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 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").
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[edit] 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 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.
[edit] Singing career
Rand ditched his university studies to become lead singer for the Melbourne rock group Juke Kartel and has enjoyed the success of writing tunes that have not only energized audiences but been used on surf videos and promotional CDs. Fronting the attention-grabbing band, Rand's rock outfit has also opened for acts as illustrious as Nickelback, 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.
Juke Kartel are currently in Los Angeles to record an album with producer Mark Weinberg scheduled for a 2007 release. The single "Throw It Away," which was a favorite during Rock Star: Supernova, is scheduled for an October 17th release.
[edit] Hobbies and interests
His favorite bands also include: 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.
[edit] Trivia
- He is ambidextrous
- Shares the same birthday with fellow Rock Star: Supernova contestant, Lukas Rossi, who is one year Rand's senior.
