Phillip Main

Biography

Where the music has lead me

The Beatles were the band that lead me to the guitar. I liked Lennon and my good friend Jeff Mc Clash preferred McCartney. I figured I had mastered the guitar once I had learned to play Blackbird. How wrong I was. I actually should be a left handed guitar player. This is because my first and only teacher asked me at my first lesson which way I liked to hold the guitar. I naturally picked it up and started to play left handed. I’m a natural lefty. He quickly told me that I couldn’t play that way and made me turn the guitar around. Why he ever gave me the option in the first place is beyond me. I stopped taking lessons shortly thereafter, thinking I would fare better on my own.

Blank Expression

After slugging it out in my bedroom for a few years, I had the good fortune of meeting a few of my future band mates in a parking lot at Spencer Smith Park in Burlington. A friend, (James King, Future toaster in our band) and I were in said park listening to the Specials when a car pulls up. Out pours three or four people who approach our car in a somewhat aggressive manner. Needless to say we prepared ourselves for the approaching scrap that we felt was about to happen. Much to our relief, they were just amazed to be hearing the Specials and were eager to meet us. The Specials were something of an oddity in the day to put it mildly. This is where I met Chris Dobson, and by the end of the night he asked me if I could play guitar in a band he was trying to start. Foolishly, and with dreams of grandeur in my head, I said that I could play. A few short months later I was rehearsing with the band that was to become known as Blank Expression. I know I had no place playing lead guitar in a Ska band, but what I lacked in skill, I made up for with enthusiasm, which was the case for most of the band. The moments in that band are my most cherished as a performer. Our first performance as a band was at a battle of the bands at a local high school which we won. To this day I’m not sure how I got my fingers to actually work I was so nervous. If I remember correctly, one of the guys pushed me out on stage. Once the music began and the audience reacted, it was all over. I was hooked, and wanted to repeat that moment over and over again. Our shining moment in Blank Expression was doing a Friday/Saturday stint to a packed house at the El Macombo in Toronto. Our moment of shame was being asked to leave the stage at a show for CFNY halfway through the 2nd set. We took the good with the bad. Like all good things, Blank Expression came to an end sometime in 1984, but I had come out of it as a much improved guitar player and was ready to head off in new directions.

Jazz Scruff/The Agents of Change

My next adventure was a short lived project as a two piece with Chris Dobson called Jazz Scruff. We were inspired by bands like The Style Council and Everything but the Girl. We played a few shows and then ended as quietly as the music it was that we were playing. The next band went under the name The Agents of Change. In this band I played bass guitar which was nice for a change. The band had great potential opening for up and coming bands like Chalk Circle. The music was a cross between U2, Echo and the Bunnymen, and The Cult. We had great songwriting from guitar player Joe Boyce and the sound was one that was ripe for the time. Unfortunately, band conflict led to its’ demise after one short year of performing.

The Middle years

The next band, and the one that was the longest lived, went under the moniker of The Cockleshell Heroes. I took over the guitar duties once again and really began to develop as a songwriter. We did some recording which lead to a number cassettes being distributed on a very small scale. Our shining moment consisted of being #1 on Mc Master’s campus radio play list for 7 weeks with our song Feelings of my Heart. We also got to open for some prominent Canadian bands such as 54-40, Blue Rodeo, Change of Heart and Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. While playing with the Cockleshell Heroes I was involved with two other projects. The first was the Hankering Swines, which was a duo with Rory Defoe. We played mostly Billy Bragg and Violent Femmes’ covers, and got the opportunity to open for bands such as The Cowboy Junkies and Chalk Circle. The other project was with Al Okada, (Bass player in The Cockleshell Heroes and guitar player in King Cobb Steelie). We were heavily influenced by ambient gods Fripp and Eno. We went under the name of The Lemmings and played at most, three or four shows. The funniest moment in that band was getting friend Brian Stroud to sit in a chair and smoke cigarettes, while occasionally getting up to the mike to make machine gun sounds with a children’s toy. Who knows what we were thinking.  As the 1980’s came to an end, we were all finishing college or university, and were starting to look ahead to our future. Job’s, family, and travel, finally led to the dissolution of the many projects I was involved in.

Bogg

As the new decade dawned I joined Bogg with former band mates Chris Dobson, Iain Thompson, Scott Ralph and Andy Lindsay. This was a very heavy band consisting of three guitar players. We were loud and proud. Playing in this band was great because through the wall of sound that we produced I was free to play lead guitar without having to fill the sound out. I also discovered the joy of the Wha Wha pedal, which I’m sure I overused, but couldn’t help myself. Bogg continued making noise until the mid 1990’s, when I decided it was time to do some traveling abroad.

The Japan Years

My travels led me to Japan where I spent two and a half years teaching English. In my first year I met up with a like minded lover of music, (Tsutomu Kiriki), and went on to form Handfull of Chance. We performed a number of shows up and down the West Coast of Japan, (Niigatta, Akita) and recruited bongo player Kouichi Ibe and singer Peter Docherty who hailed from Glasgow, Scotland. During that first year we recorded a full length CD titled My Treasures, which was basically a collection of songs I had written over the last few years. It was also the first band that I fronted as a singer, and gave me an appreciation for the challenges such a position presented. My 2nd year in Japan led to a name change, The Onsen Monkeys, but with all the same players. We did some local shows and played up in Akita again a few times where friend and former drummer Iain Thompson lived. Iain recorded an EP for us, and towards the end of our stay in Japan he also participated in a charity concert that was recorded live. From this show came a CD titled Acoustic Onslaught. There are some very diverse acts on the CD such as Didgeridoo player Takahiro Okuno, Koku player, (Chinese violin), Kumiko Kato, and the Japanese Blue Grass band West Flash. My time spent in Japan was a musical highlight for me, and one which was completely unexpected. It showed me what a powerful force music is, and how it can bring such a diverse group of people together to work towards their common goal, being the love of music.

