About the Fixtures

Jay “Hold The” Mayo

Jay Mayo is a man of a multitude of talents. He has silky vocal tones, can play many instruments, is an accomplished stand-up comedian and one time podcaster.

Jay has previously worked with the Fixtures on producing and playing on the album Wake Up, It’s Not Over, singing on Former Glory and produced the recording of Timothy Parenteau’s guitar playing and again provided backing vocals for Where Our Hearts Can Be A Shambles.

On Truer Crime Jay again proved invaluable on vocals and guitar.

Dr. Nick Consol “King of the Keys”

The doctor is an exceptional tinkler of the ivories and no mistake. You can hear his expert, synth, melodic jazz stylings on previous Fixtures albums Former Glory and Songs ’bout Them Wot Make Movies and Where Our Hearts Can Be A Shambles.

Nick is most well known for his work as the resident pianist with celebrated chanteuse, Joelle Lurie.

Besides music, movies and travel, he is also an avid fan of the New York Yankees, the Buffalo Sabres and the San Francisco 49s.

He lives in New York with his girlfriend, two cats and an ever expanding collection of horror movie soundtracks on vinyl.

Jonny Cole of Jonny & the Kid

Jonny Cole is a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist who also goes by Jonny & the Kid which is the solo project of the titular Jonny, and his collaborators, known collectively as “the Kid”. Under the moniker he released recordings of his piano-pop stories which were all written, performed, recorded and mixed by Jonny in his New Forest home where he is tolerated by his loving family.

He enjoys collaboration and has developed a friendship through music with Jon Cross and previously leant his piano and horn playing to Former Glory.

Now on Truer Crime he’s provided more wonderful brass and even a few inventive remixes!

Matt Farley of Motern Media

Matt Farley is the most prolific songwriter of all time.
He also makes movies, has a podcast, does long walks, mails out a newsletter about his long walks, performs a monthly residency in his home town and an annual 5 hour Extravaganza, has appeared on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and created a Christmas Special in celebration of reclusive, outsider artist, Jandek.

Matt started his company, Motern Media so he could release the music and movies he made with his friends.  He makes a movie with Director, Charles Roxburgh and Guitarist/Actor, Tom Scalzo every few years. Farley and Scalzo have been part of a prolific songwriting duo called Moes Haven since 1996. They have 25 albums.

In 2008, Farley started writing songs about every topic imaginable.  If someone might search for it, Farley will have a song about it.  As of 2020, he has released more than 20,000 songs.

Hilde Heynickx

Thanks to all of the modern day (social) media gimmicks, Hilde contributed (backing) vocals for Truer Crime from her home in Belgium.

Singing has always been a constant in her life, but apart from singing in the shower, the occasional jam sessions or karaoke nights at university, with Jon, she didn’t really get into it more seriously until after her kids where older.

Nowadays she sings in an ambitious pop choir and participates in several pop up choir events. In 2021 she’s looking forward to perform at the World Choir Games in Antwerp, Belgium.

Kirk Howle of Leopardactyl, Kirkapella and Xorxeror

Kirk Howle is a visual artist and musician based in Jersey City, NJ. When he’s not working on animation projects in his spare time, Kirk dabbles in a variety of music styles and genres. Mostly self-taught, Kirk has played bass guitar in heavy metal bands Human Prey and Plowing Mud Forever, keyboard in two-man experimental noise rock combo Leopardactyl, vocals for the a-capella-inspired side project Kirkapella, and tongue drum for his most recent new age instrumental solo project Xorxeror. All the tracks from Xorxeror’s debut album “Fall the Eels” can be downloaded for free on Soundcloud. For an example of Kirk’s animation, check out Juan Johnson and the Warriors of Magic Time.

Gary Hornseth AKA DJ Narthex

For better or worse, Gary Hornseth took the name DJ Narthex after spinning records for a party held in a church hall and adopting the most techno-sounding church architecture word. It stuck.

A voracious lifelong music listener but more recently a player and songwriter, he kept the name some years later when he began recording DIY songs alongside being a dad and PR guy. Until very recently, he recorded all his vocals in his 2006 Honda Civic (parked).

He’s pledging, as he pledged falsely in 2019, to release his first solo LP in 2020. Probably under a new name. Meantime you can listen to some of his stuff, including contest-losing covers of songs by fellow Fixtures Cross and Farley, here.

Johnny Unicorn of Zorznijor

Johnny Unicorn is a multi-instrumentalist and composer. Zorznijor is a Seattle recording project that he started in 2016, as something to do in between making his own solo music. He invented the word “Zorznijor” because he likes the way it sounds. It has no meaning beyond that.

Johnny’s favorite thing has always been recording and putting out albums. As Johnny Unicorn, he releases an album roughly every two years, and slowly chips away at the recordings until they feel done. Zorznijor is his way to express the build up of ideas that would otherwise be held hostage by his recording process, as well as a personal challenge to see how much music he can make. The first draft is often as listenable as the final product, so why not release everything? This project allows him to see my new albums available for streaming a bunch of times in a year instead of just every once in a while. Matt Farley’s Motern Media has been my inspiration for high-volume recording.

Mitch Armbruster of Tod Got Overexcited

Mitch is a groovy brass man of high esteem. He is also a dab hand on other instruments as well.

He is a self described poser indie pop artist, dad, husband, lawyer and enthusiast of history, books, quantum physics, etc.

In 2019 he released the debut album by his band Tod Got Overexcited, The Kids Are Alright this was quickly followed up by a Christmas single and then a collaboration with The Area 51 Singers lead to the formation of Power The City and their debut album 2020 Vision.

Mitch also won the Bride of Chickenstein Podcast‘s Miscellaneous Plumbing Fixtures cover song challenge, as is evidenced by his prize of that snazzy Fixtures Tee he’s wearing in the photo.

Justin Timpane

Justin is a writer, director, actor, composer and musician best known for his Ninja Vs. trilogy, Trekoff: The Motion Picture and his role in Don Dohler‘s Dead Hunt and for composing the music.

You can find most of his work here on Amazon.

He also has his own Star Trek Podcast – Trekoff which he co-hosts.

Justin raps on the opening track of the new Fixtures album. That’s right, I said it, he RAPS. Exciting stuff!

TF Parent

Mr. Parent is a bad ass axe man, wailing sweet on his electric guitar.

He also writes a monthly column for Jon Cross’s movie website – aftermoviediner.com – covering films that are turning 25 years old.

He’s a self described wanna-be writer, half-decent musician and superb drinker of alcohols.