Brian Borcherdt has been performing music under a handful of personas for many years. Burnt Black tore up the east coast of Canada under the radar of the 'œeast coast explosion'? and now he's involved in so many projects it will make your head spin. Playing guitar in By Divine Right, writing songs for Holy Fuck, Hot Carl and his eponymous songwriting project, as well as co-managing the Dependent Records label based out of both Halifax and Toronto, Brian keeps himself damn busy. Outoftheshine caught up with him for a brief chat by email.

Who the fuck is Holy Fuck and what the fuck are you doing? I like to picture a Tie Fighter from Star Wars, pimped up with a really cool stereo. Basically we're trying to imitate electronic music, without any of the gear '” without laptops, MIDI or drum machines. Even the 'œturntable'? scratches are being made on film editing equipment. When we exclusively create music in a technological realm, we begin to unconsciously affect all aspects of its outcome. We end up with something made of polyester rather than cotton. That's okay, but it's always going to be dated, sometimes in an embarrassing way. Have you ever noticed how bands like Black Sabbath would flirt with a synth part, only to severely date an otherwise timeless rock anthem? What sounded cool at the time, now sounds like a giant cartoon clown farting out rainbows. With Holy Fuck I want to embrace electronics, but in a way that even I can't influence or predict the outcome. I want to pick something out of the trash and go, 'œI wonder what this does?'?, plug it into an amp, crank it through a bunch of pedals, get a drummer and a bass player to throw something over top. I'm fascinated by things that are random, with ugly appendages. I like fuck-ups and unpredictable changes. I want music to waggle its ugly dick around. I want it to get drunk and do something stupid.

When you think of the name 'œHoly Fuck,'? how do you see it being said? Angrily? In disbelief? Maybe just the words themselves? I picture it being written, in really out-of-context places, like in stained glass, or embroidered doilies.

How much of Holy Fuck is improv and how much is written? It is all improv. We go in with a certain mission statement, like let's not fuck up, lose the beat, or get stuck on one groove that really starts to annoy people.

What is your favorite use of the word 'œfuck'?? I like it most in the context of personal titles. I think people should be naming their pets Captain Fuck-O and their newborn daughters Sir Fucks-A-Lot.

Your recent solo disc (The Remains of Brian Borcherdt) is beautiful, your work with By Divine Right is rockin', and your Hot Carl project is one of the best dance parties around... how is it possible that you still have musical voids to fill? I still want to have a band that makes stuff up together. Remains... is just my outlet for songwriting, something I always hope to have. Hot Carl and By Divine Right, for me, are about getting together with friends and having fun as a band and as an audience. Holy Fuck is really me just trying something out that I always wanted to experiment with.

With all these projects on the go, do you ever get mistaken for Evan Clarke or Jeremy Gara? You mean that guy from that band and that guy from that other band?

What do you think a city like Toronto could learn from the east coast small towns you grew up in? How to drop out of school early and join a fishing fleet '” really not much else. Toronto is going to be different from a town like Halifax simply because there are more people here in a much larger, and more spread-out city. Most of what I miss about the East Coast is directly related to being in a smaller community with cheaper rehearsal rooms. Everything is more immediate with less exhaustive deliberation.