The Oshima Brothers came onto my radar a couple of years ago.  I was as impressed by their beautiful songs as I was by their artistic videos.  It was clear to me that they were a band to “watch” and to cheer them on!  After finally having the chance to see them live last year,  I was thrilled to experience the good energy that they offer their audience.  Their show was full of exciting musical flourishes and harmonies as well as some mighty fine theatrical dance moves!

To learn more about the Oshima Brothers, check out their website.

Want to see an amazing video for their song “Lost at Sea”?

 

And for kicks, be sure and watch this behind the scenes and how these talented brothers made this extraordinary video.  Try to watch this and not cringe when you see the submerged instruments!

 

The Oshima Brothers will be playing at the me&thee in Marblehead, MA on Friday, March 6.

Your bio says that you come from a “musical family.”  How would you describe your musical upbringing?

We grew up surrounded by tall pine trees near the end of a dirt road. There were so many instruments around and so many songs being sung. Music has been a part of our family much longer than we’ve been alive.

What was life like living in a rural part of Maine?  How did you “consume” music as young people? 

We’ve always prioritized music. At home, it was just there all the time. We’d listen to recordings on LP or CD and there was also plenty of jamming. Someone at home was always strumming guitar chords or bashing the drums.

I’m interested in your looping work.  What prompted you to add the layers of music on top of everything else you do while performing?

Looping is a fun way for just two guys to make a bit more sound during our live shows. In concert, all the sound we make happens live and we work hard to make our show sound as lush and full as possible.

Are there any musicians that you especially admire?

Our parents, as huge Beatles fans, passed that on to us. It’s possible we know all the words to all the songs. We admire so many artists though. We’re particularly inspired by our friends and peers.

Does Sean do most of the songwriting and Jamie does most of the instrumentation?

Generally, I (Sean) write the skeleton of a song before bringing it to Jamie. But we work very collaboratively. Jamie gives direction and when we’re happy with it Jamie takes over. He produces and records our music. I (Sean) play about 3 instruments well, Jamie plays about a million, yeah he does much of the recorded instrumentation.

Kudos to you on your videos.  I’m curious if you talk about the possible video scenarios during the development of your songs? 

Our last 8 songs have had accompanying music videos. The music always comes first, but we give a lot of thought to the video. We put a great amount of energy into making the video visually feel true to the song. We make a song and then we turn around and make something that’s of equal authenticity but in a totally different medium!  Very challenging, very fun!

Any dream gigs or musical adventures you’d like to have?

ME! AND! THEE! And honestly, this is the musical adventure we want to have. We’re having it. We’re excited to travel all over this beautiful earth and play songs to all of its beautiful people. So much to come!