Q: How is your musical taste towards metal music / other genres?

A: Anything works for me, if it´s good enough. I´m mainly a metalhead, but I have this basic respect for anykind of music. Writing and listening music would become stale if I couldn´t draw influences from other styles too.

Q: Your live performance looks quite confident these days...has it always been a natural thing to you? Did you use to be very nervous before the shows in the early days?

A: I don´t remember being too nervous ever. I´m old so I could be wrong. There might have been some more inward shaking, but like Ozzy said: "It´s my fucking show!" It´s probably harder to keep up the stamina and the groove throughout the whole set everytime. Being a bit more nervous would actually help there.

Q: Which album you've been listening to the most recently?

A: Danko Jones: Born a lion has had a rebirth in my CD-machine lately. It just F***king rocks! To finnish readers I have to recommend the DVD from the people´s legend Jaakko Teppo: Onnen Kerjäläiset. It´s absurd how great it is!

Q: Do you go to see a lot other bands' live shows?

A: I generally avoid clubs and such these days. Occasionally I get to see some bands when playing in a festival myself. Of course I´ve seen some really good shows after 2004, but it was absolutely great to see Judas Priest with Halford back at the front at a festival in Greece that summer. Watching the show from the photopit with one litre of Smirnoff helped of course...

Q: Reveal musical sceleton(s) in your closet??

A: Maybe the Jaakko Teppo thing I mentioned earlier. I sometimes watch a little Mtv or Voice, and always there´s something that somehow catches me. For instance Nelly Furtado´s Maneater is somehow absolutely disgusting and great at the same time. This has happened with a number of past hits and not so hots.

Q: Name one album you've bought that means especially much to you?

A: Rainbow: "Long live rock´n´roll". Childhood and musical awakening. "The Devil will take you away". Light and dark. The energy of a ten year old screaming the lyrics alone in a swing at the backyard. A whole world of different meanings, and electricity in every hair of my body.

Q: The instruments you use...how and why have you ended up using these particular gear?

A: Before moving on to Warwick equipment, I used to buy equipment just by shopping around, if I happened to have some extra cash. Not very often. Anyway, there are a few guys I know in the company that imports Warwick amps and basses here in Finland. Some years back they asked me to come over and check out some of their equipment. I tried the amps and the cabinets and found them good. As simple as that. I also asked if I could try out the Infinity model bass they had. I thought the F-holes were a really nice touch, but didn´t know if the bass itself was any good. Guys said: "Yeah, take it for a weekend". I took it and liked it so much that I called them next week from a studio in Sweden: "Sorry guys, I´m here two weeks, and you´re not getting the bass back".

Q: Have there been any turning points that have had strong effect on your musical career or musicianship?

A: I´ve always done everything from the basis of where I stand in that particular time. My style in playing or singing hasn´t really changed but grown into larger things which still include the past. I don´t know if one could call it a turning point, but I learned tremendously about music when I was studying to become a soundengineer. I recorded and played a hell of a lot of different things in a few years time (pop, rock, metal, commercials whatever), and produced, arranged and generally helped out a lot of my friends in different groups. My perspective about music was totally renewed by it. Of course the latest "turning point" for me is that I also became a member of Nightwish. It is the first time in my life that I can make a living just by being a musician. Never give up hope, eh?

Q: How do you like to spend your free time?

A: "I put on women´s clothing and hang around in bars"! Sometimes I watch Monty Python...

Q: What would be your future goals as a musician?

A: I try to be better, that´s obvious. However, for me, this means every aspect of playing, having a vision of your style in singing, playing and writing songs. A recognizable touch, sound, technique and emotion.