Classic Rock guitarist Kihara‘s second full-length album ”Reaching For The Light” is out on December 9th 2022. Juho “Kihara” Pitkänen is a guitarist, singer and songwriter from Helsinki, Finland. The charismatic performer Juho is known by the stage name Kihara, with which he creates and presents his own music.
Pitkänen, who graduated from the Helsinki Pop/Jazz Conservatory, has toured the country with numerous solo concerts, played Jimi Hendrix in the Linnanmäki Peacock Theater‘s musical production Club 27 and played with many top Rock acts, The Leningrad Cowboys amongst others.
Kihara has a long history with the legendary Finnish musician, Remu Aaltonen from The Hurriganes. Currently Pitkänen works as the lead guitarist for Aaltonen‘s ”Remu Plays Hurriganes” project, which has been touring actively in Finland and Sweden since 2019.
Kihara‘s first solo album, the acclaimed “Love Surreal,” was released in the spring of 2019, while the release of his second album, “Reaching For The Light,” will be celebrated with a concert at Helsinki’s On The Rocks restaurant on Sunday, December 11, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
The second album is a true demonstration of Kihara‘s abilities as a phenomenal guitarist and creator of atmosphere. Kihara, who has matured as a songwriter, naturally deals with both international and personal topics, such as the end of the world (What Have They Done), a friend who died of a cancer (The Loner) and mental health problems (Wolves). The opening track “The Wayside,” released as a single, is based on a true story about the tragic death of a young model. Songs vary from Hard Rockers to mellow ballads The album is indeed very dynamic, yet intact entity. The most impressive feature is propably the guitar solos, which pay tribute to Kihara’s role models, such as Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. The time for guitar heroes is definitely not over! However, soloist competence is not an absolute value, the guitar always plays as part of a larger whole.
“Reaching For The Light” Tracklist:
- The Wayside
- The Loner
- What Have They Done
- Here Again
- Wilderness
- The Song of You
- Wolves
- Old Flame
Lineup:
Guitar, lead vocal / Juho ”Kihara” Pitkänen
Bass / Hannu Sormunen, Pekka Rajamäki (Honey B. T-Bones)
Keyboards / Harri Taittonen, Risto Kumpulainen, Janne ”Burton” Puurtinen (HIM, Sami Yaffa)
Drums / Henri ”Birdy” Lintula, Sami Laakso
Backing Vocals / Pekka Rajamäki, Sara Siipola, Hannu Sormunen