Author: KCR College Radio

JAWNY Made San Diego “fall in love”

KCR College Radio

On March 3rd, indie pop artist JAWNY kicked off his 2023 North America Headline Tour
in San Diego, with his debut album It’s Never Fair, Always True dropping the same
day. It made for an exciting night, as we were the first to hear the songs played live.

Performing at the Quartyard in downtown, the innovatively designed outdoor venue
provided the perfect scene to “fall in love” with JAWNY’s sound. The site
complemented JAWNY’s vibe with the unique and fun artwork found throughout,
including local artist work, colorful lighting, and repurposed shipping containers that had
string lights connecting to the stage.

JAWNEY by Samantha Christensen

JAWNY received support from indie pop artist Wallice, who is well known for her songs
“23” and “Punching Bag”. Her shoegaze-style sound captivated fans in the crowd and
left them in awe, waiting for JAWNY to take the stage.
Approaching the time of his set, JAWNY, still behind the stage, turned on his mic to
address the crowd by asking, “Are you guys ready?” A roar erupted from fans, and the
song “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers began to play through the speakers.

Name a better way to hype up a crowd than that.
I even caught myself getting excited and jumping around to the familiar lyrics, “Coming
out of my cage, and I’ve been doing just fine.” At this point, the anticipation and energy
were high.

JAWNY by Shaeley Hicks

Taking the stage, JAWNY comes out to his newly released song “intro”. The catchy
drum tempo was a perfect segway into his performance, and like the album, the 40-
second upbeat song seamlessly transitioned into a crowd favorite, “strawberry
chainsaw”.
The fun rockstar he is was dressed in a vibrant button-up shirt with a heat map print
design, accompanied by black Dickies slacks and a printed logo “Panther” trucker hat.
With him was a neon green electric guitar with a matching guitar strap to complete the
outfit.

JAWNY by Shaeley Hicks

Playing an impressive 20-song setlist, JAWNY kept the energy high throughout. Even
included a cover of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me” which he deemed to be San

Diego’s anthem. The crowd went crazy with this one and serenaded the city with
JAWNY as he geared up for the second half of his performance.
Including a mix of songs from the new album and his past projects, “For Abby” and “The
Story Of Hugo”, JAWNY kept the crowd on their toes with what to expect next. There is
something special to be said about an artist whose songs are rooted in a sad boy
narrative, yet fans are seen jumping and dancing around to the catchy choruses of
newly released songs like “adios” and “lalala”. Moments like that speak true to the
creative storytelling of JAWNY and his unique style of music.

JAWNY by Shaeley Hicks

After getting to be a part of a press release with JAWNY earlier in February, I was eager
to get to hear him play live for the first time. I have been a fan of his since his earlier
works, including “Honeypie” and “Trigger Of Love” which I remember listening to for
hours on end during the pandemic. In the press release, I recall JAWNY opening up
about how much this album means to him and how proud he is to share it with the
world. I would agree that the crowd definitely showed him the recognition he deserves
for such a creative work of art, and the opening night of his North American tour felt like
a movie.
JAWNY stayed “true” to his intentions of creating an album that included something for
everyone and showcased it perfectly by having San Diego “fall in love” with him and
his energy on stage.

Something For Everyone: JAWNY’s Debut Album

KCR College Radio
Courtesy of Adrian Nieto

JAWNY, the self-described “sad boy” singer-songwriter, is continuing the narrative as
he is gearing up to release his long-awaited debut album, which is set to arrive on
March 3rd of this year. The 27-year-old sensation, who rose to fame in 2019 with his hit
single “Honeypie” has been teasing fans with snippets of his new music for months.

Now, with the announcement of his upcoming album, it’s never fair, always true, fans
are eagerly awaiting the release of the full project. The album is said to reveal a mix of
different sides to JAWNY’s songwriting capabilities, he shares with us his motivation
behind the process, explaining that he wanted to make the “dream record” he wished he
could have created when he was younger, and do it in a way that “start[s] super happy,
super tongue and cheek, super indie, super fun, and then somehow by the last song
you’ve somehow gotten to the saddest place you could ever possibly get to as a human
and it all makes sense.” Additionally, JAWNY wanted to ensure the album was a
“cohesive body of work that all had a through story line and [didn’t] just sound like a

bunch of songs thrown together and called an album.” After taking a long time to
complete, he is proud of the final product and excited for the world to hear it.

JAWNY has already released two singles from the album, “true” and “strawberry
chainsaw,” and both have been met with critical acclaim. The tracks are noted to be
upbeat and full of emotion. The album will also feature a collaboration with artist Beck,
who has supported JAWNY in his music journey.

