Weapon of choice: Microphone, computer.

Also known as: I dunno if it's this band, or all bands, or just all groups of friends, but we all have a few nicknames each. "Omar," "The Sheriff," "Uncle J." -- the list goes on. God knows what any of them mean, you'll have to ask the band.

How did you end up in the band? I drew the shortest of a series of very short straws. It's all Mark's fault, actually. I was happy being a designer, and I got roped into it.

If you weren't in Pitchshifter what would you be doing? Keeping my sanity? I would most likely be writing or designing. I hope it would be something creative, and not some mindless factory job ending in over-eating and drinking and watching Coronation Street regularly.

If you had to be any other member of the band, who would it be and why? I would have to be my brother Mark, just because I know where he's been. Lord knows what those other freaks have been up to.

How do you prepare before a gig? Eat as much carbs as I can at least two hours before, stretch, warm my voice up (which the band hate), and get manic. Shows are always better if you're manic. The best gigs I think we ever did were hung over as hell at 11am on Ozzfest. We knew we were lagging, so we had to up the ante ten-fold to overcompensate. Great gigs. I think me diving off Jason's drum kit into the crowd shortly before he smashed it up was a crowning moment of glory.

What's the first album you owned, and what's the last album you purchased? The first full-length album I bought was Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap by AC/DC. The last record I bought was Incubus' Morning view.

Last great book you read? That's a tough question -- there are so many great books. The last book I read was Spitting Off Tall Buildings, by Dan Fante. He's the son of John Fante, the man who inspired Charles Bukowski. His first book, Chump Change, inspired me to write a song by that title on the Deviant record. Check him out.

Three things you couldn't live without? My lady, my family, and my laptop.

Three things you could live without? The charts, racism, and "I think their music's alright but I wouldn't buy it."

Your choice: the contents of your wallet or the contents of your refrigerator? My fridge is empty because I'm never at home, so I'll go for the wallet: guitar pick, driving license, picture of my lady, four credit cards, three frequent flyer cards, one nose ring, three other people's business cards, two checks, no cash.

Biggest misconceptions, both about the band and you personally? About the band: that we take ourselves seriously. About me: that I don't do my own stunts.

People or organizations who are, or have been, influential visionaries to you (musical, literary, artistic, political, social, etc.). Jello Biafra from the Dead Kennedys has been a great lyrical influence on me. I think he hit the nail on the head with his insightful yet humorous takes on modern living. Dan Fante, John Fante and Charles Bukowski's books have inspired me to create.

Absolute must have's while on tour: Mobile phone, laptop, iPod, earplugs.

Pitchshifter has one simple rule while on tour: make it to your bunk before passing out and you're home free -- fail to and you're fair game for any number of embarrassing shenanigans. Who/what is your favorite tour story involving this? Man, there so many stories. I think giving the tour manager a coleslaw toupee has to take the crown for me. He went fucking mental when he woke up to a half pint of coleslaw hand crafted into the shape of a rug on his head, and started throwing it all around the bus. I don't think he ever really forgave us for that. We physically taped Jason into his bunk once. We drew swastika's on the tour manager's forehead and didn't tell him as we watched him check us all into a hotel. We created an entire nativity scene by drawing sad faces on fruit with a marker pen and put them in Jim's bunk. By far, the worst one was a sleeping drunk member of the crew getting his portrait taken in the back lounge with one of the band's "member" perched on his shoulder. It's endless. The best thing to do is make it to your bunk. Make it to your bunk and your home free.

What would the title of your yet-to-be-written Pitchshifter tell-all literary masterpiece be? No Blacks, No Irish, No Digitally Enhanced Rock.

Your favorite recipe? Savory: marmite on toast (food of the gods). Sweet: little chocolate cakes in Birds banana custard.

What has been your best experience while in the band? Wow, so many. Working with Jello Biafra; doing backing vocals on stage with The Specials; playing main stage at Reading; playing Jamaica for MTV; playing to 65,000 people on the UK Big Day Out; touring with Gravity Kills, Deftones, Quicksand, Static-X; doing three Peel Sessions; doing the session for Marry-Anne Hobbs; playing Japan, Australia -- too much stuff to count!

And the worst? Three broken toes, one chipped tooth, one fractured knee cap, one fractured shoulder, one broken metacarpal, three black eyes, two bouts of concussion, being away from my woman all the time, having to be nice to people who take delight in telling you they think your band sucks.

20 years from now what do you want Pitchshifter to be remembered for? Making unique music and standing by what we believed in.