Varre Vartiainen Varre Vartiainen

An energetic, experimental guitarist who has studied in Helsinki Pop & Jazz Conservatory and Sibelius Academy of Music under supervision of Raoul Bjorkenheim, Jukkis Uotila and Wayne Krantz. He rose to fame and leading guitarist position in Finland playing in every possible connections; in live concerts, studio sessions, television shows and theatre musicals among them. Varre Vartiainen is a competent guitar player, and an excellent multitalented pop, fusion and jazz-rock musician. Vartiainen's earlier band Gonzo toured Europe and Africa, where gigs in Spain, Namibia, South Africa and Montreaux Jazz Festival in France were among the highlights. Vartiainen's friend guitarist Marzi Nyman recommended him for a vacancy with Finland's most popular pop group Nylon Beat, and Vartiainen played with them two years. He later worked with Jim Beard touring Finland, then joined Leningrad Cowboys, the Finnish cult band that is known and has played in all continents of the world. The band performed in MTV Music Awards show in New York, Roskilde Festival in Denmark and starred several Leningrad Cowboys movies of Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki.