【予選1st 第14ブロックB】OTONOVA2023  - overview of the performers.

I am very happy that Mudia exists and supports artists of all kinds. I am happy that there are events organised like Otonova2023 in in which I am participating for the first time.

As someone for whom life would be empty without music, I'm very excited about the Otonova2023 event and I'm looking at all the performers taking part.

I have looked through the musical work of all the participants in this block and I can say that it is a very diverse group, which makes me very happy because it will be an interesting duel.

I am very curious to see how this block will turn out, where we have four amazing personalities such as:

1. 街鳴り

街鳴り is a four-piece rock band from Osaka, comprising Sorako with her strong vocals, which are enhanced by simultaneous guitar playing. Sorako brilliantly combines both, i.e. singing with simultaneous guitar playing. Then we have guitarist Yuuto, bassist Gouya and drummer Nakano Cinema. Their focus is on the days that reverberate through the city. The band creates songs with different themes, but mostly painful, sad, frustrating songs that let people who have so many emotions know that they are not alone with them and reach out to people who are standing still because they find it hard to live. They have five original singles released so far. Below is one of their songs 'クライ' by Sorako, for which you must watch the MV on their channel (@user-qp1fm3iu4m) on Youtube.

"クライ"

作詞 Sorako

作曲 街鳴り

自分のために笑えた時

僕は幸せなんだと気づいた

ただの人で終わりたくない

誰かの確かな人でいたいよ

毎日満足できなくて

抜け殻にもなれない僕だった

空を見ないように歩いた

寂しい時だけ繋ぐ手が嫌い

何回朝がくれば僕は変わるの

もうそんなのやめだ

誰かの影になっていた

僕はもういない 

君のために死ねるなら

僕はいいよ

過去をどれだけ悔やんでも

なにも変わらない

今度はきみの前を僕が歩くから

いつも1人で泣いていた

僕はもういない

いつか誰かの光に

僕はなりたいんだ

まだ僕は歌える

まだ僕はやめない

僕は歌い続ける

It's a really beautiful song. It's worth visiting their Youtube channel (@user-qp1fm3iu4m) and their Tik-Tok account (@sorak0707), because they create songs that make you feel better.  

2. げんおん

Iwao Ohira (げんおん) is a father of two children and his main occupation is as a caregiver. He loves music, which has held a special place in his life for more than 30 years, and enjoys writing songs about what he thinks about: raising children, the importance of family bonds and continuing to fulfil his dreams. Iwao is mainly active in the media and distributes videos on YouTube (@Gen-on) and Tik-Tok (@genon6969). He is also working on starting activities on live performances. As of now, he wants to cherish the time he spends with music as much as possible. I recommend visiting his Youtube channel to see how he brilliantly combines singing with simultaneous acoustic guitar playing. I smiled more than once, especially when I saw his arrangements of Nirvana songs.  

3. 飯森ヒロト

Hiroto Iimori is one of the youngest performers at Otonova2023, as he is only 19 years old. He is an active student who started writing, composing and arranging music in 2020. He works part-time at a supermarket to save money to move to Tokyo, and is currently working and living in Fukuoka. His goal is to perform live at Shinjuku LOFT. On 26 August 2021, Hiroto submitted 'Natsu no Kaze' to the 2021 National High School Rock Festival in the DTM category, which was selected.

Below are the lyrics of this wonderful song:

„夏の風”

さざなみを渡る

君を忘れぬように

ホコリとともに巡り続ける

限りある毎日で

走る心に空言飾れば

やつれたカルマは歩き出す

夏の風に紛れ込んで

照らし合わせる姿

冴えない手を握りしめて

もう一度青く染まってゆくよ

思い出す景色

二度と戻れはしない

ありふれた輝き引きずって

こだまする毎日で

張り付いた温もりも憂いも

新しい風に吹かれてく

夏の風に紛れ込んで

照らし合わせる姿

鉛の風振り払って

遠い空に染まってゆく

季節の数で誤魔化した

解放できないタマシイで

遥かな場所まで連れ出したら

終わりない空に駆けてく

夏の風に紛れ込んで

照らし合わせる姿

冴えない手を握りしめて

もう一度青く染まってゆくよ

It is worth visiting his Tik-Tok account (@iimoriri) and Youtube channel (@Hiroto_Iimori) to see what an incredibly talented young man Hiroto is. Hiroto has a very interesting tone of voice and, in addition to singing and composing, he also plays the guitar very well. He also combines both, i.e. singing with playing the guitar at the same time, in a great way.

4. Parallel Resonance

Parallel Resonance is a three-piece, multi-national band with mixed blood from four countries. It consists of vocalist Mai, guitarist/arranger Rokki and bassist Yojiham. Mai's vocal skills are mixed with songs and performances with roots in hardcore/punk rock. On their Youtube channel (@ParallelResonancebandjp) we can read the description:

"We are "Parallel Resonance" a.k.a ParaSona. We are Japanese Rock band that covers hot new songs and some hit songs of all time in Rock arrangement. We also rock our own songs 🤘🏻"

What captivated me about ParaSona is the excellent synchronicity between the individual members. They really are a band! Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit song, which I idolise, is so easy to mess up, and they have created a divine adaptation that is underrated on Youtube! The versatility of this band is impressive and I think anyone who visits their channel will find something to enjoy. Utada Hikaru's classic ballad First Love, which was arranged and sung by Takahiro Moriuchi of One Ok Rock, among others, and found its way here - what a pleasant surprise it was. This acoustic version resonates so much with the heart and is beautiful. Their MV for the original song 'Crushin' didn't so much give me goosebumps as it got under my skin. Those overwhelming sounds of Yojiham's bass and Rokka's guitar only further enhance the power in Mai's voice. The song itself is very catchy and once you listen to it, you can't get it out of your mind.

Among this diverse foursome, it is hard to choose a favourite, as each represents a different kind of music, different life stories, different skills. I'm rooting for all four of them and I'm already looking forward to seeing how they will do in the qualifiers for Otonova2023.

I ask everyone to give it their all.