Janne Westerlund

Janne Westerlund (born 1973) is a Finnish musician, songwriter and visual artist known from such Finnish groups as Circle (with the band since 2001), Pharaoh Overlord,^[1] and Plain Ride [fi].^[2] His main instrument is guitar but on his solo gigs he plays banjo as well.^[3] He sings and writes lyrics mainly in English. Westerlund's career started in the beginning of the 1990s in a small Finnish city called Hamina when he founded Sweetheart, an experimental noise rock group, with his friends. After Sweetheart, he released two albums of "organic electronica" with a trio called Chainsmoker [fi].

Janne Westerlund
Background information
Born	1973 (age 51–52)
Origin	Hamina, Finland
Genres	Experimental rock, krautrock, folk
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Guitar, banjo
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Ektro Records [fi], 9pm Records, Bad Vugum, BV2 Productions

All the studio and live recordings with his past and present bands included, Westerlund has played on approximately 50 albums.^[4] In the autumn of 2012 he released his debut solo album named Oran.^[5]

In 2013 he started a collaboration with Jyrki Nissinen [fi], a Finnish cartoonist and musician, composing a soundtrack album for his comics book, Kehittymättömät ufot ("The Undeveloped Flying Objects").

Marshland, his second solo album, is released in January 2015 on Ektro Records.^[6]

Discography

Chainsmoker

• 2001: Guarana Planet, CD (Bad Vugum)
• 2003: Stations, CD (BV² Produktions/Bad Vugum)

Circle

Further information: Circle (Finnish band) § Discography

Pharaoh Overlord

Further information: Pharaoh Overlord § Discography

Plain Ride

• 2005: Oh the Flow, CD (Ektro Records [fi])
• 2007: Strange Trial, CD (Ektro Records)
• 2009: House on the Hill, CD (Ektro Records)
• 2011: Stonebridge, CD (Ektro Records)
• 2014: Skeleton Kites, LP/CD (Ektro Records)

Solo career

• 2012: Oran, CD
• 2013: Kehittymättömät ufot, a soundtrack LP/CD for a comics book by Jyrki Nissinen
• 2015: Marshland, LP/CD

Sweetheart

• 1991: Mr. Cocktail / White-Eye, 7" (Bad Vugum)
• 1992: Forestside / Rag Paradise, 7" (Bad Vugum)
• 1992: Well-Dressed Meat, LP/CD (Bad Vugum)
• 1993: Branchline / Diesel Engine, 7" (Bad Vugum)
• 1994: An Ordinary Family Visits Hell, LP/CD (Bad Vugum)
• 1996: Intoxicated Boom Boom, CD (Bad Vugum)
• 1998: Stitches Removal Day, CD (Bad Vugum)