HaSkaLA

Bio

"A galvanizing, impassioned rallying cry... an effortless, seamless blend of lyrics and music with stunning thematic effect... "Untethered & Undone" is a jackhammer blasting away at the culture-wide notion that reason and emotion are antagonistic... Essential to anyone starved for that elusive amalgam of melody, passion, thought, feeling, and skill. Rousing, entertaining, joyous, physical anthems... A stark, vital reminder that some of the last rays of the Enlightenment have yet to be extinguished"

-- Jeffrey Falk, "Mencken's Ghost"

Valid question Comrade! Haskala means "Enlightenment" in Hebrew, and that's just what this brand spankin' new L.A.-based ska band aims to do: illuminate your mind, set fire to your soul- and most importantly do it all while making you dance! Frontman Steven Schub summarizes the choice of band name thusly: "Let's see, ya got the sound of laughter- "Ha", the word "Ska" snuck in there, and our home city of L.A. HaSkaLA is all about all three: Laughter, Ska and bringing Joy, Mirth & Madness to the City of Angels".

Though HaSkaLA is merely months old, they are well on their way to accomplishing this self-imposed merry mission! HaSkaLA will appear on the Ska Stage of The Vans Warped Tour in 2010, and in point of fact, some have already deemed HaSkaLA a sort of "Ska Supergroup". Lead singer and lyricist Steven Schub comes from the 10-piece "Afro-Celtic Yiddish Ska" band, The Fenwicks- a band that played the Vans Warped Tour in 2005, has 3 nationally released critically acclaimed CDs to it's credit, and has toured with ska legends The Selecter, as well as "brother band" Big D and The Kids Table. Schub's "day-job" is as a working actor in TV & Film, having starred in over 15 feature films and everything from the hit show "24? to yes, "Sesame Street". But when talking about the line-up in "HaSkaLA" that's just the beginning! Curtis Pollitt "The Boy Wonder" (Guitar/Vocals) has been a professional vocalist and musician for over ten years, working with such musical projects as "Benchmark", "Stock Autopilot", and a brief stint in "Digital Vampyro". "Supa Dupa" Dave Mastas (Guitar) was plucked from the big band "BigAmy". "Jumpin' Jiven'" Julie Gibbs (Bass) graduated from Berklee College of Music, and has played in all sorts of assorted bands, including the No Doubt cover band "No Doi". Slapping the skins? Drummer Tony Pagano. As a boy from the Bronx, Tony's played everything from Hard Rock to Prog Rock, Metal to Motown- and as a sought out "session" player Tony has played, produced, recorded, mixed & mastered every instrument known (and unknown) to man. On saxophone: Matthew "Mad Matt" Thompson. With a background rooted in jazz, Matt's versatility has taken him through many different genres and bands, with his most recent being the touring latin/reggae/rock band MANDORiCO. On trumpet, Danny Kay. An L.A. native and a fixture in the Los Angeles music scene, Danny's played in bands ranging from Mr.Ectomy to La Sonora Santanera, and ultimately with living legend legend Herbie Hancock himself. On trombone: "Mighty Mighty Xtine" Christine Cheung- formerly of The Fudogs, she's also an L.A. native & ska fanatic! Lastly, but certainly not leastly, on the B3 keys and piano, we find musician/comedian Brad Watson. Brad has played with Miranda Lee Richards, The F.O.C.K.R.S (Friends of Canter's Kibitz Room) and is a regular performer at The World Famous Comedy Store. So there you have it friends! Steeped in the best tradition of classic 2nd Wave Two-Tone ska, this family of spastics is guaranteed to make you sweat, and make you smile. HaSkaLA is here: Prepare to dance or die!