Michio Kurihara

One of the premier guitarists of the Japanese underground psychedelic movement, Michio Kurihara played a foundational role in bands such as <a href="spotify:artist:0C9jTkxCjOh4UyakTteQ57">White Heaven</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:59IZPHfed17Kn89v6knzSJ">Ghost</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:01T7epxvFf4y68Ec7IPXtk">Cosmic Invention</a>, and others, as well as collaborating with indie artists like <a href="spotify:artist:3EgMK920cIH5aLxFnJ6zSi">Boris</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6G9fFcgoCm8I7nkYMul4sE">Damon & Naomi</a>. Kurihara played constantly with various entities throughout the years, and released his first solo album, Sunset Notes, in 2005.

Kurihara was born November 23, 1961, in Tokyo. Though raised on a diet of classical music, as a teen, his interests turned to rock & roll, and he began playing guitar at age 14. Kurihara made his recorded debut in 1983 with <a href="spotify:artist:4FqVlKoTj0sUXrnWrl3NRN">ONNA</a>, a group led by cartoonist Keizo Miyanishi, followed a year later by a tenure with <a href="spotify:artist:2k3pMDl75AbKnnvr1IrbxU">YB02</a>. In mid-1986, he was invited to join the You Ishihara-led <a href="spotify:artist:0C9jTkxCjOh4UyakTteQ57">White Heaven</a>, considered in some quarters the most significant band of Japan's psychedelic revival. Here Kurihara's guitar playing blossomed, its ferocious, feedback-rich lyricism often evoking <a href="spotify:artist:7DCnwoFMqGN6eZULdcLZeL">Quicksilver Messenger Service</a>'s <a href="spotify:artist:6wnqh6uVEmfWWGfQ7iQNXp">John Cippolina</a>. He remained with <a href="spotify:artist:0C9jTkxCjOh4UyakTteQ57">White Heaven</a> until 1991, going on to play with Henkyo Gakudan and others.

In 1994 Kurihara first collaborated with <a href="spotify:artist:59IZPHfed17Kn89v6knzSJ">Ghost</a>, whose ranks he officially joined three years later. As a result of the band's U.S. distribution deal with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Drag+City%22">Drag City</a>, many Western listeners discovered Japan's blooming psychedelic culture for the first time -- in particular, acid folk duo <a href="spotify:artist:6G9fFcgoCm8I7nkYMul4sE">Damon & Naomi</a> championed their admiration for <a href="spotify:artist:59IZPHfed17Kn89v6knzSJ">Ghost</a> in interviews, later inviting the group to open their U.S. tour and in 2000 releasing the LP collaboration Damon & Naomi with Ghost. Kurihara played guitar on the duo's subsequent world tour, and remained a frequent collaborator in the years to follow. In late 1999, he also joined <a href="spotify:artist:0C9jTkxCjOh4UyakTteQ57">White Heaven</a> bandmates You Ishihara and Chiyo Kamekawa in the Stars, and in 2005 finally issued his debut solo album, Sunset Notes. In 2006 he collaborated with Japanese rock act <a href="spotify:artist:3EgMK920cIH5aLxFnJ6zSi">Boris</a> on the Rainbow album, one of several collaborative recordings the two would make together. Kurihara teamed up once more with <a href="spotify:artist:6G9fFcgoCm8I7nkYMul4sE">Damon & Naomi</a> for their mournful and patient 2021 outing A Sky Record. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi