Starting Chapter

This post is for you to know littlebit deeper about me and my story in the music realm. I like to point out It's only my own perspective and view point from the year I strarted to get interested in making my own music. (1997) Key points over the years all the way to this day.

Early Years (1997-2007)

Before 2000's I was fascinated by making music by recording with casette decks. We mostly made music with some old casio keyboard and neighbour (Tomi Luoto) had drums so I went over for recordings. Tomi played Drums and I sang. We basically understood early on that it's mostly about the rythm and vocals. We did use some keyboards but later on I found program called Anvil studio. With that my midi based journey started. I could only make MAX 1min songs with when recording vocals.

Early 2000's

Somewhere 2002 I started to play guitar. I bought Williams Stratocaser and a Williams 15w amp. They were bad, so bad... But I really was interested in learning some cool guitar riffs, melodies and stuff. I lived on a countryside so there really isn't too much else to do. So music was the logical way to entertain and express myself. Also rythm is in my blood since my dad was in Rock Finland Championships (ROCK SM) competition year 1984 just to mention. It happens to be the very same year Asko Kallonen was there with the band Keba from the city of Helsinki.

Somewhere on years 2006 or 2007 I was starting to gasp the most explosive and hardest techniques with quitar. Sweep picking, finger style, alternate picking, economy picing, pinch harmonics, legato, tapping, Sqealing, left handed play...etc Pretty much everything. Later my dad reformed their old band. That helped me to get opportunity to play their sons so we started playing together. We played atleast once a week. I of course wanted more, but maybe the living distance was the problem... In drums there was still my neighbour Tomi Luoto.

Finally Got Something

This "project", as I call it started late 2008. I was playing alot at home training skills all the time every day. Just finding new things to learn from the internet and trying them out. Ear training by trying to learn songs by listening and trying to find the notes. Then tabulatures and I had program called Guitar Pro too so learning songs was really fun and easy. I had to have objective view with that because at times the tabs were actually wrong! I really paid alot attention on learning all about theory. Scales and modes. I even learned to make my own notatations from my own composings. I could say I cared and I developed it every single day. I had a rule. Play atleast 30min every single day and aim to be the best in the world.

Recording guitar somewhere year 2009.

Gig Offer Missed by Army Call

End of the year year 2008 my band was called for our first gig opportunity to a local pub. Too bad I was going to go to army in January. In finland we have this mandatory army service for all healthy men. This Gig was going to be february so we had to skip it. Even tho the song list would of been semi narrow. We just basically played too rarely to build a huge gig-set.

I went to the Army 12th of January 2009 and got out 8th of January 2010. I had opportunities to play guitar in my army service. We had an instrument room in our Military home. I played as much as I could. I did gym and running on the evenings too on my free time there. There was a system that if I did 7 of evening runs or evening gyms I would get one day OFF from army. I was so much doing sports there they didn't even give me all of the free days which I had earned. Captain just said: "Never seen something like this". Hard work has allways been in my blood and talking about the guitar playing development I normally would play atleast minimum of a 7h a week. There I played less than 5h / week. Some forest week clean zero hours *SOB*. What you have to understand is that at times when I got out of service and before that time I had even days when I played 12 hours straight not even getting tired. 5h * 7days * 52weeks * 20 years = 36 400 hours of playing. And I feel I am even underestimating this a little. Because averages were really high.

Here is me performing Canon Rock

We Had a Baby

I thought it's worth mentioning. 3.3.2014 was born my beautiful daughter Jasmin. I do not go deeper in to details. But healthy beautiful daughter is growing day by day.

New band United Flames was formed

After separation with my spouse year 2014 I decided to start pursuing forming a first serious band. I imagined pictures of conguering the europa. I found members trough local pubs and started talking and inspiring them trough my visions. Fast forward I just say that I managed to motivate the newly formed band members to play with me as many days as possible. Staying super positive trough my high motivation of making it in the industry. We even played some weeks 7 days a week pure training. Neighbours even came to watch. We even had some "miniature gigs" by that. I teached my band members about the importance of click play. They developed quickly and we started getting alot of gig opportunities inside Pirkanmaa area. Band ended late 2017 after tens and tens of gigs. Closing in on 100 different venues. Main reason of quitting was that band members had too much problems with alcohol. Bandplay can be rough because alcohol is rarely out of the picture. It's just toxic and treacherous relationship.

