released May 12, 2009

Ara Babajan is the drummer. I met Ara when he was the drummer in Agent 99. He immediately impressed me as being the hardest (I mean his style not his character) drummer with the best rhythm for me to work with. Because I am so limited in my abilities and he is so vast he has been really great for me as a vocalist to work with. I recruited him to drum for Sic & MAD shortly after I met him and have been so pleased that he accepted this offer. Ara is a very sought-after drummer in the Ska and Punk circles with bands such as The Slackers and Left Over Crack tugging at him constantly. Others would kill to have him and with good reason. Ara sports a big resume of bands that he has worked and played with that you may know him from.

Marcus Geard is the bassist. I met Marcus when he was the bass player in his funk band in Vassar college. I met him through his sister Catherine who I am great friends with and shares my birthday on December 19th though she is one year younger than me. Marcus also impressed me right away with his bass playing as being someone who really feels and enjoys what he plays. I really think that Marcus truly plays with his heart more than anything else and that’s what makes him such an exciting and explosive bassist. His musical influences have always been different from mine but that’s what moves Sic & MAD to some of its limits and Marcus continues to enjoy to experiment. He has gained many fans from his work in The Slackers due to his talent, creativity and longevity.

Victor Ruggiero is the guitarist and my original partner in the band. He has written many of our songs, plays various instruments and has done both lead and backing vocals for the band. I met Vic back in the 4th grade when he moved to Ardsley, NY where we grew up. We became best friends in 5th grade and formed the band in 9th grade. Vic’s tremendous musical talent is obvious and beyond description. Vic constantly plays and creates music with abundant bands. His present and past work includes his solo project, The Slackers, Rancid, Transplants, Stubborn All-Stars and many others. Most know Vic as the leader of The Slackers but most don’t know that his first professional musical experience came from singing in the New York Metropolitan Opera in middle school.

King Django is the engineer, producer, guest vocalist, trombone player and so much more on the record. Django is also the owner of Stubborn records and Version City and the person most responsible for delivering the recorded work of Sic & MAD to the world. I met Django in NYC first when I saw his band Skinnerbox and then a few years later when The Slackers started. Django’s work in the New York area with Ska and related music is immense. Some of his previous and current band experience includes work with The Boilers, Skinnerbox, Rancid, Murphy’s Law and Stubborn All-Stars.

DJ Mush1 is the featured vocalist and producer on the song ‘Devils and Snakes’. Mush has long been a friend to the band and myself. I first met him in Boston when The Slackers opened up for The Allstonians. He immediately opened his home and heart to the band and myself and has been like a brother since then. Mush brought his amazing band The Scorchers to the lab for this track with him. Many know of him for his former work as a vocalist and trumpet player with The Slackers or from one of his numerous musical projects such as The Scorchers, Fireproof or his radio show Tunnelone on WNYU.

Papa B is the featured vocalist on ‘Shopping for more’. Papa B is very popular in Japan as one of the kings of the Japanese Reggae scene. His influence is broad and well respected in Japan. I became acquainted with Papa B in the ‘90`s when my wife worked with him in a Japanese restaurant in NYC and our friend Yumi suggested that I get him to guest appear on one of our Reggae songs. Papa B has become a very close friend to my family and me in the last few years. His talent, sincerity and character impress virtually all who meet him or see him perform. If you are interested in learning about Japanese Reggae I recommend start with him.

David Hillyard is the featured musician on ‘Like Boom’. His work in the current Ska scene is thoroughly respected and profound. Most know Dave as the saxophonist in The Slackers or Dave Hillyard and the Rocksteady 7 but some old school west coast hipsters know of his earlier work with Donkey Show or Hepcat. I met Dave when I used to work helping promote The Slackers, I gave his girlfriend at that time a flyer for a Slacker show and she in turn explained that her boyfriend is a sax player from Cali looking for a Ska band to play with, the rest is history. Dave continues to bewilder basically all with his playing and writing.

Bill E. Moulinos is the viola player on ‘She’. Bill was my co-worker, friend, neighbor, and bandmate on various musical projects while I was living in Tainai, Niigata. Bill is one of the most passionate teachers and musicians that I have ever met or worked with and indeed kept my Sic & MAD juices flowing while I was abroad.

Tomonori Kobayashi is the keyboard player on ‘Like Boom’. I met Tomonori in my last year of living in Japan. He was my employer at one point and one of the nicest guys I ever met in my life. Also, I can honestly say he is one of the best Jazz/Classical pianists I ever heard.

Kevin McCarthy is the artist that Sic & MAD is so lucky to have working with us. Kevin made the drawing of me as Malcom X for this CD as well as other images popular with the band. I met Kevin back in our 1st year at SVA and he has been contributing work for the band since then. His work has appeared in various comics and for several bands. Kevin’s style is unique and works very well with the band’s twisted sense of humor.