BASH BROS

Chris Batstone - bass, guitar, drums, vocals, keyboards, piano, samples, acoustic bass
me - drums, guitar, bass, vocals, piano, samples, loops, percussion

Bash Bros is the studio brainchild of me and the incredible Chris Batstone. Clocking in at 18 tracks and over 75 minutes, Bash Bash Bash is an eclectic mix - everything from flat-out three-chord punk rock to acoustic pop to seven minute sample & loop-based epics to ska to country. The entire record is written, performed, produced and mixed by myself and Chris. It's available at AtlanticCanadianMusic.com.

SEAN PANTING BAND

Sean Panting - guitar, vocals
Don Ellis - bass, vocals
me - drums, vocals

I've played with Sean for close to 20 years now, first in Drive, then in The Planks, and now in both McKudo & his solo project - a relationship I find incredibly artistically gratifying. Rounding out the band is rawk god Don Ellis, who besides being a producer and engineer of considerable talent and experience, is also a righteous bass player. Sean released two discs in December 2005 - the electric Receiver and the solo acoustic Victrola - to add to his previous two discs, Lotus Land and Pop Disaster.

MCKUDO

Rob Power - percussion
Sean Panting - guitars
me - percussion, computers

McKudo is a brand new creation - an "anything goes" new music trio, playing largely improvised music with a sense of adventure, experimentation, and humor. McKudo is an opportunity to stretch the limits of what we think we can achieve and play not just outside the box, but off the whole freakin' planet. Past performances included a ten minute sine wave jam, washing machine karaoke, and the world's first all-paintball symphony... plans to record a CD in the summer of 2007 are underway.

KELLY RUSSELL & THE PLANKS

Kelly Russell - fiddle, tin whistle, bouzouki, mandolin, concertina, lots o' other stuff
Sean Panting - guitar, vocals
Chris Batstone - bass, vocals
me - drums, vocals

Born of the notion that traditional Newfoundland fiddle tunes should be played as loud, fast, and drunkenly as possible, The Planks are a collaboration between Kelly (one of the best damn fiddlers you'll ever hear) and the three of us in Drive. We have one CD, "Smashed Hits" (pictured right; once again I got the bum end of the photo shoot). We play mostly instrumentals, although a few choice covers and vocal tunes manage to creep in on occasion. The Planks are threatening to do another record. If you'd prefer we didn't, you'll have to buy us off. Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled - we do scattered shows from time to time.

DRIVE

Sean Panting - guitar, vocals
Chris Batstone - bass, vocals
me - drums, vocals

From 1992 to 1999, Drive was the main focus of my musical life. It was two full length albums, one e.p., a video, a live webcast concert, and far too many gigs and tours to count. Drive got together for a reunion show in December 2001, and my ears are still ringing. We continue to work together in various ways, shapes, and forms. And yes, that's me with the really bad hair on the left. Yikes.

THE PUNTERS

Larry Foley - guitar, mandolin, vocals
Pat Moran - fiddle, guitar, vocals
Chris Batstone - bass, vocals
me - drums, vocals

The Punters are one of the longest standing traditional rock bands in Newfoundland, having been together and releasing records for about a decade. In classic trad-rock style, The Punters have had four different drummers and four different bass players. The lineup listed above was the lineup while I was with the band in 1999; my tenure as a Punter lasted a little less then a year, but it was action packed - much touring, many gigs, one video, and one record (the pictured "Will You Wait") on which I played two tracks. The Punters continue playing and recording as we speak - in fact, the new album "Fisherman's Blues" (on which I play six tracks) was released in 2004, and I continue to sit in on the occasional gig. Always a blast.

Check out The Punters website for more info.

ADAM McGRATH & THE TEARJERKERS

Adam McGrath - guitar, vocals
Mark Peddle - bass
John Ledrew - guitar
me - drums, vocals

As McGrath himself puts it, the Tearjerkers play songs of love, songs of loss, songs of redemption, and songs to dump people by. The Tearjerkers will be releasing a CD very soon... in the meantime, your liver is evil and it must be punished.

ADAM STAPLE & THE VANITY PROJECT

Adam McGrath - guitar, vocals
Darrell Cooper - guitar
Chris Batstone - bass, vocals
Mike Clarke / Elliot Dicks - drums
me - vocals, djembe

The Vanity Project was exactly what it's name implies: a vanity project. Being a drummer, I've always been hidden away behind a pile of gear, and I've always wanted to get out front and do the singer thing... so in the summer of 2003, I decided it was time to give it a whirl.

The band featured my longtime collaborators Chris Batstone (Drive, Planks, Bash Bros), Adam McGrath (Tearjerkers, Star 69, Funktionelle), and Darrell Cooper (Tearjerkers, Star 69), as well as Mike Clarke (Lizband, The Coast Guard) or Elliot Dicks (Victory Cigarettes, The Novaks) on drums. It's loud and it's fun, and that's all there is to it. The VP is currently on the back burner... but that doesn't mean it won't happen again, so keep an eye out.

THE HATERS

Jodi Richardson - guitar, vocals
Doug Jones - keyboards, vocals
Dave Rowe - bass
me - drums, vocals

A brand new rawk and roll collision, The Haters marked my first collaboration with Jodi (Thomas Trio & the Red Albino, Fur Packed Action), Doug (Potbelly, Potmaster), and Dave (sorry Dave, don't know what bands you were in!). A high energy, high speed pop extravaganza, The Haters debuted in July 2004. I did three gigs as a Hater before relinquishing the drum chair to... well, I don't know who yet. Still, my tenure was recorded for posterity in the 17 MB of rock video glory that is Wrapped - Live at Junctions, from our August 2004 show. Once again, the drummer gets the crap end of the deal, as I'm almost invisible the whole way.

