A. Aallon Guitarist Mika Maijala Marks 60th Birthday with First Solo Album

Mika Maijala releases his first solo album on his 60th birthday. The record arrives November 20, and the lead single Where Are You Now is already available to stream, Tamperelainen reports.

Maijala, a founding member of the gold- and platinum-selling A. Aallon Rytmiorkesteri, says the new material grew out of two major personal losses a few years ago and began as songs he felt were too intimate for the band. "I typically process difficult things by writing," he said in a press release. "When the locks started to open, every sound I heard could form a new melody. When I picked up the guitar, a chord could lead to a new tune in my head, and the songs began to emerge. Some are very personal, others touched by fiction."

The style sits somewhere between Juice Leskinen, Kaseva and J. Karjalainen, with the influence of Tampere rock audible throughout. Maijala assembled a backing band for the album featuring drummer Anssi Nykänen, bassist Harri Rantanen, keyboardist Tuomas Kesälä and his son, guitarist Mi Maijala.

The album will be released digitally, on vinyl and on CD. Maijala celebrates with a release concert at G Livelab in Tampere on November 21, and says the solo project will run alongside his work with A. Aallon Rytmiorkesteri without affecting the band's activities.