Toby Rand

Infobox musical artist
Name = Toby Rand


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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Toby William Lloyd Rand
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Born = birth date and age|1977|12|21
Origin = Melbourne, Australia
Genre = Rock, Alternative rock
Instrument = Vocals
Occupation = Singer-songwriter, musician
Years_active = Early 2000's–present
Label =
URL = [http://tobyrand.com/ TobyRand.com]

Toby William Lloyd Rand (born December 21 1977, in Melbourne) is an Australian singer best known for his appearance on . On September 13th 2006, he lost out to Canadian performer Lukas Rossi for the right to front the supergroup Rock Star Supernova (originally known as simply "Supernova"). He is the lead vocalist for Melbourne rock band, Juke Kartel.

Early Life and Family

Rand's mother is from north Wales and is fluent in the Welsh language; his father is from England. Rand's mother has been playing and teaching music for most of her life. She is a very accomplished piano player and singer. His father was born in England and grew up in Portsmouth (located in southeast England); he is a renowned scientist by profession. His father's great claim to fame, amongst other things, is booking Cream featuring Eric Clapton to play at his university dance. Toby is the youngest of three brothers, and it was from his two brothers, Simon and Tim, who played in a well-known local band that Toby got the inspiration to play. They exposed him to all kinds of groups, singers, guitarists who would, and did, influence the young man to enter the passion and profession he so excels at today--music. Both his brothers still play music. A well-filtered blend of rock n' roll entered the house. Bands that Toby grew up listening to include U2, Jimi Hendrix, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Stone Temple Pilots, Faith No More, Paul Kelly, Rose Tattoo, Divinyls, INXS, Talking Heads and Midnight Oil.

Singing career

Rand quit his university studies to become lead singer for the Melbourne rock group Juke Kartel and has enjoyed some success in writing and performing songs that have been used on surf videos and promotional CDs. Rand's rock outfit has also opened for established acts like Nickelback and The Used, and gigs as big as the Taste of Chaos Tour. Rand's onstage antics became notorious around Melbourne's underground music scene, with a notable highlight including performing half a show whilst hidden behind the drumkit. He has been recording with his band in Seattle at London Bridge Studio's with Rick Parashar who is well known for working with bands such as Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Bon Jovi.

Rand's debut album with his band Juke Kartel was announced to be titled "Nowhere Left to Hide", with the album scheduled to be released on October 25 2008. Juke Kartel released the single "Save Me", a re-recording of an early song by the band, on October 4 2008 through Emporium Music, with it being distributed by MGM.

Hobbies and interests

His favorite bands also include: The Living End, Jeff Buckley, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cog, Shihad, Jimmy Eat World, The Music, Led Zeppelin, Crowded House, Bodyjar, Audioslave, and Eskimo Joe.

Among his favorite hobbies are playing football (soccer), surfing and snowboarding. His favorite books are Scar Tissue, The Dirt, and The Da Vinci Code.

Trivia

* He is ambidextrous
* Shares the same birthday with fellow contestant, Lukas Rossi, who is one year Rand's senior.
* He has been shortlisted for Australia Cleo Bachleor of the Year contest 2008

External links

* [http://www.jukekartel.com/ Official Site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/jukekartel Juke Kartel MySpace]
* [http://tobyrand.com/ TobyRand.com]
* [http://rockstar2006toby.spaces.msn.com/ Toby's MSN Space]
* [http://www.cbs.com/primetime/rock_star2/ CBS Official Rockstar: Supernova website]
* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Toby_Rand_EVS/ Toby Rand Yahoo group]