I will add some band pictures over the years.

2015 Lead Vocalist Heli Rekunen

2016 Lead vocalist Pauliina Koskinen

2017 Lead vocalists Markus Helenius and Niko Nääppä

Gig in Jack the Rooster 2017

One for a good measure.

United Flames and Revolver Studio

3.3.2017 We went in to Revolver Studio for recording. There I met my first studio mentor my great-uncle Asko Ahonen. He's one of the great industry people and has really huge portfolio with great artists under his belly. Kirka (Kirill) Babitzin, Tommi Läntinen, Sonata Arctica...etc From there I got my first biggest studio music, mixing and mastering inspirations.

United Flames in Revolver Studio 3.3.2017

Studio, EDM, Rap and Pop Producing Joyrney Aka. Music for the people and radio

My vision and goals changed trastically when the band ended. My new goal was to develope mixing and mastering skills to the top notch level so I could get my music to the radio playlists. That's still my biggest goal. I've managed to get few plays here and there already but I want something more lasting. However we look it, Most of the industry's money is in the radio. Basically attitude is just follow the green. That's why I also mix for the people. There is some simple cash trough happy clients. There was absolutely no money in bandplay. Or if there was it's just isn't enough when it's shared with 5 or even 6 different people. Back then I did it mostly because of the love for the sport. You still have to eat something.


Casual picture from my studio. Whatsapp open =D

Fast forward again. I did my homework: I read my books (Sibelius Academy), searched for the internet any place I could find information for my development, put my theory understanding to a good use. That's why I also changed my thinking about guitar playing, that even tho I feel I am "a guitar god", it still is just a tool. Noone can be an icon trough guitar play no more. Not in this day and age. I do respect any guitarists, but it's still just a tool to do a great song. Atleast for now and for me. There is alot of stuff at play when doing serious music.


Track "Siirry Seuraavaan" editing.

I threw my knowledge in the trash and just started using my imagination. As Scott McCulloch said "it's all about the imagination". Who's Scott McCulloch? He's the very same man who sued The Weeknd for 50 million for plagiarizing their song. xD... And yes he's my friend. I even got phone number from Billboard top 1 Loza Alexander since I also made my EDM take of that Let's Go Brandon Song. Anyway about imagination thing. Imagination took me to all of my opportunities. Breaking the rules and thinking outside of the box all the freaking time. You have to be special somehow. Let the fusion happen. I do think that theory can be a wall to be creative at times. When you have put hours in after that you can start experimenting. I now have deals from 4 different labels and I know there will be opportunity after opportunity. Since I already did it once, that is how I know it will happen again. There will be allways an another success.

I end this just by saying that when I started noone believed in me ever. Absolutely noone. It was just me and I kind of see it now that "I really did it. I really made it happen". Now I know. And only thing left is me knowing and trusting. Moving forward. Don't get me wrong. I needed to go trough some serius hardships and the willpower was tested. But at the end there is strong and happy man who will keep on grinding and allways thinking "The best songs are coming in the future." That's a mindset what I think really helps me staying moving forward at all times. That's my brand and that's why my YouTube is called MGrind. I even had World Record in Unreal Gold Speedrun. I'm a winner and I will grind 'till I do IT or 'till the day I DIE. I allways finish it off. Longest days in the studio are 17h long. That's something about devotion and determination to you. Remember it's the worlds most competitive industry. That's why there is no easy way out. 200 projects per year since year 2018.

Projects from 2018 to May 2022.

Projects from 2018 to March 2024. We're staying at it!

Thank you very much for reading! I certainly hope this inspired you!