On March 27th, the song ``Aomori Rock and Roll'' by the rock band ``TMC'' formed by classmates from Tsuruta, Aomori, exceeded 10,000 views on YouTube.

The band was formed in 2023 by leader Maron Barka Manpei, who is half Senegalese and half Aomori, as well as Hitoshi Onodera and Aya Takashima. "TMC" is an abbreviation for "Tsuruta Music Club," and the three of them are alumni from junior high school.

"Aomori Rock'n Roll" is the band's second song released on June 27, 2023, and its theme is "Daily Life in Aomori." The music video was shot at an apple farm in Niioka, Hirosaki City. The garden is an apple farm where Maron works. Onodera is an office worker who lives in Sendai and Takashima lives in Tokyo, and the shooting took place during last year's Golden Week.

The music video was shot based on the ideas of Mr. Onodera, who was in charge of songwriting and composing, and sprinkled with small stories from Aomori. Scoops and rakes are used as musical instruments, and Aomori products such as ``Stamina Gen Tare'' and ``Kamome Chikuwa'' are featured. ``The theme was Aomori, where not only Tsugaru, but also the southern part and Shimokita come together,'' says Maron.

Maron was born and raised in Tsuruta. During his junior high and high school days, he belonged to the track and field club and participated in national competitions. After graduating from high school, he studied music at a music school and gained experience such as serving as a backing vocalist for the dance and vocal group "Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS".

Maron, who made a U-turn to Tsuruta in 2022 after the coronavirus pandemic, said, ``When I returned to Aomori and called out on social media that I wanted to do music in Aomori, two alumni contacted me and we formed TMC.'' The song was completed after creating the song online.

Eight months have passed since "Aomori Rock'n Roll" was released on YouTube, and it reached 10,000 views on March 27th. In February of this year, Yoshitomo Nara, a contemporary artist from Hirosaki, reposted and introduced the site, saying, ``Aomori might be cool.'' Maron says, ``When I was in elementary school, I attended a workshop held by Mr. Nara in Hirosaki.It was one of the reasons I became interested in expressing myself.''

Maron is currently 28 years old. I plan to move to Australia in May this year. The band's activities will continue. Maron says, ``Originally, I was active apart from my band members, so things haven't changed.I want to aim for activities that can convey the charms of Aomori to the world.''