Paul Okubo

Admiring The Beatles and The Carpenters, Paul Okubo started a band at the age of 15, in charge of drums. When in college, he played the drums in a band that copied hard rock such as the Deep Purple.

In 2003, due to the growing popularity of hula in Japan, he formed a Hawaiian backing band, the Moana Winds, and at the age of 47, he started steel guitar for the first time. He asked Lion Kobayashi, a leading steel guitar player, for guidance. For six years from 2007, he played the steel guitar in a band called OluOlu at summer event of the Hotel Gajoen Tokyo.

In 2013 he joined the Tahitian band the Maohi. He performed percussion, drums and steel guitar. At the same time, he played old Hawaiian songs as a steel guitarist for the Mont Hawaiians band, and continues to this day.

He also loves percussion instruments and participated in the Asakusa Samba Carnival Bateria Band as a Caixa (snare drum) for three years from 2013. He joined in the first HSGA Japan Chapter Convention held at Akasaka Bb, Tokyo in September 2012, and has participated every time since then.