The Band Is...

	Name: John McGrath Instruments: Lead Guitar, Doubleneck Guitar, Acoustic Guitars, Violin Bow, Theremin, and devices. Bio: John was evidently a disconcerting infant, creating bizarre storms of talcum powder and imitating speech patterns but not actual speech. This foreshadowed his unusual approach to the guitar: Make it sound interesting and make it fit, but try to make it sound like something else other than guitar. Be it violin bow, Ebow, or an myriad of electro-harmonix effects....rarely is the guitar signal straightforward. Despite a fascination with odd sounds, John DOES appreciate good melody, which may explain why even the most chaotic Hemlok cacophony still has a song beating at its heart. Various favourites include VAST, King Crimson, Van Der Graaf Generator, Muse, (Peter Gabriel era) Genesis and Rush. John also enjoys strange films with a flair for the surreal ("The Fountain" was a recent favourite), the grotesque ("Suspiria", anyone?), or sheer ominous fun (Think "2001" or "The Seventh Seal"). Completely contrasting this is a love of BBC Science fiction, from "Blakes 7" to "Doctor Who". Books figure into the regimen as well, usually historical details or oddities that history classes care to skip over. (Six-fingered queens? They happened, y'know....)
	Name: Chris Whittier Instruments: Vocals, Screams (If you care to call them that), Ocassional Guitar. Bio: One of Chris's most influential gifts while he was growing up, was a keyboard. It didn't do him much good in the piano playing world, but it did open the doorway to music for him. In 2005 Chris released a CD under the name Seeking Quiddity, the offspring of a personal journey through the turbulent waters of a normal life. Simple songs bound together with powerful emotions are his trademark. Although Chris still actively plays guitar, he is concentrating most of his energies on his voice. Chris's favorite bands are, without question, Nightwish, and Muse. And he is a huge fan of Clive Barker's novels, movies and artwork.
	Name: Matt Pasetti Instruments: Drums Bio: It was 5th grade when Matt picked up his first pair of drumsticks; ever since, music has been a top priority in his life. He participated in Concert and Jazz band through 5th-7th grade, and at the high school level he excelled at these as well as marching band, pit percussion for school musicals, and was a member of his local church youth music program. After high school was when his drumming really started to take shape. He worked with the local band "The Intruder" for several years writing melodic, and sometimes outright painfully Heavy Metal, and Grind Core, and also worked on his own Power Metal side project "Visions of Perfection" before joining Hemlok in May of 2009. Matt plans to bring a whole new dynamic to the band, because of his good ears, and his ability to compose many styles of music. His biggest enjoyment in life is his family, friends, and his love for pizza.
	Name: Kevin Williams Instruments: Bass, Guitar, Backup Vocals Bio: Music is the center of Kevin’s life. He teaches guitar and bass locally in Rhode Island and also directs young choirs. Prior to joining Hemlok he played guitar in the modern rock band Fate’s Cruel Joke. FCJ and Hemlok had played quite often together and it seemed only natural that Kevin would join a band he’d known and respected for years. In addition to his low-end duties with Hemlok, Kevin is also a songwriter and composer who has provided music for independent films both locally and across the nation. Material of this nature can be sampled at his soundclick website www.soundclick.com/kevinwilliams on the main page or in the music section. He holds advanced degrees in performance and composition and his bass playing is primarily influenced by Tool, Incubus, Pink Floyd, and J.S. Bach.
	Name: Chie Fujioka Instruments: Acoustic Violin & Vocals Bio: It was perfectly clear from Chie's rendition of "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" at the age of three, subsequent classical training, and orchestral and church performances, that she would eventually play violin in a rock band. Ok, maybe not exactly, but she definitely jumped at the chance to make some music with Hemlok. She loves listening to (and singing along with) Nickle Creek, Fiona Apple, Nightwish, Pink Floyd, Ella Fitzgerald, Bjork, Prokofiev, Dan the Automator, The Smashing Pumpkins, and many other completely different musicians/composers. She's a math and computer science gamer nerd turned artist, pursuing a career in industrial design. Her weaknesses are surrealism, eye candy, fiction, fruit, tea, the color green, and cats.