Whenever I play a show, I have a tendency to get on the microphone and yell “Swordfight Dot Org.” Then people visit this site and go, “Huh? There’s nothing about music here. It’s just some dude who likes running over hippies and putting his teacher’s eye out.”

So for future reference, I’m going to write up a little blurb about the different bands I’m currently performing with.

Spinoza is a solo act featuring distorted bass, drum machine and sore throat. I started this in Fredericton in 1996 when I couldn’t find enough people to start a hardcore band with . The early stuff was very screamy and industrial-sounding but lately I’ve gone a bit more “rock.”

After a show at the Khyber a couple years ago, I had to go to the hospital with severe pains in my right hand and wrist. Turned out to be tendinitis. They told me to go easy on playing the bass for a while. Spinoza wasn’t very prolific after that. I’d like to start doing more shows though. More than say, three a year.

-“The Lazarus Lexicon” (1996)
-“The Cult Of Ruins” (1997)
-“Divine Warning Inner Voice” (1997)
-“The Armed Vision” (1998)
-“The Sickness Unto Death” (2001)
-“Light And Blindness” (2004)

A/V is a solo new-wave band featuring me and a bunch of synthesizers and whatnot. A/V’s been around since September 2000. It was a duo until December 2000 with me and Selwyn Sharples, and for the past four years it’s just been me. In a way, those first three or four months still seem like the most exciting time for the band.

This is probably the act most people know me by. Especially if you’ve ever been to a dance at the NASCAD lounge.

-“There Is A God In A/V Heaven” (2000)
-“Control Change” (2001)

Nine Volt Sound System is my name for various solo electronic performances. Tech-house, electro, drum&bass and whatnot. I have one CD and various compilation appearances. When I move to the country I’m going to be doing tons of this shit.

-“Electro Stoop Therapy” (2001)

I’ve also done a bunch of electronic shit with James Covey under the name Rotator but we haven’t jammed in quite some time, quite some time.

-“Ripples in the Brainwave” (2001)
-“The Twelve-Move Mate” (2002)

Colour TV was formed late in 2003 when I got sick of doing live sound for shitty bands and was looking for any excuse to get on stage and rock out again myself. I love playing Colour TV shows even if I do get punched in the face now and then. We recorded a demo but it never came out. I might dust it off and release it in the next few weeks, who knows. There’s a video on ZeD.

I play guitar and sing, Nick Wombolt plays drums. Right now Jim Macalpine is playing bass. The band has also featured Dave Harrison on bass and Ian Hart on guitar.

Air Traffic Control used to be known as “Madhat.” I play guitar and some synth. Last summer, I was going through a pretty rough time. I’d given up writing and playing music and I never left my house except to go to work. These guys tracked me down and recruited me. They got me out playing shows and fuelled my interest in playing music again.

Most people haven’t heard of ATC as I write this, but of all the bands I’m in, this is the one most likely to blow up. It’s catchy rock’n’roll music with really good singing. There’s a website at http://controltower.ca. [edit: I moved to the country and I don’t play with this band anymore, but anyways, check ’em out]

You can download lots of songs and videos at my ZeD site: philip.zed.cbc.ca.

I’ll put a link to this post in the sidebar for future reference, and in the meantime I’ll get on with all the non-music-writing-about.