Playing their distinct brand of ska, this eight-piece band was like no other in Manhattan, Kansas. Guitarist David Spiker began playing with drummer David Darby and keyboardist Donnyves Laroque in fall 1995. Shortly thereafter, they added a 3-piece horn section and bassist Jayson Sullivan. Ruskabank went through two other horn players before settling on the classic lineup of Dave Studnicka (trombone), Jamie Rogers (trumpet), and Ben Schierling (tenor saxophone). They began practicing in the music room in the basement of Moore Hall at KSU, and threw all their diverse influences into one big pot and let it simmer until the Ruskabank sound came out. They mixed up heavy metal, ska, jazz and even Rush to create a potent, danceable mix of sounds. Ruskabank's debut CD is titled "This Took Some Time," and can be purchased along with other band merchandise through their web site, even though the band no longer exists. Ruskabank was: David Darby - drummer Donnyves Laroque - keyboard Chris Mayne - trumpet Jamie Rogers - trumpet Ben Schierling - tenor sax Dave Spiker - guitar, vocals Dave Studnicka - trombone Jayson Sullivan - bass User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

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