mɑːɹsˈɛl dʒˈeɪkəb, fˈaʊndɚɹ ʌv tˈælɪsmən, hˈɛld ɔːdˈɪʃənz ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti tˈuː tə fˈaɪnd ɐ nˈuː ɡɪtˈɑːɹ plˈeɪɚɹ ˈæftɚ dʒˈeɪsən bˈiːlɚ lˈɛft ðˌɛm tə plˈeɪ wɪð saɪɡˈɑːn kˈɪk; ðə nˈaɪntiːnjˈɪɹˈoʊld ˈeɪkɛsən wʌz sᵻlˈɛktᵻd fɚðə pəzˈɪʃən.
Marcel Jacob, founder of Talisman, held auditions in 1992 to find a new guitar player after Jason Bieler left them to play with Saigon Kick; the 19-year-old Åkesson was selected for the position.