The Vancouver Years

My next foray into music led me to Vancouver, where I met up with former Hankering Swine band mate Rory Defoe. By this point, Rory had been living out on the coast for 10 years and had gotten heavily into Bluegrass and Celtic music. He had hooked up with fiddle player Rhonda Shultz and was looking for a guitar player to round out the sound and I was only too happy to oblige. The name of this musical unit was Bolt the door. I loved playing this style of music, having grown up listening to it through my father who came from Scotland. To my surprise, I found it to be my biggest musical challenge to date. What with all the odd changes and timing, I was always kept on my toes and pretty much never stopped counting so I’d know when a change was coming. Our one shining moment came at Festival Dubois. This was a French Canadian festival of music and we added a djimbe player, (Jauques), to the band who could lead us through some traditional French songs. I still have a deep love for traditional music and can see myself going back to it in the future. Could there be a more graceful way of playing music into old age than by playing traditional music? I know I can’t think of one. My stint in Bolt the Door came to an end when my wife, (Christine) and I were expecting our first child, (Seanan). We made the move back to Ontario so we could all be closer to family.

The Kitchen

This takes me up to the present. Two years ago I met up with Curtis Lefebour, (Our talented singer/drummer) where we hatched a plan to start playing music again. It had been awhile for us, and we were ready to get back to making some noise again. I introduced Peter Kirkpatrick, (Former Blank Expression Bass Player) to the band and Peter brought in Mike Stevenson, (Keyboard player extraordinaire) to round out the sound and make our sound complete. We may all be in our 40’s now, but we’ve finally figured out how to do this music thing right. This is by far the most talented outfit I’ve played in and I’m proud to be a member of The Kitchen. As for the future, who knows where this band will lead me. However, the one thing I do know is that I’ve always enjoyed the ride that music has taken me on. A great big thank you to all the players throughout all the years. It’s been a pleasure.

Ungawa

Coming soon to the site will be my solo recordings under name of Ungawa.  What is Ungawa you ask?  Well, it’s the one thing that I remember Tarzan uttering when I watched the Movie for a Sunday Afternoon so many years ago.  It brings back good memories of just lazing around with my family and watching cheesy television.  Also, it’s a name, and I needed one.  Enough said.

Albums that rocked my world, in no particular order

THE BEATLES- White album, Sgt Pepper, Revolver
THE SMITHS-The Queen is Dead, Meat is Murder, Hatful of Hollow
SEX PISTOLS- Never mind the Bollocks
NEW ORDER- Power, Corruption and Lies
ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN- Heaven up Here, Ocean Rain
THE REPLACEMENTS- Pleased to Meet Me
U2- Boy, October, War
THE PROCLAIMERS- This is the Story
THE ENGLISH BEAT- I Just Can’t Stop It
DIRECTIVE 17- 1st EP
LÉ TRANGER- Innocent Hands
THE CLASH- London Calling, Black Market Clash
BRUCE COCKBURN- Dancing in the Dragon’s Jaw
TALKING HEADS-Remain in Light
KING CRIMSON- Discipline
THE STYLE COUNCIL- Introducing the Style Council, My Ever Changing Moods
THE JAM- In the City
ELVIS COSTELLO- Armed Forces
UB40- Present Arms
THE WHO- Quadrophenia
EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL- 1st album, Love Not Money
THE B-52’S- 1st album
THE SPECIALS- 1st album, Ghost Town
SIMPLE MINDS- Son’s and Fascination
GEN X- Kiss Me Deadly
REM- Reckoning
THE POLICE- Outlandos Damour, Reggatta De Blanc
VAN MORRISON- Astral Weeks, Moondance
BOB MARLEY-Babylon by Bus
JOY DIVISION- Closer
BILLY BRAGG- Life’s a Riot With Spy VS Spy
BIG COUNTRY- The Crossing
TALK TALK- The Colour of Spring, The Spirit of Eden
THE WATERBOYS- This is the Sea, A Pagan Place
DEAD CAN DANCE- Spleen and Ideal
SONIC YOUTH- Evol, Bad Moon Rising
BRIAN ENO- Discreet Music, Music for Airports
THE POGUES- Rum, Sodomy and the Lash
RADIOHEAD- The Bends, OK Computer
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT- Poses
DINOSAUR Jr- You’re Living All Over Me, Bug
WILCO- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
JAMES- Laid
TRAVIS- The Invisible Band
JEFF BUCKLEY- Grace
COCTEAU TWINS- Treasure, The moon and the Melodies
HAWKSLEY WORKMAN- Lover/Fighter
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE- 1st album
HUSKER DU- Candy Apple Grey
MY BLOODY VALENTINE- Loveless
SIGUR ROS- Live at the Icelandic Opera House
NUGGETS- The Hits
RON SEXSMITH- Ron Sexsmith
RAISED BY SWANS- Codes and secret Longing
HAYDEN- Everything I Long For

As new music hits me over the head I’ll add it to my list