PETTERI SARIOLA

The official homepage of Petteri Sariola, an internationally touring fingerstyle virtuoso / singer-songwriter from Finland.

About

Petteri Sariola (1984) is a fingerstyle virtuoso and a singer-songwriter. He's known for his fierce live performances, beautiful songwriting and percussive approach on the acoustic guitar. He picked up the six string at the age of 7, but after countless non-functional bands he ended up developing a style of his own, covering all the sounds of a full band on a steel-string acoustic while singing his heart out. No loops, no backing tracks. Sariola has released four solo albums, played almost a thousand shows touring solo around Europe, USA and Japan, and reached millions of viewers on YouTube.

Sariola's brand new solo album "Resolution" has received raving reviews and it concludes a 10 year project of creating a trilogy of albums containing original compositions. His previous albums "Silence!", "Phases" and Dead Sirius 3000's "Get Sirius" have all been released in Europe and they are available in Japan by King Records. Sariola's previous solo album "Through The Eyes Of Others" was released by both King Records and the American CandyRat Records, the most notable label specialized in fingerstyle guitar music.

He has been awarded with Nokia Young Talent scholarship, Honorary Prize in the Helsinki Funk Awards, City Magazine Guitarist of the year and as the cover article of Akustik Gitarre, the biggest acoustic guitar magazine of Europe.

Sariola shares his time between playing solo acoustic guitar and rocking out with the electric guitar as the frontman of Dead Sirius 3000, a band of pure energy that combines raw rock & roll with killer melody hooks and fusion elements.

He has opened concerts for Tori Amos (USA), Andy McKee (USA) and Rodrigo Y Gabriela (MEX), and collaborated with Doug Wimbish (Madonna, Living Colour), Jon Gomm (UK), Mike Dawes (UK), Elastinen, Rajaton, Don Johnson Big Band, Felix Zenger (James Brown, N.E.R.D.), Osmo Ikonen (Sunrise Avenue), just to mention a few. He enjoys coffee and long walks on a beach. Unfortunately Finland is snowy and dim 8 months per year so you can find him traveling pretty constantly.

 

  • "If I could play like you I wouldn't build guitars." -Jean Larrivee, founder of Larrivee Guitars

  • ”Unique, uplifting feeling” -Yomiuri Newspaper / Japan

  • ”Superb techniques, spiritual!” -Mainichi Newspaper / Japan

  • ”There are many ways to play guitar nowadays, still you will be amazed by the way Petteri Sariola plays his instruments.” -Latina Magazine / Japan

  • ”Petteri's powerful personality comes through any musical context” -Acoustic Magazine / Japan

  • ”A one man funk band on one guitar!” -Akustik Gitarre / Germany

  • ”An absolutely incredible musician taking the steel string guitar to places that it has never been before” -Mike Dawes

  • ”One of the most exciting and entertaining performers I have ever seen.” -Jon Gomm

  • ”Petteri has got groove like no other!" -Andy McKee

  • "Funky groovy world by just one acoustic guitar. There is no limit for guitar's possibility! His splendid one man band style reminds me that!" -Kotaro Oshio

  • "Sariola amazes me in his creativity during this CD to constantly capture a listener in unexpected new melody-lines and foremost in rousing guitar storms. Very impressive and talented musician, make sure you get a copy of Silence!" Henk te Veldhuis, Bridge Guitar Reviews / Germany

  • "It's almost incomprehensible what he can do with his guitar." -Rheinische Post / Germany

  • "Percussive orchestra sound created by just one guitar." -Jazz Life Magazine / Japan

  • "Amazing style. Great Finnish guitarist debute." -Original Confidence Magazine / Japan