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Lead Singer of Melodic Rock group, Sonata Arctica, Tony Kakko Interview
By Jonathon Freeman-Anderson

Sonata Arctica lead singer, Tony Kakko, feels fantastic and is ready for more hard rock as he explains what it takes to survive in the world of metal.

How's the current tour? "Hardest tour yet. I've been sick quite a lot. Getting lung x-rays in Spain. More shows than ever in such a short period time." Was it hard to transition to the U.S. market? "In the beginning it was kind of hard to come to U.S. because our English was choppy, mostly stuff you'd hear off T.V. It's definitely interesting. Outside actual shows, North America is really great with the 24-hour shops. We don't have that in Europe. It's fantastic, you can drive, go have a few beers, and get whatever you want in the U.S. I love it. It's almost like being home."

How did you start? "We started late '95, but got our contract in '99, and it's been around 10 years. Six albums out and two live things, it makes me feel really young and it's alarming to see your face in the mirror and it's not how you feel inside."

Have you had any scary experiences? "I remember this one time that was one of the scariest moments ever. Our first tour in Spain, this venue there had this terrible hailstorm and huge ice chunks came down and part of the ceiling collapsed on our gig. We had to cancel the show. Everybody was somewhat scared and 3000 people were standing in the rain getting pissed. The keyboardist of Stradivarius asked if we should cancel it. I said 'yea,' but then he said, 'have you ever been to a riot?' So, we did the show and all the bands did a great job. I'm sure a lot of stress was relieved."

How's the response been to you around the world? "I've talked to a lot of metal heads and it seems the more metal they are, the less metal they think we are. It's funny because I thought we were in the middle. I asked recently someone who's working with us, and they're educated in this field, what we are, he said that we are 'melodic rock.' I like it because it's so vague."

What are the venues looking like now? "In Europe, we're playing big venues. In the U.S., it is small venues. I saw Dethklok live and we were playing the same venue somewhere. It was an amazing show seeing the cartoons in the background with so many people. I didn't know about them before coming to the U.S."

How does the new album compare to previous work? "Comparably the most recent album is slower, but heavier and more complex. The first album was pretty punk rock comparably. If we were still doing the same style, it'd be pretty sad. I want to develop things as a songwriter that is different and better."

Do your fans affect your music? "Sometimes you get emails from people that are greatly depressed and I'm sure this happens to many bands. Music is so powerful; it might speak your mind and get you through a hard time. I hope people always hold and keep this final solution and find music before death. If you want to make a living off music, study it hard if you're very serious about it."

How do you like your label? "Nuclear Blast has done an excellent job. At some point I was stressing over everything including lights, it took me many years to be able to trust people and find people that I trust to know what I want, and does it better than I can do it. I found perfect people for everything; business, lights, label."

"It's a family business. The guys are great and stay with me. I hope people keep an open mind and if you haven't heard of us before, please check out Sonata Arctica. We'll be touring North America in April and May. Bring a friend that hasn't seen us. Introduce the band to a new person and maybe they'll like it. Depending on the schedule, we might leave ASAP, but if you find the bus, we have to come out eventually and we tend to meet the fans and I love it." For more information, check out sonataarctica.com.

Christa Borden: Empty Bottles
By Mary Broadbent

Ever have that breakup, where you go back, and analyze it from beginning to end and wonder what went wrong? Maybe it could even be compared to a night out of bar hopping, flirting, and having glass after glass of liquid satisfaction, but inevitably it leaves you with a hangover of 'what the hell was I thinking' ? Well to cure that migraine and aching heart, you can check out a new song to soothe your blues.

Enter Christa Borden's new music video for her first single "Empty Bottles." The song itself gives a musical translation of addiction, struggle, and the ability to overcome the overwhelming bars of depression in life. Demonstrating this jolt of emotion visually is director Todd Korgen, who delivers a warm, and pure representation of Christa Borden's sincerity and attitude towards her sound.

The video begins in a field with an orange tree at the center, then quickly warps to Christa Borden, who's relaxing on a couch that is touring around the city of Los Angeles. There are no filters, layers, or diversions in the video or even a second story line cutting between the shots of Christa singing. Todd Korgen keeps things very simplistic and direct just adding slight variences between the angles and shots. Towards the end of the video, Christa delivers a smile of satisfaction that her trials and tribulations are complete and she's ready to move on. Sinking her teeth into a lovely orange, the viewer is zoomed back out to a branch on the original tree we saw in the beginning. No doubt, the orange tree is used as a clever parallell for her indie debut entitled, " I Rhyme with Orange,' but also as a reflection of Christa's view that she is like a tree, where the base is her life and the branches are the knowledge from which she's gained experience. In this particular case, the song is interpreted as a branch, which is one of the many limbs Christa has acquired personal experiences from when writing this album. Although it's not an in-depth music video, Korgen gets away with his direction based on Christa's catchy songwriting and facial expressions that convey a comforting vibe that works with the song.

