Name:

Age:

Location:

1985:

1987:

Jonny 'Phage' Holding

36

Teesside, UK

Formed first band, International Situation, with friends from school. Line-up changed when I went to college, and played my first gig.

After several name changes and gigs of varying quality, Disciples of the New Church was born. The original line-up was: Mark Boyle-Vocals; Jonny Holding-Guitar & Backing Vocals; Mike Iddison-Bass & Backing Vocals and Tom Iddison-Drums & Backing Vocals.

A disagreement mid-rehearsal, saw Mark leave the band and me step up to the microphone! It seemed natural, as I was writing most of the lyrics as well as the music. The band continued to gig as a 3-piece outfit, until I left to go to Uni.

Studied Computer Science at North Staffordshire and then Teesside Universities, culminating in a project to write my own MIDI sequencer. Bought a 4-track recorder and a Commodore Amiga and began my long-term love affair with computer generated music.

After 4 years of writing and recording music on my own, I became involved in a new band, Disillusioned. Probably the best band I've ever been part of, the original line-up was: Mark Boyle-Vocals; Mike Walker-Guitar & Backing Vocals; Jonny Holding-Guitar & Backing Vocals; Phil Dunn-Bass and Dr Rhythm-Drums & Percussion. Sadly, despite extensive rehearsal, the band only played live once.

By this time, I was using a PC to create music and I bought a program called ReBirth, a software synth based on the classic Roland TB-303 Synth and the TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines. I created my first CD Dystopia under the name lowlife.

ReBirth totally changed the way I wrote music and was the driving force behind Dysfunction, a 4-piece 'Groove-Metal' band comprising: Jonny Holding-Vocals, Guitar & Programming; Mike Walker-Guitar, Vocals & Programming; Phil Dunn-Bass and Karl Bavin-Synths. Percussion and backing synth parts were programmed and played back through a PC.

Karl left and the band changed names to Broken Halo. The PC now covered all percussion and synth duties, as well as doubling as a virtual recording studio. Using Cubase VST, we began recording material to release on CD. Also created 2nd lowlife CD: D-Jenerate

A 3rd CD: Chemical, credited to Broken Halo was released but, as a result of Mike and I spending more and more time experimenting with the music software we'd acquired (ReBirth, Reason and Fruity Loops to name but a few), Broken Halo broke up.

At around the same time, all the mounting pressures and stresses in my own life came to a head, and I broke down...

My greatest weapon against my breakdown, and the depression/anxiety that followed, was my music. So I began a kind of self-help music therapy, writing about how I felt and how I perceived the situation around me. This became Project: Self.

Although Project: Self is a 1-off project, I intend to continue writing in a similar style, as Phage.

1988-1992:

1996: