Whom art thou?
Reuben Toadstool’s music could be described as: deep fried drive-thru folk. baroque doomer jingle jangle. psychedelic therapycore country. americana for the blockbuster video generation. peace, love, and climate change. dollar store yacht rock. aspartame bubblegum pop. dad-rock for childless millennials. poptimism circa 1968.
He records and performs with The Hot Pastrami Band consisting of multi-instrumentalists Sam Popkin and Reily Gordon. Popkin also produces, engineers the band’s recordings.
Reuben Toadstool is desperate to entertain you and your loved ones! There is no gig too humiliating! Please book early and often! Act now and receive a free tote bag*
Kieran Najita is an Asian-American Jew from Hawaii who writes and performs music as Reuben Toadstool. He performs solo and with bands, including The Hot Pastrami Band and Alien Corn. He currently resides in Holyoke, Massachusetts, which baffles New Englanders who learn of his tropical origins. He enjoys the vibrant music scene of Western Mass and the relatively cheap rent in Holyoke.
His main influences include Bruce Springsteen, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Big Star, Lucinda Williams, Neil Young, and, of course, The Beatles.
Reuben Toadstool
Sam Popkin
Sam Popkin is a producer, engineer, guitarist, and singer-songwriter based in Katonah, NY. He is well-known for his YouTube channel where he performs note-perfect guitar covers of classic songs using period-accurate instruments and amps. A noted Beatles afficionado, he is a co-host of the Beatles gear podcast Gear, There, and Everywhere. He writes and performs his own music both as a solo artist and in Uncle Kingsley, a duo he formed with his wife, Lily Arnell Popkin, who also creates the cover art for Reuben Toadstool and the Hot Pastrami Band.
Reily Gordon is a singer-songwriter and multi-media artist based in Philadelphia PA. He currently fronts the band 6Pan and has recorded and performed in many projects, including The Rotten Burrows and Rare Coin. His eclectic work spans multiple genres and disciplines and ranges from traditional Irish folk music, to film and video work, to electronica and hard rock.
Reily and Reuben first performed together as a busking duo who played on subway platforms in New York City. Their repertoire consisted of a mixture of American folk and gospel standards and 60s and 70s hits.