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BIO

The Lava Rocks were born from a weekly neighborhood jam at the house of guitarist Ezra Sherman. When Ezra, Deke, Nick and Don realized they had a big overlap in their musical tastes and a good combination of instrumental skills, the Lava Rocks were formed.

The Lava Rocks are: 
Deke Kassabian - Keyboards & vocals; Ezra Sherman - Guitars & vocals; Nick Claxton - Guitars & vocals; 
Don Hantula - Mandolin, lap steel guitar, & bass; Bill Senatore - Drums.
Deke Kassabian

Deke Kassabian

Keyboards and Vocals

Deke Kassabian has been playing keyboards in rock and roll bands on and off since 1975. He studied classical piano during his school years but always preferred to play rock and roll, R&B, and other music with a groove. Deke also sang in an a cappella doo-wop group for a few years during the 1980s.

Nick Claxton

Nick Claxton

Guitars and Vocals

Nick Claxton has been playing the guitar since age 11, but the Lava Rocks is his first band. He has played with other musicians over the years, and has recently been doing open mic nights, playing solo. Growing up in London, his musical tastes included all the usual suspects from the 1960s, 70s and 80s - with a few from the 90s thrown in. Musical interests also include baroque music, especially JS Bach, and he played briefly in a renaissance recorder group.

Bill Senatore

Bill Senatore

Drums

Bill Senatore has been playing drums for 50 years, including with Borrowed Time, a classic rock group, and The Philly Transit Authority, a Chicago Tribute Band. He studied percussion at the Philadelphia Musical Academy and earned a degree in music from Philadelphia College of Performing Arts before earning a Master’s Degree in Elementary Ed, with a certification in Mathematics. He's a retired math teacher and now keeps the beat with The Lava Rocks. 

Ezra Sherman

Ezra Sherman

Guitars and Vocals

Ezra Sherman plays guitar with reasonable facility and sings very loudly, if not always well. He's the only band member who wasn't around for the 1960s but is ironically the baldest of them all. He's been making music with other people since he was 14 but this is the longest he's managed to keep a group together.

Don Hantula

Don Hantula

Mandolin, lap steel guitar, and bass

Don Hantula is a self-taught player of things with strings. He has  been in original and cover Southern, punk, alternative, and folk bands, played in a theater pit orchestra and backed up poets on open mic nights. As his interests and attention span may be  charitably described as eclectic, he makes the  highest and lowest noises in the band.

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