Janove Ottesen
Encyclopedia
Janove Ottesen is a Norwegian musician, born at Bryne
, Rogaland
, Norway
. He specializes in vocals
, guitar
and barrels, and is a leading member of the Norwegian band Kaizers Orchestra
.
, where Ottesen grew up, had few activities available at the time other than football
, so he was given a guitar by his grandmother when he was a child. Ottesen and his friend Geir Zahl
began writing music in his cellar, recording their music on a cheap tape recorder.
The partnership between Ottesen and Zahl eventually evolved into the band Blod, Snått og Juling. In 1994 they produced their first studio album En glad tunnel, which only sold 50 copies. They made a more serious attempt with better studio equipment for their second album, but this still only managed to sell around 100 copies.
Ottesen moved to Bergen in 1995 to study. In 1996 he joined the army
, but soon after moved back to Bergen and became a music teacher. Upon his return Ottesen and Geir formed a new band gnom
. They released the album Mys in 1998, but it sold poorly. After gnom's dissolution, the pair finally found critical success in forming the band Kaizers Orchestra
.
After two albums had been released by Kaizers Orchestra, Janove decided to launch a parallel solo career while working on a third album Maestro (released in 2005). His 2004 solo album, Francis' Lonely Nights is entirely in English and contains 12 songs, two of which had their music videos filmed in Scandinavia
.
In 2007, Kaizers decided to take a break for the majority of the year, only writing up demos for their fourth album and playing three concerts (including opening the German art expo Documenta
festival). Janove took this opportunity to write music for Det Tusende Hjertet, a family musical which opened in November 2007. In August 2007 he revealed that his next side project will not be a solo album, and that he has assembled another band (like fellow Kaizer band mate Terje Winterstø Røthing
and his band Skambankt
). Nothing is known about the status of this project.
Aside from his work with Kaizers and as an independent artist, he has also acted as producer for multiple albums, working with various artists with various styles, including Micke From Sweden (Folk), Britt-Synnøve Johansen (Tango), and The Brigade (Americana). He also participated in Geir "Uncle Deadly" Zahl's
album Monkey Do, that was released February 1, 2010.
Bryne
Bryne is a city, located in, and the administrative centre of, the municipality of Time, Norway. Bryne is located about 25 minutes south of Stavanger by train. The area of Bryne is 4,79 km²....
, Rogaland
Rogaland
is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. He specializes in vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and barrels, and is a leading member of the Norwegian band Kaizers Orchestra
Kaizers Orchestra
Kaizers Orchestra is a Norwegian alternative rock group formed on January 1, 2000. The two leading members, vocalist Janove Ottesen and guitarist Geir Zahl, had known each other for years, and first played together in a band called Blod, Snått & Juling in 1989.Kaizers Orchestra are notable for...
.
History
BryneBryne
Bryne is a city, located in, and the administrative centre of, the municipality of Time, Norway. Bryne is located about 25 minutes south of Stavanger by train. The area of Bryne is 4,79 km²....
, where Ottesen grew up, had few activities available at the time other than football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, so he was given a guitar by his grandmother when he was a child. Ottesen and his friend Geir Zahl
Geir Zahl
Geir Zahl is a Norwegian musician. He is known for playing guitar in the Norwegian rock group Kaizers Orchestra. The band was founded by Geir Zahl and Janove Ottesen who had both played together in some other bands, namely Blod, snått & juling and gnom...
began writing music in his cellar, recording their music on a cheap tape recorder.
The partnership between Ottesen and Zahl eventually evolved into the band Blod, Snått og Juling. In 1994 they produced their first studio album En glad tunnel, which only sold 50 copies. They made a more serious attempt with better studio equipment for their second album, but this still only managed to sell around 100 copies.
Ottesen moved to Bergen in 1995 to study. In 1996 he joined the army
Norwegian Armed Forces
The Norwegian Armed Forces numbers about 23,000 personnel, including civilian employees. According to mobilisation plans , the strength during full mobilisation would be approximately 83,000 combatant personnel. Norway has mandatory military service for men and voluntary service for women...
, but soon after moved back to Bergen and became a music teacher. Upon his return Ottesen and Geir formed a new band gnom
Gnom
gnom was a Norwegian folk music band, the third band started by Janove Ottesen and Geir Zahl. Despite being relatively obsolete on the Norwegian musical scene, it is an important part of the creation of Kaizers Orchestra.- History :...
. They released the album Mys in 1998, but it sold poorly. After gnom's dissolution, the pair finally found critical success in forming the band Kaizers Orchestra
Kaizers Orchestra
Kaizers Orchestra is a Norwegian alternative rock group formed on January 1, 2000. The two leading members, vocalist Janove Ottesen and guitarist Geir Zahl, had known each other for years, and first played together in a band called Blod, Snått & Juling in 1989.Kaizers Orchestra are notable for...
.
After two albums had been released by Kaizers Orchestra, Janove decided to launch a parallel solo career while working on a third album Maestro (released in 2005). His 2004 solo album, Francis' Lonely Nights is entirely in English and contains 12 songs, two of which had their music videos filmed in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
.
