Jay Marder studied piano in the San Francisco Bay Area. He picked up guitar and bass fiddle from his brother. Jay's bandmate once introduced him to banjo teacher Jerry Garcia. Marder's piano mentor, the late Vince Guaraldi, composed the Peanuts cartoon music and recorded his big hit Cast Your Fate to the Wind. Jay currently co-leads YIKES!, a klezmer band that plays Eastern European Jewish style of music. He has studied klezmer music for over 30 years and contributed to many simchas. He also plays bass guitar in a weekly jazz jam and banjo with the Old Coots, a Coral Gables-based Dixieland group.