Check out the Haters website for more info, reviews, photos, and such...

EL VIENTO FLAMENCO

Evelyne Benais - dancer
Sean Harris - singer
Bob Sutherby - guitar
Alex Schwartz - guitar
me - cajon

Certainly a unique band for the St. John's scene, El Viento Flamenco started as a duo and quickly grew into a full-blown band... the result was one of the most intense musical experiences I've ever had. Sweaty and subtle, raw and delicate, artistry and sex all rolled into one package. Couldn't beat it. All three key players (Evelyne, Sean, and Bob) are masters of their craft and dedicated to nothing less than perfection. I was fortunate enough to play the cajon - basically, a wooden box the size of a carry-on suitcase - with El Viento from 1997 to 1999. In 2000, El Viento Flamenco relocated to Halifax where they continue to thrive, performing regularly. As well, Sean and Bob also perform as a solely musical act called Los Flamencos, and I sit in with them whenever they make an occasional pilgrimage back to St. John's.

Check out the El Viento Flamenco website for more info.

THE PLANKERDOWN BAND

Kelly Russell - fiddle, bouzouki, mandolin,
concertina, whistle, celtic harp, gu-cheng
Don Walsh - acoustic guitar
Frank Maher - button accordian, harmonica
Wade Pinhorn / Lori Cooper - keyboards
Wade Pinhorn / Brian Kenny - bass
Jason Whelan - electric guitar
me - drums

I wasn't the original drummer for Plankerdown - the incomparable George Morgan appears on the CD ("The Jig Is Up"), but he left shortly after the album was released in late 1993, and I took over until the band split up in 1995. Playing 100% instrumental jazz/blues/rock arrangements of Celtic and Newfoundland folk melodies, Plankerdown was a highly unusual, unique combination of the individual styles of whatever musicians happened to be in the lineup that night (in true Newfoundland Celtic band tradition, we never went out on the road with the same lineup twice!).

Plankerdown gave me my first large scale touring experiences across Canada and the UK, my first chance to sit in the audience as an ECMA nominee, the largest crowd I've played for to date (25000+ at the Vancouver Folk Festival), and my first Guinness (from which I've never fully recovered). We also had the privilege of being the band that played the final two nights at the legendary Bridgett's Pub in St. John's.

SILVERSEED

Colin Harris - guitar, vocals
Dave Edmunds - guitar, vocals
Steve Tilley - bass, vocals
me - drums, vocals

SilverSeed have been together since 1999, born from the ashes of another St. John's band, The Barking Spiders. Silverseed has one CD available, "Bronzed", and the band represented Newfoundland at the 2002 Extreme Band Slam in Toronto. I spent a year with the 'seed, October 2002 - 2003. They combine the drive of punk and metal with the melody and structure of classic rock, leaving nothing more and nothing less than sweet, sweet rock and roll goodness.

Check out the Silverseed website for more info.

STAR 69

Donald Goobie - vocals
Danny Thomas - bass, vocals
Adam McGrath - keyboards, vocals
Darrell Cooper - guitar, vocals
me - drums, vocals

Formed in 1998, Star 69 was nothin' but pure funkin' fun. An unabashed shake yer booty party band, it featured a line-up of veteran musicians whose group bio reads like a history of the St. John's music scene. While it existed, Star 69 was the unofficial soundtrack to any memorable binge of all-nite all-day debauchery. I played in Star 69 from its formation until 1999, at which point Greg Burt took over the drum duties, and they continued on until calling it a day in 2001. The core unit of myself, Danny, Coop, and McGrath, plus the incredible Lil Thomas on guitar, continue to play occasionally as members of Big Life.

FUNKTIONELLE

Joanne Wareham - vocals
Danny Thomas - bass, vocals
Scott Conway - guitar, vocals
Adam McGrath - keyboards, vocals
me - drums, vocals

Another band firmly grounded in the party-til-ya-drop philosophy, Funktionelle took the rhythm section core from Star 69 and added the inimitable Scott Conway (formerly of Margaritas Calling) on the guitar and the phenomenal "Lady J", Joanne Wareham, behind the microphone.

With a set list that ran from Blondie to "Bootylicious", from James Brown to "Bust A Move", and from "Sexy MF" to "Sex-o-matic", Funktionelle shook the room from winter 2002 to summer 2003, but alas, like Spinal Tap before them, they have sailed off into the "where are they now" file.

DAVE ANTHONY OVERDRIVE

Dave Anthony - guitar, vocals
Brad Gover - bass
Oliver Schroer - fiddle
me - drums, vocals

In 2000 & 2001, I was living in Ottawa, and it was here that I met (or actually, re-met) fellow Newfoundlander Dave Anthony. Dave has been living and playing in Ottawa since 1995. He does a mix of traditional Celtic / Newfoundland songs and his own material, and he has one of the heaviest, most percussive strumming hands on the planet.

Originally, Dave asked me to play on his second CD, "31B Victoria", with no intention of forming a band for live performances... but the record turned out so well, we couldn't resist. Dave had already made a name for himself as a solo acoustic performer, so when we put together the electric version and turned up the volume, the name was obvious - Dave Anthony Overdrive.

Dave still performs in and around Ottawa, both on his own and with the Overdrive.

I've also had the awesome good fortune to work with artists such as Darrell Cooper & The Strong Persuaders, Ron Hynes, The 8-Track Favorites, Dahmnait Doyle, Arthur Capelin, Lil Thomas, Mark Bragg, The Scruncheons, Sherry Ryan, Hey Rosetta!, and more.