Name: Timo Niemistö

Date of birth: 15.4

Place of birth: Tampere, Finland

Sign: Aries

Influences: Tony MacAlpine, Michael Romeo, David Gilmour,
Eric Johnsson, J.S.Bach

Favourite bands: Symphony X, Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, Artension, Kamelot, Kansas

Favourite albums: V - The New mythology suite(Symphony X)
Maximum Security(Tony Macalpine) Talk(Yes)

Favourite songs:
Through the looking glass(Symphony X), High hopes(Pink Floyd), Saucerful of secrets(Pink Floyd)

Food: Pasta, simple food.

Favourite Actor/actress: Nicholas Gage, Susan Sarandon, Bruce Cambell, Harrison Ford, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman

Favourite quote(s): "Music is not a matter of life and death, it is a lot more."

Movies: Forrest Gump, Green mile, The Hurricane, Star wars movies, sci-fi, fantasy and adventure movies.

Hobbies:

Gear: Ibanez J-Custom, Ibanez Prestige RG 1527, Ibanez RG 7321, ESP M-II Custom, ESP 901, Hughes & Kettner Switchblade 100 Head, Mesa/Boogie TriAxis preamp,
Mesa/Boogie Midi Matrix, Mesa/Boogie 2:90 power amp, Abacus midi pedal, Digitech 1101 - preamp/FX processor+control 2 - floorboard, Digitech 2120 - preamp/effect processor,
Pod pro-preamp(for backup) Marshall 9200 power amp(EL34 100/100), AKG wms 40 wireless system and Hughes & Kettner cabinets. Once i had a money and life too...

Musical background:

My family background is quite musical so I grew up with music and
instruments. Deep Purple and Uriah Heep came familiar along my fathers
music hobby. I admired Blackmore's and Lord's way to combine classical
themes in rock music because classical music has allways been close to my heart.
At first I learned to play some melodies by piano and later on my father showed
me a couple chords for guitar. I got my very first guitar at christmas 1984 (toy Stratocaster made of plastic .

In the early years the instrument didn't matter,
it was more important to play and develop your own ideas, after all that what it's all about i think.
The first band i got in to as a drummer, was a punk-band called "Tasohöylä". Thank god that band didn't have a future,
lots of funny memories anyway. As a teenager i was a huge Kiss fan and i dreamed of flying guitars and exploding microphones
I was very fascinated of rock image and glamour until i got my first Tony MacAlpine record from Jari(Kuokkanen).
That was kind of a turning point in my daily practising.


Actually i have allways been more interested about composing and song structures than shredding
but i allways try to test my limits also as a player.

I begun to have classical guitar lessons and i got interested in music theory.
I was about 15 when got more into bands like Kansas, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd and i
felt it more interesting than a stuff i heard from a radio or MTV.
I have allways been a fan of instrumental music, movie soundtracks and classical music.
And i think it have teached me to concentrate more closely of listening music.
For me, a good song is like a book or movie with it's highs and lows,
action and thinking, joy and sorrow, love and hate, and it doesn't necessarily have to fit in a radio;)
For me publicity isn't a measure of success, finding a balance in life is.
I like to live in a dream where everything is possible.

Skills are not limited, our time is.