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.

1. WHEN AND HOW DID YOU START PLAYING YOUR INSTRUMENT?

I started playing at the age of 12 or 13. It´s been too many years and too many drinks for me to actually remember. It was right after my brother started playing and I thought that the noise he was making was quite cool, but could be better, so I set out to best him. I started with the guitar as well, but I had to switch to bass because of the lack of fellow musicians in the little country place, where we´re from (Zac and me). That´s probably the reason why we ended up playing in a same group anyway. Singing came along with my first band when I was 13. Nobody else had the guts to try it, so I did it and soon enough it became a passion.

2. HAVE YOU TAKEN ANY VOCAL/BASS/GUITAR LESSONS? HOW OFTEN YOU PRACTICE OR USED TO PRACTICE?

I´ve taken guitar lessons when I was 13. Classical guitar and vocal lessons when was 15 to 18 in a musical college. I must confess that my singing teachers weren´t too happy with my style sometimes. I´m still grateful for the techniques they showed and helped me to understand, but they showed little understanding to anything else than classical stuff, which often sadly is the case in those circles.

I also took bass lessons in Oulunkylä pop and jazz conservatory when I was 18 to 20. I used to practise at least 2-6 hours when I started playing and singing. It´s hard for me to say when I eased up on it a bit, but these days I play my bass a little bit almost every day. I play acoustic guitar practically every day.

I also do a certain kind of vocaltherapy rehearsals everyday except for the days that I have to sing anyway (studios, gigs, etc.). No rehearsing at all, if I have a hangover.

3. HOW DID YOU END UP IN TAROT?

We founded the band.

4. THE BEST PART OF BEING A MUSICIAN?

To be able to do what´s in your heart. Free beer is a nice bonus.

5. WHICH ALBUM ALONG ITS TOURS ETC. BRINGS OUT THE BEST MEMORIES TO YOU?

All the albums and every tour have had their moments. Memories both good and bad. I have a special place in my heart for the first big festival gig in Beachrock 1986. We were playing on the main stage right after Twisted Sister and the crowd and the feeling we had was awesome. I´m not gonna start to spin any stories here, because this would soon turn into a book, and most of it would need to be censured anyway. Let´s just say that from what I´ve seen, the happiest musicians are the naked musicians.