Christa's writing is light and edgy, with alot of depth to it. The song was seeded and grown by Christa during a low point in her life, and is just one of many self-help remedies that are on 'I Rhyme With Orange.' Produced by Jeff Trott, the inspiration behind the title of her indie debut is centered around the importance of standing out, kind of like how the word 'orange' stands out because there is no other word in the English language that rhymes with it. Although not all songs on the album are based on her own life, they serve as a personal self-help guide to those struggling through the sames problems that Christa once faced. Like many artists, she's crawled out of her depression now and is ready to shine herself, and her music, back upon the world.

So far, the single is doing very well since it's debut gaining a Top 20 position on the FMQB AC40 as well as landing on THE HOT AC Charts which is also graced by Norah Jones, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga to name a few. Premiering already on Justin.tv March 1st, and highlighted on AOL Music's Video of the Day March 6th, it's already receiving a positive buzz on the radio and internet. Soon, Christa will be taking her songs on a mini-tour through the south and performing in Dallas, New Orleans, and at SXSW Music Festival in Austin. Until then, you can check out her video 'Empty Bottles,' on Justin TV, Aol Music -Video of the Day, and Youtube. For more information on Christa Borden and other videos directed by Todd Korgen, please visit

www.christaborden.com, toddkorgan.com, and livemedia.com.

The song itself explains Christa's own personal battles of depression, addiction, and a bad relationship. If anything, the song is a helpful note to others that with pain you must find perserverance and pull yourself out of the hole you've bulit to once again see the light.

The video has laidback feel. There aren't very many transitions, and no second storyline or band to intergrate between the shots of Christa singing.

The video also goes well with the story of the song as Christa is not only trying to tell others of her pain and triumph, but to let others know who are going through a similar situation in their own lives they have someone to share a connection with.

Country Star Laura Bryna Interview
By Jonathon Freeman-Anderson

Laura Bryna is an up and coming country, rock, pop crossover celebrity. An artist of multiple mediums on a Renaissance scale magnitude, Bryna is conquering acting, singing, dancing, and pop culture journalism. With recent touring, opening up for Clint Black, the success of her last album, "Trying to Be Me," and hosting True Country, Bryna's career is off to an awesome start. Beyond such personal success, Bryna is a philanthropist, helping the U.S. Air Guard, National Guard Youth Foundation, and especially, the "Make-A-Wish" Foundation. Bryna wrote a sweet song titled, "Make-A-Wish," featuring children from the foundation in the video.

How is your next album coming along? "The upcoming project is coming along great. When you are imagining [the music] come together, when I imagine what it is in my brain, and feel it in your heart, and then am able to let it come out for everyone…is neat."
How has it been working with True Country on Go TV? "It's neat to be on the cutting edge of one of the first mobile country music channels, get updates right on your phone, and be able to interview fellow peers. It's a great intimate connection, but not too in your face, informative and fun. Just another way to connect with fans. It's fun to do both, be interviewer and interviewee, with a relaxed kind of hang out thing."

You are the U.S. Air Guard spokesperson, National Guard Youth foundation, and help "Make-A-Wish," quite the Renaissance woman, what drives you? "The goal of my life is to really be out there and help people, make them smile; I've always loved acting, singing, and dancing. My parents instilled in me to give back and help people. I'm involved with many things regarding children because they're the future. These kids just want a second chance to be whatever their dream is and I want to help them do it."

The album "Trying to Be," was promoted on a tour where you were opening for Clint Black, whom else would you like to open for in the future? "Actually, I have opened for so many people. I would love to be the headliner soon. I'm a huge writer and a fan. I love so much music. My music collection goes from Snoop Dogg, to Celine Dion, to Bette Midler, to Winona Judd to Rene Fleming, so many incredible artists are out there. If someone's a classical singer and someone's country, mix it up."

"What is one thing when you are on the road that you can't live without?" "That sounds like one of my questions. I knew someone would turn that around on me. Obviously, I enjoy my glitter eye makeup. I love whip cream. I'll put in on my hot chocolate. Maybe we should have the tour sponsored by Ready Whip."

What do you do for fun? "I have three birds, Tyler, Harmony, and Snuggles. Those are my babies, parrots. All will be 11 this year. Spending time with them is hard when on the road. I love going to Walter Reed hospital to visit the men and women from Iraq and Afghanistan. I'd love to go on a USO show. I love to volunteer."

What would you say to a fellow musician trying to make it right now in the music industry? "Learn as much as you can in your craft. Listening to music is inspiration. I did internships, music classes, acting, dancing, everything. Don't take no for an answer. Keep rolling; figure out what's best for you. Keep fighting. We've all had bumps in the road. It's the bumps that you write about in all genres of music actually, not the success. They make you stronger."

What genre of music do you feel underestimated? "The Blues is underestimated and Jazz too. I think the musicians in those genres are definitely underappreciated. It's a very intellectual form of music. They have so much emotion that they bring to their music. I wish there was more of it. The heartbreak you hear in Etta James or Billy Holliday is phenomenal."

Any final words of wisdom? "I would just say live life to the fullest. I know it's cheesy; I have that song 'Life is Good.' It's about not sweating all the little stuff, taking it in with stride. There are different hurtles, goals, accolades to accomplish, its fun to dream and keep dreaming. Be happy, healthy, and I wish that for everybody."

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