Band Profile: Jose Hernandez Band – Artisans in OKC’s Singer-songwriter Scene

Singer-songwriter Jose Hernandez forges his songs in a crucible of honest passion. From The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville to Norman Music Fest and the most intimate bars of the city, OKC has listened and gone where Jose calls them to be. In 2018, Jose’s made appearances at Deep Deuce Sessions, The Jones Assembly’s Courtyard Stage, and Tower Theatre‘s Studio. With new releases on the horizon, we want to make sure you’re in the know about these Oklahoma City artists, and the way they craft their live performance.

The Fire that Fills the Furnace

“Yes! Just. F— Yes. Let’s do it!”

-Jose Hernandez, talking about playing a show.

Jose’s passion is palpable. He’s a laid back guy, but when we converse about music, he gets excited. “I’m just really passionate.” he says when he becomes aware of how big he’s smiling. It’s contagious.

I’d be smiling too if I fronted a band backed by Alex Coleman and Alberto Roubert (they’re the guitarist and drummer for Horse Thief, respectively) plus the multi-talented Ryan Magnani on bass.

With four of OKC’s most identifiable rock musicians, Jose Hernandez Band is a fire stoked with limitless creative fuel. The songs are largely contributed by Jose – particularly the lyrical content which relies heavily on his personal experience – and all of the musicians weigh in on the musical ideas that hammer and shape their setlists.

Crafting Chords and Choruses

“I hate recording. I love writing a song. Like, I love the process of making it, ya know?”

-Jose Hernandez, on the process of creating new songs

“He has strong convictions to share, and the best way to share stronger feelings of life is through music, where people can really listen to someone.” Ryan Magnani said, leaning back, legs crossed, sunglasses hanging on the collar of his dark grey tank.

The Band’s music is fused ore. Passion, power, and collaborative creative efforts alloy to create a rock sound mined from the likes of Tom Petty and clearly influenced by songwriters in the vein of Ryan Adams.

Jose explores human experiences from lost love to struggles of faith, to hanging around idiots who’ve had too much to drink. His setlist shifts effortlessly between ideas that are fun and frivolous to ones that are existential and introspective; yet, his show does not for a moment sound like anything except the perfect soundtrack to a Saturday night in an Oklahoma summer.

Jose’s most recent creation is a live video from his performance at Saints in the Plaza District. OkSessions was proud to produce the show and video with sound engineer Nathan Holliday and videographer Travis Warren. The first video, “Monster” will release on Facebook Wednesday, August 29th, at 8pm. Here’s a teaser…

Where it All Leads

“When I played that show at Saints, and everyone packed in there… it’s like I wasn’t there, I was somewhere else. And we took everyone with us.”

-Jose Hernandez, on playing music.

Ryan continued, “For 30 minutes, everyone gets to forget about everything and go with us. Then it’s over.” he grins, “After that, people go back to their shitty jobs or whatever, but for those 30 minutes everything is perfect.”

Jose Hernandez and his band are driven by sharing their stories, taking people places they haven’t been. They’re the type that will drive to Nashville to share their songs at the iconic Bluebird Cafe just to see what it’s like, and then write a song inspired by a weird experience at a wedding. In stories specific to their experience, there are notions familiar to every soul in the audience.

Jose has numerous releases to look forward to, but for now, make it a priority to hear Jose Hernandez Band live. Bring your friends, and be ready to run away with the band.

Follow Jose on social media, and check the calendar below for his upcoming performances.