the U.S. and in Cuba. He has worked with Norah Jones, Donald Byrd, Juan Pablo Torres, Andrew Hill, Steve Davis, Bill Charlap, The Flying Neutrinos, Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks, the Moonlighters and Madeline Peyroux. Pete’s recording credits include Juan Pablo Torres’ BMG release “Together Again”, featuring Arturro Sandoval and Chucho Valdes, Kerry Pollitzer’s “Yearning”, and Paul Carlon’s “Looking Up.

Pamela Fleming, Trumpet, Flugelhorn
NYC trumpet player and composer, is the leader of original world jazz group Fearless Dreamer. Pam is best known for her work with Lilith Fair artists Natalie Merchant, Sarah McLachlan, Indigo Girls; Reggae stars Burning Spear, Dennis Brown and Maxi Priest; and Klezmer groups Metropolitan Klezmer and Isle of Klezbos.  Fearless Dreamer's second CD, 'Climb' has just been released.

Scott Robinson, Bass Sax, Contrabass Sax, Baritone Sax. Sarusaphone, French Horn, Flute, C-Melody Sax, Octaveen, Fulgelbone, etc.
One of today's most wide-ranging and astonishing instrumentalists, Scott Robinson has been heard on tenor sax with Buck Clayton's band, on trumpet with Lionel Hampton's quintet, on alto clarinet with Paquito D'Rivera's clarinet quartet, and on bass sax with the New York City Opera. On these and other instruments including theremin and ophicleide, he has been heard with a cross-section of jazz's greats representing nearly every imaginable style of the music, from Braff to Braxton.  His discography now includes over 135 recordings.

Steve Elson, Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Duduk, Flute
As a teenager, saxophonist Steve Elson toured with the legendary Johnny Otis Rhythm and Blues Revue, featuring Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Shuggie Otis and the Three Tons of Joy.He has gone on to play in a wide variety of settings including world tours with David Bowie, film soundtracks for Philip Glass, several hundred pop, jazz, klezmer, R&B and new music recordings. Elson has been a recipient of numerous compostion grants and fellowships from the NEA, NYFA and Mary Cary Flagler. among others. He leads his group Steve Elson’s Lips and Fingers Ensemble. 

Michael Gomez, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Banjitar, Steel Guitar
Originally from Northern California, Michael Gomez has been living in New York City for fourteen years. Apart from Hazmat Modine, he is currently playing with Greta Gertler & The Extroverts, his own band Wormwood and in a side-project with members of Ween.  A highly sought-after and versatile guitarist, he has shared the stages of Joe’s Pub, CBGB’s, Barbes, The Living Room, Tonic, The Knitting Factory and many other venues, with amongst others: The Moonlighters, members of the Mink Lungs, The Bootleg Remedy, Jack Grace, and Slavic Soul Party!  He a long-time student of Mike Longo, Dizzy Gillespie’s pianist/arranger.  Michael’s fluid technique encompasses a remarkable range of styles and musical vocabulary, from Delta blues to Gypsy swing to Sun Ra.  His subtle and unique approach to tone and rhythm, plus the breadth of his influences, make him a key, anchoring component of Hazmat Modine.