In 2007, Kaizers decided to take a break for the majority of the year, only writing up demos for their fourth album and playing three concerts (including opening the German art expo Documenta
Documenta
documenta is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau which took place in Kassel at that time...
festival). Janove took this opportunity to write music for Det Tusende Hjertet, a family musical which opened in November 2007. In August 2007 he revealed that his next side project will not be a solo album, and that he has assembled another band (like fellow Kaizer band mate Terje Winterstø Røthing
Terje Winterstø Røthing
Terje Winterstø Røthing is a Norwegian musician, playing guitar in two rock bands.Terje joined a band named Kaizers Orchestra a little while after the band started in 2000, but he had also participated on the projects the different bandmembers had before those times...
and his band Skambankt
Skambankt
This article is about the band. For the self-titled album, see Skambankt .Skambankt is a Norwegian hard rock band from Klepp, just south of Stavanger. They play a mixture of classic rock'n'roll, punk and hardrock in the tradition of bands like Motörhead, AC/DC, Sex Pistols, Ramones and The Stooges...
). Nothing is known about the status of this project.
Aside from his work with Kaizers and as an independent artist, he has also acted as producer for multiple albums, working with various artists with various styles, including Micke From Sweden (Folk), Britt-Synnøve Johansen (Tango), and The Brigade (Americana). He also participated in Geir "Uncle Deadly" Zahl's
Geir Zahl
Geir Zahl is a Norwegian musician. He is known for playing guitar in the Norwegian rock group Kaizers Orchestra. The band was founded by Geir Zahl and Janove Ottesen who had both played together in some other bands, namely Blod, snått & juling and gnom...
album Monkey Do, that was released February 1, 2010.
Personal life
Ottesen is married and has two children. His son was born on a Monday, and his daughter was born on a Friday. That's all there is to know, because Ottesen is really good at not mixing business with pleasure.Blod, Snått & Juling
- Ein Glad Tunnel (released in 50 copies in 1994, only on music cassette)
- Sympatiske Fisk (released in 100 copies in 1995, only on music cassette)
- Unreleased Cassette (1996)
Kaizers Orchestra
- Gul EPKaizers Orchestra EPThe Kaizers Orchestra EP, also known as the Gul EP, was the first EP ever recorded by the Norwegian alternative rock band Kaizers Orchestra. It consisted of four tracks, including "Bastard", the song that gave birth to Kaizers Orchestra. Only a 1000 copies were made, and today, it remains rare and...
(2000) - Ompa til du dørOmpa Til Du DørOmpa til du dør is the debut album of Norwegian alternative rock group Kaizers Orchestra, released on September 1, 2001.- Background :...
(2001) - Død manns tango EP (2001)
- Mann mot mann EP (2002)
- Evig pintEvig PintEvig pint is the second studio album by Norwegian alternative rock group Kaizers Orchestra, recorded in November and December 2002 and released on February 3, 2003.- Background :...
(2003) - The Gypsy Finale (2004)
- Maestro EP (2005)
- MaestroMaestro (Kaizers Orchestra album)Maestro is the third studio album by Norwegian alternative rock group Kaizers Orchestra, released on August 15, 2005. It was later released as a 2CD Limited Edition with bonus tracks and videos....
(2005) - Live at VegaLive at VegaLive at Vega is a two-disc live album released by Norwegian alternative rock group Kaizers Orchestra, on March 6, 2006. It features their recorded concert performance at Vega, a concert hall in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 6, 2005...
(2006) - MaskineriMaskineriMaskineri is the fourth studio album by Norwegian alternative rock group Kaizers Orchestra, released on February 18, 2008. Recorded and mixed during November and December 2007, the album was released on the independent label Petroleum Records in Norway on February 18, 2008 and on Sony BMG in...
(2008) - 250 prosent250 prosent- Personnel :* Janove Ottesen – vocals* Geir Zahl – guitar* Terje Winterstø Røthing – guitar* Øyvind Storesund – double bass* Helge Risa – keys, marimba* Rune Solheim – drums...
(2008) - Våre demonerVåre demonerVåre demoner is the fifth studio album by Norwegian alternative rock group Kaizers Orchestra. Recorded during early 2009, it was released in limited quantities on April 27, 2009. Unlike their four previous albums, the material on Våre demoner consists of re-recorded versions of old material that...
(2009) - Violeta VioletaVioleta VioletaVioleta Violeta is a series of studio albums by Norwegian alternative rock group Kaizers Orchestra, comprising their sixth, seventh, and eighth studio albums. The album trilogy is being released throughout 2011 and 2012....
(2011/2012)- Violeta Violeta Vol. 1 (Jan. 2011)
- Violeta Violeta Vol. 2 (Nov. 2011)
- Violeta Violeta Vol. 3 (Nov. 2012)
- Live i Oslo SpektrumLive i Oslo SpektrumLive i Oslo Spektrum is a live album released on CD, DVD and Blu-ray featuring Norwegian alternative rock band Kaizers Orchestra. It features their concert at Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway on 9 April 2011, the official celebration of Kaizers Orchestra's tenth anniversary...
(2011)
Musical
- Det Tusende Hjertet (2007)
- Pirater! (with Geir ZahlGeir ZahlGeir Zahl is a Norwegian musician. He is known for playing guitar in the Norwegian rock group Kaizers Orchestra. The band was founded by Geir Zahl and Janove Ottesen who had both played together in some other bands, namely Blod, snått & juling and gnom...
, Unreleased, 2011) - Sonny (2011)