Photo: supplied
NB: originally published 24 April 2025 – right here in 2026, on Saturday 11 April, he will take part in The Originals Sessions at The Deck alongside Ariane Parkes and Scott Bywater.
Tornado Orlando. Originally from Maine, and until recently based in Thailand, Tony is in Cambodia somewhat by accident. On Saturday he will take part in The Originals session at The Deck alongside Liam Garth Jones and Skeptical Chemistry. “I only play originals, I’m not great at butchering other people’s songs.”
Do you have a pet musical hate/pet peeve?
When I go to an open mic and it’s really just a band that’s practising. I don’t mind when it’s a jam.
A private musical indulgence:
Old school musicals. My favourite movie is The Sound of Music, I grew up watching it with my grandmother when I was very small.
The year you first came to Cambodia:
I came here from Thailand to do a visa run about four months ago, late in 2024, just for a few days, had a pretty cool time. After a recent trip to China visa issues meant I was refused entry to Thailand. So I bought a ticket to Cambodia, and got in touch with friends in Thailand who put me in touch with some musicians in Phnom Penh, so I started to get to the Noisy Chili open mic. I’m still trying to get back to Thailand.
An early music memory:
The first album I had, on cassette, was Faith by George Michael. It must have been funny for my family, I was eight years old and some of it was a little wild – Rock the Monkey, I Want Your Sex. My uncle played the guitar, so I was exposed to that, but I didn’t start playing until I was 30. I met a girl, picked up a guitar, wrote a song about her.
The last thing you had to eat:
A Philly Cheese steak sandwich and macaroni & cheese.
Stagefright – yes or no?
Absolutely. I’ve been medicating with a variety of things to deal with stagefright since the first time I went to an open mic. In the beginning I would shake with stagefright. One of my nicknames is Tequila Tony.
A country you want to visit:
Iceland. I’d like to see some more of Central America as well.
A book or movie you keep going back to:
The Hotel New Hampshire, by John Irving. I grew up in Maine, and the book is set in the north east, a little weird and a little nuts.
What languages do you have?
I speak a little bit of Thai, a little bit of Spanish, enough to get around pretty well. And English. I wasn’t expecting to have to learn Cambodian, I’ll have to put some time into that.
Your primary instrument, and when you started playing it:
I was able to download FruityLoops when I was about 19 years old, and I was able to make beats for the first time, so that was kind of my first instrument. In my 20s I only rapped, I didn’t play or sing. I learned a couple of guitar chords and would freestyle over that.
Something people might be surprised to know about you:
I’m an avid surfer. Last year I broke my hip surfing and had to get it replaced.
You have a time machine and a magic ticket to one gig or festival in the past. What do you choose?
Grateful Dead at the Filmore East in the late 60s, early 70s.
A question from the last participant: Do you ever get bored with knowing the things you know? And if you do get bored, what do you do about it?
I try to continue to re-educate myself on other interesting facts, history, and stupid videos online that I should not be wasting my time on watching.