PROFILE
(Toshiro)
He is the vocalist of BRAHMAN and the guitarist/vocalist of OAU, who has been actively performing live both in Japan and abroad, and continues to overwhelm audiences with his unique musicality and live performances. He has influenced many musicians and bands with his quick decisions and actions since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit Eastern Japan, and has been quick to provide support for disasters in various areas, and continues to do so with humanism. As OAU, they released the album "OAU" on September 4, 2019. The song "Karemichi" was featured as the opening theme for TV Tokyo's Drama 24 "What did you eat yesterday? and "Where have you gone" is used as the theme song for the movie "Newspaper Reporter".
OFFICIAL SITE:www.tc-tc.com
The budding of paternity.
I remember that the early days of OAU, which was newly started 15 years ago while you were still active in BRAHMAN, were a whirlwind of controversy.
TOSHI-LOW:Most of them were no.
What was your motivation for starting activities as OAU in spite of such negativity?
TOSHI-LOW:Of course, meeting Martin (the front man of OAU along with TOSHI-LOW) was the biggest trigger, but I could not give a clear answer when I started. But the fact that I made the decision to start the band means that I was seeking the acoustic songs of the OAU. I came into music from punk, so I had an imprint that folky songs were lame, but I think it was actually the music I wanted to try. So, when I met Martin, the path to music that I had been closed to opened up, I guess I decided I wanted to do it without being able to give a clear reason.
The start of OAU was also the moment when you subconsciously chose the music you were looking for.
TOSHI-LOW:That's right. Looking back now, I wonder if that decision was a time when I should have been thinking about the future as I entered my 30s, having continued with music in my teens and 20s, not thinking about the future at all, thinking that the beauty of rock music is that it is ephemeral. Getting married, having children. I think of such feelings as paternalism, and I think that when I started OAU, it was a time when such feelings started to grow inside me. I think I still like the momentary beauty of rock music and I will continue to pursue such music, but the budding of paternity has given me a desire for songs that speak to me quietly for a little longer. When I was younger, I would have thought that I was contradicting myself and pushed those feelings away, but now I think that people become fuller by holding on to such contradictions, and I feel that having another means of expression, OAU, has helped me a lot now. I feel that having another means of expression, OAU, is a big help to me now.
