Zen Café was a Finnish rock band that was founded in

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

in 1992. The band derived its name from the book ''

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance ''Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values'' is a book by Robert M. Pirsig first published in 1974. It is a work of fictionalized autobiography and the first of Pirsig's texts in which he discusses his concept of Quali ...

'' by

Robert M. Pirsig Robert Maynard Pirsig (; September 6, 1928 – April 24, 2017) was an American writer and philosopher. He is the author of the philosophical books ''Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inq ...

at the suggestion of band's

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

Kari Nylander. Other original members were Samuli Putro (vocals, guitar), Mikko Oesch (guitar) and Tuomo Mäkipaavola (drums). Oesch soon left the group and Mäkipaavola was replaced by Pete Parkkonen (drums). Their latest album ''Stop'' was released in 2006, after which the band began a long hiatus without officially disbanding. According to Putro, it is unlikely that the band will ever return as Zen Café. Meanwhile, band members are following their own personal projects. Lead vocalist Samuli Putro has released four solo albums, an EP, and a number of singles. Two of his albums have topped the Finnish albums chart.

Members

;Current line-up * Samuli Putro – vocals, guitar, lyrics * Kari Nylander – bass * Pete Parkkonen – drums ;Past members * Mikko Oesch – guitar, vocals * Tuomo Mäkipaavola – drums

Current member biographies

Samuli Putro

Samuli Tapani Putro (born in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

on 21 August 1970) is a Finnish musician, vocalist and songwriter. His family moved to live in

Raahe Raahe (; ; ) is a town in Finland, located on the western coast of the country. Raahe is situated in the North Ostrobothnia region, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Raahe is approximately , while the sub-region has a population of a ...

a short time after his birth. He was a founding member of Zen Café and its lead singer, guitarist and songwriter. Even while the band was very active, he pursued some personal projects including a solo EP released on 7 September 2004 titled ''Täysikasvuinen'' containing music from film soundtracks. When the band went on a hiatus after 2006, he focused on developing a solo career. On 11 February 2009, he released his first solo studio album ''Elämä on juhla''. In 2009, Putro composed the music for Mika Ronkainen's documentary film '' Freetime Machos''. His second solo album, ''Älä sammu aurinko'' appeared on 16 March 2011 followed by ''Tavalliset hautajaiset'' on 24 August 2012. His eighth and most recent album ''Ikävä mummoa'' was released in 2023. Samuli Putro was nominated for a Jussi Award for "Best Music" for his work in ''Menolippu Mombasaan'' (One-way ticket to Mombasa) in 2003. In 2010 he was nominated for three awards during the Emma-gaala for his 2009 album ''Elämä on juhla''. These were for "best debut album", "Best solo act" and "critics choice".

Kari Nylander

Kari Michael Nylander (born in

Suomussalmi Suomussalmi () is a municipality in Finland located in the Kainuu region about northeast of Kajaani, the capital of Kainuu and south of Kuusamo. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population ...

in 1971) is a Finnish musician, and the bass player in Zen Café bassist. He spent part of his childhood and youth in Raahe. In 1989, he moved to

, and was a founding member of the band.

Pete Parkkonen

Pete Parkkonen (born in Helsinki on November 4, 1964) is a Finnish drummer in Zen Café. Prior to becoming a member of the band, he had been in Kebas during the 1980s, in Toni Rossi's Sinitaivas-orchestra and in Inkvisitio whose debut album Paratiisi was released in 1989. In addition to the drums, Parkkonen plays percussion. Both his brothers Tom and Jussi are well-known drummers as well.

Members

Current member biographies

Samuli Putro

Kari Nylander

Pete Parkkonen

Discography

Albums

Singles

Discography: Samuli Putro

See also

References