South by San Jose Makes a Strong First Impression

By Tiera Allen
DJ

On Wednesday, March 16, I had the pleasure of attending my first South by Southwest event at South by San Jose. South by San Jose (or SXSJ) is an annual all-ages event hosted in the parking lot between Hotel San Jose and Jo’s Coffee on South Congress Avenue. 2022 marks its 21st year, and it prides itself on being “always and forever free.”

Doors opened at noon, and I arrived at around 3:00 p.m., just in time to catch a performance from Hannah Jadagu. Jadagu is a Texas native that relocated to New York City to pursue a degree in music business at NYU. Like me, this was her first SXSW, and she did not disappoint. Jadagu, accompanied by Garrett on bass and Jacob on the drums, performed a series of chill bedroom pop songs, including a new song entitled “Say It Now.” Hannah Jadagu would be perfect for fans of Clairo and Girl in Red.

After a short break, Joseph began their performance at 4:00 p.m. to an enthusiastic crowd. Joseph is a folk band from Portland, Oregon, and is composed of sisters Natalie Closner Schepman, Alison Closner, and Meegan Closner. (Alison and Meegan are twins.) I have had the pleasure of seeing them live pre-pandemic, and this performance was equally as scintillating. One of their strongest traits as artists is their blood harmony, but their songwriting, which covers a wide range of topics, from anxiety to Love Island, is a close second. I would recommend their music to anyone who is a fan of Haim.

Geese is a five-piece rock band based in Brooklyn, New York. They began their set with an explosive first song and kept the energy high throughout the remainder of their set. Their debut album, Projector, debuted in the final quarter of 2021 to high praise, and as they performed, I can definitely understand the praise. I particularly enjoyed the lead singer’s wide vocal range, which added different flavors to the songs he performed. If you are interested in checking out modern rock and roll bands, I would recommend that you check out Geese!

Sunflower Bean is a rock band from Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York, composed of three musicians. They are releasing a new album, Headful of Sugar, on May 6 and they played a few songs from their upcoming release, such as “Who Put You Up to This?”, their first single from the project. They also performed “Roll the Dice,” which was released last week. All three performers are electric on stage and have put a fresh spin on rock and roll. We had to leave after Sunflower Bean, and felt that they were a very strong performance to end the night for us.

Featured Image by Tiara Allen