Jaakko Nikko - Bass / Roo Chapus - Guitars / Juke Eräkangas - Drums

Hometown: Espoo
Food: Italian, Mexican, Finnish, Indian
Drink: Coffee, Water, Beer, Red Wine, Whisky, DR. Pepper
Extra info: Louder than most
Motto: Why not make songs more complex?
Other Bands: Reversion, Myrsky.
Thumb up: Holidays, Family, Computer softwares, Complete guide to beer
Thumb down: Drunk groupies, car service bills, flu

Basses :
-Yamaha TRB JM, 6-string, ruby red
-Yamaha TRB JM, 6-string, turquoise blue
-M.V. Pedulla Series II, 5-string, black
-Ibanez BTB 550, 4-string, natural
-Mayones Slogan Classic, 6-string

Amplification:
-Hartke model 7000
-Hartke 215XL (2*15")
-Warwick 410 (4*10")

Effects:
-Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
-Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive
-Boss BF-3 Flanger
-Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus
-Boss SYB-5 Synth Bass
-Gator pedal tote
-Korg AX-1000

Musical influences :
Iron Maiden
Helloween
Metallica
Faith No More
Pantera
Fishbone
Dream Theater
Rush
Pekka Pohjola
Bruce Dickinson
Nevermore
Transatlantic
Meshuggah
Stam1na
A Perfect Circle
Opeth
Testament
Lamb of God
Textures


BIO:
"I started playing bass at the age of 13
(year 1987) when my father brought home
a lovely Rickenbacker clone.
At first my dad taught me some basic stuff like chords and basic music theory. Shortly after that I started taking private lessons from various teachers in Helsinki capital area. Early on I started to play along records, mainly metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Metallica and Helloween but also learned a lot from acts like Weather Report, Pekka Pohjola, Chick Korea, the fusion stuff. I also practiced a lot of guitar (yeah, Satriani, Vai, Malmsteen, Vinnie Moore, you know :), but for some reason the bass has been my main focus all the time. All in all I would say that my main teachers has been the records and the playing itself. Nowadays I would say that my main musical interests are Metal in its many forms, but I also like Funk, Fusion, Jazz and so forth.

From the first year onward I have always been in a band. At some point we almost lived in the reheasal studio. The first bands were like blues-rock jamming bands with schoolmates, but initially they began to be more ambitious. Throughout the years I have played in an instrumental metal band, Grunge act, Funk band, various metal bands, numerous party bands and so forth, all of these were based in Helsinki area. Nowadays my main bands are Reversion, progressive metal, and ROO band, instrumental rock. I also have taken part in various studio sessions as a hired bass fiddler. I am known for quite strong stage presence as I don't like to hide behind my bass stack, I like to entertain :) I have about 300 gigs under my belt, and still counting.

Talking about gear. I still use my Hartke 7000 amp I bought 1991 (that's 20 years ago, man!), that piece of equipment has seen so much. Alongside that I had a Peavey 1820 for almost as long. Nowadays I have Warwick 4*10" and Hartke 2*15" cabinets, I like the air move. As far as instruments go, I naturally started with basic 4 stringed instrument (that Rickenbacker copy). Quickly I bought a crappy washburn B-10. My first "real" bass was M.V. Pedulla Series II 5-string, bought in 1992, which I still own. That was my main instrument for 15 years. Currently I play 6-stringed Yamahas, the John Myung model. I also have a bunch of other basses (Ibanez, Tokai etc), some of them tuned in some weird ass way, depending on the project. Effectwise I go for what the song needs, currently I have five Boss pedals, Tuner, Synth bass, Distortion, chorus and flanger. I might use then or then not :)
Lately I have been listening to the following bands: Periphery, Porcupine Tree, Meshuggah, Rush, Animals as Leaders, Chimp Spanner, Opeth..."