Miscellaneous Files

Misc first developed an interest in music when watching Top of the Pops as an infant in the ‘80s, while his parents looked on in bafflement. Doctor & the Medics, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Derek B, Beastie Boys, The Timelords / KLF, James, Carter USM, Curve, The Prodigy. He never settled on a favourite genre beyond “misc”. As a teenager he moved on to MTV Europe, The Beat, John Peel, and Later… with Jools Holland which led to bands like The Fall, Fugazi, The Wedding Present, Salad, Whale, At the Drive-In, Silversun Pickups. He also gets a lot of music recommendations from Mikee, 99.627% of which are on point.

Despite getting a Yamaha PSS-270 keyboard for Christmas as a small child, Misc didn’t develop an interest in playing music until his cousin gave him an old Spanish guitar in the early ‘90s. He struggled with the wide neck and nylon strings but persevered, playing along with Nirvana Unplugged until the VHS tape wore out. He picked up his first electric guitar shortly after - a lawsuit-era Les Paul copy by Avon / Rose Morris - and never looked back.

Misc plays rhythm guitar and makes other noises that could occasionally be confused for lead parts. He also dabbles with bass, electronic drums, synths, and and growing collection of fucked-up effects pedals. Dating back to the ‘90s he has a bad habit of ‘modifying’ (aka defiling) instruments. This has included integrating effects pedals into the body of guitars, adding computer fans and motors in order to automatically strum the strings, and other sacrilegious crimes against luthiery. He’s worked with various DAWs over the years, but settled on Cubase after developing a familiarity with the UI and workflow.

Misc first came into contact with Mikee on an online message board in the early ‘00s. After buying him a pint at a meet-up in London, they became friends and bandmates shortly after. Their ongoing collaboration has travelled from Wiltshire and Berkshire to London, Surrey, and Northamptonshire. These days they often meet in The Cloud®, using technology to bridge the geographical divide.