TONY KAKKO VOCALS, KEYBOARDS
Date of birth: 16.05.1975
Joined band: 1996 (original)
Equipment: Shure Microphones(live), multitude of keyboards(lately mostly Native Instruments KOMPLETE KONTROL S61 & S88, but also my old war horse Korg Triton Pro & Kurzweil K2600xs), shitload of software instruments, Tanglewood steal string acoustic guitar and ukulele plus few other guitars …and some other random things.
How did you become a musician? By an accident. Did not aim at it. Sort of just drifted in. Music chose me.
Where do you see yourself 20 years from now? Probably still doing what I do now. Hopefully.
Musical inspiration: Everything and anything. I derive from things that make me feel something. Laugh, sad…the good old goosebump- meter.
What’s in the music folder on your phone/computer/other device? Too much to list. All sorts of things from classical music, to jazz, blues, rock, metal, extreme metal…what ever works for me.
What is your favorite song from each of your albums? I can’t answer this one.
Favorite song ever to play live: I should change this all the time, so…
Best tour experience off-stage: Probably one of the touristic adventures somewhere. There are so many good ones all over the world.
Best country to tour in: Honest answer: I enjoy touring in North-America. I just enjoy the vibe for some reason. So much things to see and experience. Things that I actually WANT to see and experience.
Best thing to get from fans on tour: Things that I can actually carry home. Or eat. Salmiakki is always good! Everybody loves salmiakki, right?
Huge paintings and such, as great as they are, always cause little problems as we only can easily carry as much as we can. If you wish to bring one as a gift it would be awesome if it was rollable and preferably come with a cardboard tube for it. It ensures it also makes it home in good condition.
But the bottom-line is; I greatly appreciate everything and anything I receive from the fans! 🙂
What I collect:
- I have I have a rather vast collection of HRC bears, I have bought all over the world.
- 1:18 die cast cars from the 1950´s and 60´s. if you want to get rid of yours: BRING ME!! HAHA!
- I don’t actually collect T-shirts, but just in case: my size is M. On hoodies L.
Warm-up ritual before you go on stage: One hour prior the show i start warming up my voice and body. Stretching and such. Voice I ofter warm up in many short sessions during the day, depending on how I feel, to ensure it works when the time comes.
Favorite food/drink: Chicken Caesar salad(pretty safe bet when asked what I want to have on tour) / Water, coffee, beer, whisky…on stage flat coke.
Favorite movie/series: My all time favourites include “X-Files”, “Band of Brothers”, “Back To The Future”, “Star Wars”, “Forrest Gump”, “The Shawshank Redemption”, Disaster movies such as “Twister” and “Dante’s Peak”. AND more…things I always go back to.
Favorite reads: 11.22.63 (or 22.11.63)
Favorite cartoon/comic: …The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, Aku Ankka(Donald Duck)…
Favorite game/sports: Soccer games, Pokemon Go, Red Dead Redemption II, GTA V… / jogging and gym.
Your kind of heaven: Where and whenever I find myself in a spot I want to be in. So it can be anywhere and just about any kind.
It would have clean nature, beautiful scenery OR a busy major city. I think it’s ultimately the people you’re with who create the heaven.
Your worst vice: Eating sweets. By far the most unhealthy anyway, I think. Let’s leave the psychological side out now. Haha!
What you’d do with a shitload of money: Buy things and use it to make people happy in various ways money can help you do that.
Hobbies, or rather what you do on tour to pass long travel/wait times: reading, movies…jogging/walking around if possible.
Place(s) you’d like to visit: There are many places I’ve never been to, like Iceland to name just one. Africa as a continent is a place I’ve never been to. And of course Antarctica.
Wise words: Are often spoken by children or stupid people who don’t realise what they just said. Just made that up.
Does it make it “wise”? Did I just render myself stupid or wise? Oh well…
Last but not least: Is there something you need??! Rest right now. And good nights sleep, every night, please. I need a lot of things, but maybe I write a book one day. Read that book.
Things to know about me:
- I do not sign Finnish flags. Even if a “fake” flag, it’s still a flag many people paid the ultimate price for me to have. It’s my way of respecting the sacrifice. Thank you for understanding. Happy to sign just about anything else, though. …I will add more oddities here when I come up with some.
Follow Me: www.instagram.com/tonykakko_official