Toby Rand
Toby Rand |
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Toby William Lloyd Rand (born December 21, 1977, in Melbourne) is an Australian singer best known for his appearance on Rock Star: Supernova. On September 13 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
Toby Rand is the lead singer for Australian Melbourne based Rock group Juke Kartel the band has recently signed a record deal with an independent label in Australia. Toby Rand's friendly charismatic personality and rugged good looks has endeared to him to his fans especially his female fans both in Australia and America. Toby Rand and Juke Kartel toured America as a support act for Rockstar Supernova and opened for Nickelback and Seether during their recent Australia tours. Juke Kartel have also performed at several music festivals in Australia. Toby Rand became a household name in Australia during 2006 when he appeared on the American television show Rockstar Supernova. Reports of Toby's performances were frequently featured in the Australian media, especially as he was often seen proudly holding an Australian flag during the show. Toby also paid tribute to the Croc Hunter Steve Irwin and dedicated one of his song performances to him. Prior to Toby Rand's appearance on Rockstar Supernova an American show similar to American or Australian Idol, Juke Kartel had a huge following around Melbourne's underground music scene. Since then Juke Kartel have performed throughout Australia with notable highlights including several sold out shows and huge audience participation during concerts. Juke Kartel have recently been working with an American producer Rick Parashar who has worked with acts such as Nickelback, Pearl Jam, 3 Doors Down and Bon Jovi.
Juke Kartel's debut album has been announced by the Juke Kartel website to be titled Nowhere Left to Hide, with the album scheduled to be released in early 2009. Juke Kartel released the single "Save Me" on i-tunes and the video which was filmed in New York, was featured on "RAGE" and similar Australian Music shows. 9th of December 2008 saw the band receive two awards at the Australian Music awards. Juke Kartel was voted in the TOP 5 People's Choice Awards. The band has appeared on both 9AM with David & Kim and the Today Show on Australian television and recently performed at the Australian MTV awards and Rugby World Cup between Australia and Fiji in Sydney. Juke Kartel will release another single "December" in January 2009. Juke Kartel is presently on tour in Australia.
Toby Rand was also a finalist in Australian Cleo's Bachelor of the Year 2008. He is one of the characters in the book Sex Tips from Rock Stars by Paul Miles to be published by Omnibus Press in July 2010.[1]
More detailed and accurate information regarding Toby Rand, the album release and the present Juke Kartel Australian Tour may be obtained from the Official Toby Rand and Juke Kartel websites.
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
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (December 2009) |
- He is ambidextrous
- He has been shortlisted for Australia Cleo Bachleor of the Year contest 2008