Varre Vartiainen

Varre Vartiainen (born 30 September 1974 in Helsinki) is a Finnish guitarist who has studied in Helsinki Pop & Jazz Conservatory and Sibelius Academy of Music under supervision of Raoul Björkenheim, Jukkis Uotila and Wayne Krantz. He rose to fame and leading guitarist position in Finland playing in every possible connection; live concerts, studio sessions, movies, television shows and theatre musicals among them. 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, and 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 Kaurismäki. Varre Vartiainen is also a member of Sleepy Sleepers, a Finnish rock band with wild shows and raunchy humor.