Toshihiro Otani aka Toshi aka t-bird

Toshi Otani was born and raised on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido. When he was 12 years old, got first guitar from his friend. He taught himself to play by listening to the radio and records. His first experience of playing the blues was at the age of 19, as a bass player, with a band that practiced in a barbershop owned by the bandleader. In 2005, he moved to New York to joined a band called East village Pharmacy to recorded an album. He spent many years in Tokyo's lively Chicago-style blues scene before relocating to the Niagara region in 2013, in Hamilton 2019. When not playing music, Toshi can often be found taking things apart and putting them back together.