Freedom Haters

Freedom Haters played CBGB three days before the hallowed, dingy venue closed for good. Since then, they've expanded from a trio to an alternating sex- and sept-et. When the full string quartet is plugged in and humming, and the saxophone is buzzing along the top, it's a hard rock sound rather unlike any other.

ISAIAH SINGER was the original guitarist for Psychic TV 3 with Genesis P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle, Thee Majesty), and also plays guitar with Bryin Dall (Thee Majesty, Loretta's Doll) in The Fourth Sign. As guitarist, vocalist and/or bassist in a string of bands including Dream Into Dust, Eli and The Indoor Boys, and his own The Seventh Word, Singer has played and recorded extensively in reeking venues from Siberia to Berlin.

SEAN HAGERTY completed a degree in music composition and arrived in New York with a trunkload of genre-bending ideas, incorporating electric violin and laptop electronics to create an expansive palette of sound that seamlessly integrates his classical grounding with the far limits of digital sonic manipulation. Since his arrival on the scene, Hagerty has played with a number of established New York artists including Michael Cerveris and Duncan Sheik, at venues including the Bowery Ballroom and Sin-e, as well as providing arrangements for the Broadway cast of Sweeney Todd.

PATRICK SOLURI is an award-winning composer specializing in dramatic orchestral music for ballet, opera and film. His work has been performed by numerous groups including the New York City Opera and Dances Patrelle, and reviewed in publications including the New York Times, the NY Daily News and Back Stage. After a 10 year hiatus from the drums, his work with Freedom Haters marks his return to respectability.

ANTHONY CEKAY, an accomplished tenor and soprano sax player who has played with numerous combos in New York and his native Chicago, recently completed his M.A. at City College in Manhattan. His unmistakable solos and horn arrangements have drop-kicked the Haters into another stratosphere of bizarre credibility.

BEN MAGNUSON returns from his tour as Anthony in _Sweeney Todd_, a role he first played in the recent Broadway revival of Sondheim's masterpiece (starring Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris). He's relieved to not have to act while playing his instrument anymore.

CALEIGH DRANE plays with numerous orchestras in and around Brooklyn and NYC. Her anti-classical-upbringing fervor has meanwhile fueled her corresponding descent into the seamy world of Brooklyn rock and roll.

MELINDA HIRSCH is one of New York's most sought after session players, and has played behind the likes of Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson. Street cred, anyone?