I picked up the guitar already as a kid, but really got into practising at the age of fifteen or thereabouts, after meeting some of the guys (Mikael Grönroos, Lari Sorvo) I still continue to play and write music with. As a teen I was madly into the 80's & 90's guitar heroes such as Jason Becker, Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci and the likes, but nowadays it's mainly for the sense of nostalgia that I listen to the work of these awesome guitarists. That being said, I still think that the solo in Under A Glass Moon by John Petrucci is definitely one of the coolest guitar solos ever.

Another major wake up call for me music-wise was the discovering of the band Freak Kitchen and its unbelievably versatile, clever and talented guitarist/singer/songwriter Mattias "IA" Eklundh in 2007, whose playing has influenced mine tremendously. It's because of him that I really got into rehearsing a lot again after a few years of just noodling around with the guitar, not having anything new, innovative or groovy to play.

I listen to a lot of different music ranging from the prog-rock bands of the 60-70s to modern technical death metal and easy going electro - music is a mood thing for me, not a conviction. However, there's a special place in my heart for well-played, well-arranged and composed metal regardless of the genre, though I reserve the right to be the judge on that for my part.

It took some time for me to find "the perfect" guitar I'd enjoy playing, but a couple of years back I bought this used PRS CE24 and it's been my main axe ever since. It's a great piece of workmanship, and a really cool mix between a modern, low-action shred guitar and a more "vintage" type rock guitar.

In addition to playing live shows, recording stuff at a studio or just rehearsing for a gig at our rehearsal place, I really just enjoy hanging out with all of the guys of Shear. It’s not just the music that ties us together, but also a deep and rather rare type of friendship which I find invaluable and special.