Hodaya
The Ensemble
GARY D. LUCAS plays a variety of percussion instruments on the HODAYA album, including: congas, cajon, shaker, guiro, drum kit, chimes, claves, triangle, and tambourine. He is a wealth/financial advisor by day and a percussionist/drummer by night. Gary has had the opportunity to work with many amazing musical artists in his 25 plus years as a musician, but his favorite projects have been ones in which he has worked with Brett Hobin and Hobin Studies. Gary loved working with Lisa and Brett on HODAYA, and brought his boundless joy and enthusiasm to every recording session.
TODD HOBIN plays acoustic electric guitar and keyboard on the HODAYA album. He is a professional performer, composer, conductor, producer of music, and the founder of Hobin Studios. His most recent film score The Artist and the Astronaut received its world premiere at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and won an Indie award. The soundtrack is now available on CD and streaming services. Other credits include film scores for Impossible Choice, and My Brother and Me, and audiobook scores include King Kong, Shannon Hale’s Goose Girl, and Graceling by Kristin Cashore. He directed and wrote the music for the audiobook Fairest, which was nominated for a prestigious AUDIE award and about which Publishers Weekly said, “the book itself is superb, but the audio production surpasses it.” Todd was the Musical Director and lead songwriter on the acclaimed, nationally syndicated children’s television series Pappyland. He has produced albums for a wide-range of artists, and has written and produced for clients as diverse as Coca-Cola, Hershey Park, ABC Television, and Tri-Star Pictures. Todd is most notable for his work with the Todd Hobin Band, which has released 7 albums and delivered legendary performances that have made it one of rock’s hardest-working, well-traveled bands. They played thousands of shows and shared the stage with the greatest bands of their time, including The Beach Boys and Kinks, to the Allman Brothers, Hall & Oates, and many more. Todd is also an Adjunct Professor of Performing Arts at Le Moyne College and a contributing writer for the magazines Making Music and International Musician. He continues to perform as a solo artist, and with his current band. He can be reached through www.toddhobin.com, at todd@toddhobin.com, and on Facebook at Todd Hobin.
MATT ULRICH plays cello on the HODAYA album, and his additions especially stand out in Hodaya, Rachamim and P’tach Libi. Matt started playing cello at age eight and has played in groups ranging from symphonies and quartets to folk bands. In addition to being an accomplished cellist, Matt is also a licensed music therapist. He studied music at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia where he developed a love for musical improvisation. This is also where he honed the skills he now passes on to his private students. Matt is really excited to be part of HODAYA. To contact Matt about private lessons or playing in weddings or other settings email him at mulrich125@gmail.com.
JUDY STANTON plays violin on the HODAYA album, adding beautiful counter melodies to several songs, especially Hava Nashira and Ani L’Dodi.
Judy received her BA in Violin Performance from Boston University in 1979 and went on to enjoy a wildly eclectic career as a freelance classical musician in the Boston area. She met her husband Jeff in 1984, and they started their alt-rock band “Big House.” In those bygone days, rock violinists were rare creatures! For 25 years, she taught violin students aged 5 to 75. Here in Syracuse, she was the fiddler in the popular bands “Klezmercuse” and “Larry Hoyt, z”l and The Good Acoustics.” Judy composed original tunes for both groups which were subsequently recorded.
Judy has performed and/or recorded with local artists including Dana “Short Order” Cooke, Jeffrey Pepper Rogers, The Cadleys, and others. She has also composed commissioned songs and pieces for the Syracuse Hebrew Day School and for poet Joan Burstyn. Judy is also a singer/songwriter and plays a bit of guitar and mandolin for fun.
BRETT HOBIN plays bass guitar on the HODAYA album and served as the primary engineer for HODAYA, from the initial recording sessions through the process of mixing and mastering the final tracks. Brett performs as the bass guitarist with the band Simplelife, along with many other acts, at gigs around the region. Since Brett took over management of HOBIN STUDIOS 20+ years ago, he has worked with an impressive array of top-tier song writers and musicians. He also served as the recording engineer and song writer on the soundtrack for the documentary film the Artist and the Astronaut, working with his father Todd. Brett can be reached at brett@hobinstudios.com.
HOBIN STUDIOS is the most experienced professional recording studio in Central New York, and has worked with a wide variety of professional musicians and voice artists. The studio space is located near Baldwinsville, NY, where it has seen over four decades of music and produced countless records. Todd Hobin designed and built the studio space from the ground up with Doug Moncrief and their crew in 1988. HOBIN STUDIOS is available to record bands and individual performers, full albums, audio books and other voice recordings, and to provide recording, mixing, and amplification services. Inquiries about HOBIN TUDIOS can be sent to brett@hobinstudios.com or through the Contact Us page at www.hobinstudios.com.