photo credit: Karrie Bulger
By: Christopher Aloysius Mariotti
I want to take a moment to thank you for joining me this evening! Let’s start with José Oyola versus José Oyola & The Astronauts: how has the band helped transform your vision?
Thank you for having me Chris. From the beginning I had aimed for the whole project to be a full band experience. As a solo artist when I wrote songs a lot of them would be written on a loop pedal incorporating bass, keys, multiple voices, etc. The band has helped me bring this to a live setting instead of just recordings and given me the freedom to explore the full vastness of creativity.
When you present a song to the Astronauts, do you have all the parts in your mind, or do they have reign to incorporate their ideas?
Most of the times I have all the parts in my mind, but the Astronauts definitely have some input.
It is somewhat like learning a language. In my head I understand what I am trying to convey but sometimes I have hard communicating what’s in my head into real life.
My favorite part is when the Astronauts come up with a part that wasn’t even close to what I was thinking of, only MUCH better.
That’s certainly a fantastic feeling. It seems like you all have great synergy together, especially live.
You know playing live is one of the best feelings I think a person could have. You slave away working on your songs then you finally have a chance to expose them. I want to be able to absorb all that energy at the same time share the good times with everyone around.
Let’s discuss Spacetron, an event you put together last year at the Spaceland Ballroom. It was wildly successful, merging sounds and sights and even a little hula-hooping! Will this be something you put on annually?
I would love to, not only for JOATA, but for other bands. I sense sometimes that bands forget that there are other senses to the human body. It should be a fun challenge to try and stimulate them all. Not sure about smell though!
Spacetron was well received and a great deal of fun.
José Oyola & The Astronauts have a show coming up at Café 9 on April 17. Do you have any visceral surprises awaiting us?
It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you! We will always have something up our sleeves.
I hope Spacetron shows our followers that we always push the envelope with our performances and we love people dressing up. I am personally very excited to play along Twin Berlin, Netherfriends and Elison Jackson.
I played with Twin Berlin when I was 19 years old and played in a band named the Trails at the UNH Battle of the Bands. So it is a bit amusing to me to be sharing the stage with them once again. Netherfriends played the first ever Taco Hut show that I hosted at my apartment at Bishop Street and Elison Jackson have been long time friends and a great group of musicians.
Tell us more about Taco Hut. It’s now a larger space on Orange Street. How often do musicians gather?
Taco Hut as a location is no longer in existence, though there were some great times and great bands coming through there. Hosting shows takes a toll after awhile, and was taking me away from making music.
The Taco Hut name still exists more as a moniker for show promotions, just much more limited.
That’s a bummer! I’ve always been drawn to “scenes” – whether it be the aura of The Beats, or even farther back, with the Romantics, getting hyped and debauched together and creating.
It was definitely fun.
Let’s shift gears and talk a little about your song “Struve (Born in the City)” – it’s a tremendously catchy song. I’ve caught my wife singing it in the kitchen (Oh-oooh!).
Oh man, I say this with a big smile on my face. I wrote that song a while ago it was one of my first ones. I wrote it with a loop pedal, a Casio keyboard mixed in with some Sangria. It was right after I met Shawn from Netherfriends and he looped his voice and I thought “Whoah I should try that!”
The original version was 7 minutes long! It definitely went through some transformations as the years went, there’s even an accordion version I’ll play here and there. Songs do get old but I feel if you find different ways to perform them, they can stay relatively fresh.
It’s good you said that. I think it’s one of those songs your fans expect to hear at every show. To be able to re-make it as your own from time to time, with various interpretations, is awesome. I see Sam Perduta (of Elison Jackson) got a songwriting credit. How did he get involved? Was that part of a Taco Hut session?
Sam and I have been friends for a while. We lived together at Taco Hut and even went on tour together to New Orleans as two solo acts. If you listen closely he is the voice in the background that goes down the scale.
“Peligrosa” is another great song. Growing up in Arizona, I had the fortune of seeing a good amount of bands that embraced their Mexican heritage. What made you choose to sing a song in Spanish?
Spanish is my first language so it just came naturally. My family is from Puerto Rico and my grandfather was a flamenco guitar player. Funny story when I first showed that song to my grandfather he hated it, he told me I could do better. So I worked on it and when it was released he complimented it so if it passed his criticism I was in the clear.
That’s fantastic. Nothing like a grandfather telling it like it is! They are too wise to fool.
Last November, you announced you were working on a new record, aiming for a late Spring release. How’s that coming along?
It’s coming along….
Got some new members so the songs are expanding and practice spaces have been limited until now so we are ready to put the final touches. We are looking into a December release now. All the songs are written just a matter of being a perfectionist. It will be called “Hologram” though.
All good things to those who wait, as it goes. In the meantime, what’s your perfect evening these days? Does it consist of eating Mamoun’s takeout and watching Cosmos? Then maybe a jam session?
YES! You mentioned Cosmos! Every Sunday I have been hosting the Cosmos at my apartment in Westville. It’s a great feeling having people over for food and refreshments that are so intrigued about what Neil deGrasse Tyson will be teaching them that week.
The series premiere I thought that I would have to shush people to be able to hear, but everyone was so glued on the screen that I just smiled and tuned in as well. I’ll go to any height to get people to learn about astronomy and our place in the universe, even upgrading to HD.
Astronomy is just the bee’s knees. I went to the University of Arizona, which is one of the best places to be for Astronomy. Looking through that telescope is something I’ll never forget. The night-sky was like little pinholes of light, the stars luminous and dreamy. It’s very refreshing to know there’s someone out here who embraces that and chooses to incorporate it into his music and performances.
Don’t get me started! One day I’ll show you my space camp certificate. I’ve always wanted to be an astronaut, the feeling of seeing the earth from the outside I feel would be satisfying for a lifetime. I joke a lot how I’m going to get rich and famous with music so that I can afford that dream.
Well, I have to admit, there are a lot of people in this state very happy your hair is more Rock Star than Astronaut!
José, thank you so very much for your time tonight. I think December can’t come soon enough! In the meantime, I will definitely be seeing you on April 17.
Mind if I get an opening for a comment that has been on my mind all day?
Absolutely.
JOATA recently had a successful IndieGogo campaign for a much needed practice space in New Haven. This success came with some backlash which I why I want to take the time now to address it.
To every musician in New Haven, Connecticut, anywhere… we are in this together there is no room for negativity, it is already hard enough to make a living doing music. The time wasted on negative energy could’ve been used in a proactive way. If we all have the same goal why not support each other rather than scrutinize what roads we use to get to this goal.
Chris this has been fun and look forward to seeing you April 17! Anyone who orders a ticket actually gets a little rocket kaleidoscope in the mail, kind of like a prize inside a cereal box!
I’m glad you brought this up, actually. From my purview, as a supporter of the scene as well as someone currently recording an album, I’m fearful the CT scene could be on its way to a fracture of sorts. A recent comment from a local recording studio (and friend) regarding the NEMAs ruffled some amplifiers. There’s nothing wrong with independent scenes supporting each other like a big family. But the state as a whole really needs to put ego and sectional geography aside and embrace the fact that Connecticut has some genius music coming out of it at this very moment. Last year had some amazing releases. And this year is on pace to eclipse that.
We are two like-minded people when it comes to how we’d ideally like to see the scene: we all need to support each other and our endeavours, help pave the roads we all travel, help fix the flats of others, and just love what we all got going on.
Cheers, sir. Thank you again, and I look very forward to that kaleidoscope!
Thank you Chris!
Find out more about José Oyola & The Astronauts on their Facebook page.