José Oyola doesn’t mess around with his music. Instilled with melody and harmony from a young age, he began performing n English and Spanish early in his musical career, and has had enough success with it to be in the midst of finishing up and promoting his sophomore album, Hologram, before it debuts later this fall.
So when his band, José Oyola & The Astronauts, was searching for a venue for its Nov. 7 release party, there was really only one option: the new and very shiny College Street Music Hall, which beckoned with its bright lights and vast, occasionally smoke-filled stage.
Brian Slattery File Photo
“I’m proud of being from Connecticut, from Hartford and New Haven, and it’s like .… musicians should stay here and do what you can do. We have so much talent here,” he shared on the latest episode of Alisa Bowens’ “Culture Cocktail” on WNHH radio. With ARTE’s Daniel Diaz, Oyola helped Bowens kick off Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year.
Lucy Gellman Photo
“I’m super excited because every year I get to participate in festivals, festivities … and we celebrate latin culture through dance and through arts,” she shared at the beginning of the episode. “I share things that make the city what it is.”
To listen to the full episode, click on the above audio or find it in iTunes or any podcatcher under “WNHH Community Radio”