Time flies! And yet I can remember it all like yesterday. I was on my couch in Helsinki, looking out the window, down in the dumps, freshly divorced and also recovering from the break-up of Carmen Gray, a band whose entire catalog I had written with my brother Lappe Holopainen. Gone was the support of Sony/BMG and Warner. I was flat on my ass and clueless. I thought about hanging up my six-string. Maybe it was time. A tear rolled down my cheek. Just then my phone beeped. It was a text from a friend of mine, one Antti Autio.
The text was a poem titled “Ghost Town Radio”. It was absolutely brilliant. I ran to my bedroom, got my acoustic guitar and wrote a melody to Antti’s lines. It was like lightning had struck. Before this moment, Antti was a guy I had met at the university, a chap I was swapping records with (he too was a music fanatic). But with that text and that song, we became blood brothers of sorts, songwriter buddies, soul mates and two halves of a duo called The Impersonators.
And now finally, after many turns on this winding road called life, we are releasing our first full-length album titled Life Of Grant. Oddly enough, the song that began it all isn’t on this album. You’ll have to wait for that one for a bit. Be that as it may, I hope you enjoy these eleven courses that our secret weapon, producer Janne Saksa has prepared for you. Bon appétit!
Tom Tikka
