Jose Oyola Launches College Street Into Orbit

José Oyola stood on a chair in the rehearsal room of the Hillhouse Marching Band, preparing the students for their performance with him and his band, the Astronauts, at none other than College Street Music Hall this coming Saturday.

“How did I get here?” Oyola asked himself. ​“I’m thinking of myself in high school — all I listened to was hip hop. I’m just old enough to wonder what the kids are listening to. I even worried they’d make fun of my dirty shoes.”

“Actually, the kids have really kept me going,” Oyola added. ​“Making art is about having an effect on people.”

The appearance at the Music Hall is in part to celebrate the release of Oyola’s second album, Hologram, which showcases a full band, more songs in Spanish than his first album (2013’s Give, Give, Give. Take, Take, Take), and the hip hop influence of his live shows. It also features his grandfather, a flamenco guitarist, playing alongside the current lineup of the Astronauts: Carrie Martinelli on keys and sampler; Hannah Proch and Fernando Ferrer on vocals; Brian Antonucci on guitar; Mike Marsters, of Funky Dawgz Brass Band, on trombone; Tim Kane on trumpet; Tony Molina on bass; Frederic Kaeser on drums; Dylan McDonnell on flute; and Marcos Torres on percussion. This does not even count the Hillhouse Marching Band. A slew of other local acts are filling out the bill, such as Ceschi, If Jesus Had Machine Guns, and Frank Viele.

Since College Street Music Hall opened in May, it has usually hosted major touring acts, with management and promotion teams. Oyola wants his show to prove musicians do not need all those things the music industry says they do.

“I chose music because it gives me license to take risk,” Oyola said.

On top of leading the Astronauts, who have gone from a handful of his friends to a modern orchestra, and booking openers for the College Street show, Oyola has handled all the promotion himself. He has printed and handed out his own fliers, sent out emails, and blasted social media, all to generate the word of mouth to fill College Street.

“Nothing’s worth doing that isn’t stressful,” he said.

If anyone can fill College Street’s seats without a marketing team, it is Oyola. He seems to be on a first-name basis with everyone in the artistic community. Locals shouted familiar greetings left and right as we discussed his promotional strategies along the streets of Westville.

“Way back, when I had short hair, I used to get all my music from the barber shop,” Oyola recalled. ​“That’s how I want to do it, organically. I’d rather have that eye contact — I want you to know where your music comes from.”

For the Nov. 7 show the Hot Several Brass Band will play on College Street itself and in the lobby between sets. After the show, they will lead concertgoers and musicians alike to an afterparty at Pacific Standard Tavern, free with admission ($16), where Not Blood Paint and Sexbomb will play. Hologram goes on sale in College Street before its Nov. 20 release date and a March tour.

Oyola firmly believes that if area musicians toured more often, New Haven would become more of a destination for out-of-town artists, rather than a stop between New York and Boston. Though all of his own efforts are done with humility. He studied physics at SCSU, and with pride proclaims he has always been a nerd at heart.

“I like to be reminded how small I am, but at the same time how I’m able to make a difference,” Oyola said.