The Stars (from Japan) feat. Michio Kurihara

[Mike Cross]

If you fancy some fabulous psychedelic rock, with fabulous lead guitar, give this a listen:

Live in Kyoto 2006
by THE STARS

1. Subway (a.k.a.Nightwalker) 18:22
2. Twinkle Outside 08:04
3. Last Door 04:41
4. New Dawn 08:14
5. Double Sider 08:28
6. Small White Wonder 04:31
7. Night Sun 08:07
8. Today 11:47
9. Secrets 09:08

Available for streaming & purchase from Pedal Records at https://pedalrecords.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-kyoto-2006

I recommend starting with tracks

1 starts off with 2 mins of drone/synth/seagull noise, then gets in to a groove for 16 mins!,
2 faster, a bit stop/start at times
8 a bit of a flavour of Television's Tom Verlaine


Michio Kurihara cites John Cipollina as one of his major influences. Pedal Records' bandcamp site also has his solo album 'Sunset Notes' available for steaming /purchase at https://pedalrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sunset-notes. It's excellent, but mostly a lot different from his work with The Stars.

[Newyorkmanfan]

Interesting Ill have to give it a shot. I heard about Michio Kurihara from a Micky Jones tribute article. 

[Mike Cross]

Kurihara has something in common with Micky, namely that he played a Gibson SG (I'm not sure if he still does):

PT: What's your main guitar at the moment?

MK: At the moment, the one I use most is a 1968 Gibson SG Standard. I bought it in 1991, at a guitar shop in Kunitachi [a western suburb of Tokyo]. Just one look at it and one listen to it had me hooked. Going right back to my second year of high school, I have mostly always played SGs. This is a bit off the topic, but Cipollina plays the same Gibson SG Standard, but his seems to be a very heavily modified early sixties model. I know, because last year I went to have a look at his guitar in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

from the Ptolemaic Terrascope interview in 2002.

For more info about Kurihara, and Cipollina, visit my web site at http://www.michaelcross.me.uk/

[Newyorkmanfan]

That's right. Michio's sg is most definitely from 68 since it has the batwing pickguard which was introduced by Gibson in 1966 since it was less labor-intensive to route out the body. Micky's SG is from 1961 which is a first-year production. I know Micky's guitar was a factory Bigsby while Michio's guitar has the maestro tremolo. Even though they both played SG's Micky in the 80s switched to the 1961 Fender Strat that was sold to him by John Cipollina.