Image from IT’S NEVER FAIR, IT’S ALWAYS TRUE artwork

In a recent press release, JAWNY shared with our outlet that he hopes the album will
“have a song for whatever mood someone is in that day or whatever someone is going
through. JAWNY’s aim for his discography is to provide music for all kinds of emotions
and experiences that can be shared by many. He wants to craft stories that can apply to
multiple people, irrespective of their backgrounds and feelings.

JAWNY’s approach to songwriting is highly unique. He prefers to “fake a song into
existence” rather than take influence from what is currently trending in the music industry. He puts a lot of effort into his lyrics and often tells stories in his songs. He also
makes sure that the music he creates is authentic to him, rather than trying to copy
other artists. The result of JAWNY’s hard work is his debut album, it’s never fair,
always true. It is a collection of songs that range in sound and have something for
everyone.

JAWNY’s upcoming album is sure to be a hit and will surely cement his status as one of
the most exciting new artists of the year. Fans can look forward to hearing more from
JAWNY in the coming months and an opportunity to see him perform live as he takes
the stage on March 3rd in San Diego to kick off his North American Tour.

The Wrecks Concert Review

KCR College Radio

On November 17, American Pop Rock Band The Wrecks came to San Diego’s House of Blues on Thursday to perform one of their last remaining shows for their long awaited tour, “Back and Better Than Ever”. With Indie Pop band Arlie opening with an amazing set, featuring hit songs, “didya think” and “big fat mouth,” the crowd was immersed and ready to hear more from the energetic band. Arlie frontman Nathaniel Banks delivered incredible vocals while his bandmates danced and elevated the crowd with their contagious energy.

There were groups of dedicated Arlie fans scattered in the crowd screaming along to the lyrics of their songs. Those who didn’t quite know the songs were still bobbing their heads along to the music. Banks even brought out a saxophone in which he performed a chilling yet immersive solo throughout the song “crashing down”. I had never heard Arlie before the show and my favorite song from their set ended up being “water damage” off of their EP “Wait”. I was thoroughly impressed with everything about this band and their attitudes. They are definitely worth a listen. 

Carrying the same attitudes to amp up the crowd, The Wrecks opened their set right off the bat with “Out Of Style”. While drummer Billy Nally electrified the crowd smashing on the drums, singer Nick Anderson jumped around stage while giving his all with his voice. Everyone was smiling and having a good time, band and audience.

Immediately starting off the set with their popular and earliest songs, “Panic Vertigo” and “James Dean,” it allowed the crowd to quickly connect with the band as everyone knew the words. Performing songs off of their most recent album “Sonder,” The Wrecks brought their pop roots to life.

Although the songs on their new album are a little bit softer than the ones off of their debut album “Infinitely Ordinary”, the music doesn’t fall far behind their staple rock sound. At one point, the band grabbed props and costume decor from voluntary fans and performed while looking festive, and what a sight it was to see. Nick Anderson interacts with the crowd so well and it is easy to tell that the band appreciates their fans. I loved the show and hope to see them again in the future with new music.

Concert Review by Anastasia Balmaceda

Claiming Cal Coast: Omar Apollo

KCR College Radio

Stopping in San Diego for his third show of “The Prototype Tour,” Omar Apollo (Omar Apolonio) takes the stage at Cal Coast Open Air Theater.

Beginning his musical career on SoundCloud, Omar Apollo has since remained in the music industry for seven years. During the span of these seven years, Apollo has released five albums, and tonight, performed at least one song off each album. The stage design, the assisting band, and the fans created an unforgettable experience throughout the night. 

Having some free time before the show, Apollo was spotted throughout San Diego State University. Fans caught him playing football, and those who were lucky enough were able to get a photo with the musician. After activities settled down, fans gathered throughout the venue and settled in their seats to witness opener Rayvn Lenae.

Entering the stage at 9:00 PM, Apollo was dressed in black from head to toe with matching sheer black gloves. Omar Apollo kicked off his set with a song specifically from his newest album, “Ivory”. Fans immediately erupted into screams and pulled out their cell phones to capture the moment. Apollo grabbed his guitar and strummed the tune to his song “Useless”. Apollo has voiced his love for his fans throughout his concert, and during tonight’s show, sung in both English and Spanish. Throughout his concert he switched languages to perform some of his popular Spanish songs; “En El Olvido,” “Dos Uno Nueve,” and “Frío”. 

Working his way through his expansive discography, Omar Apollo did not shy away from performing songs that contained features not present at the venue. A few songs of Apollo’s contain features from artists such as Kali Uchis, Ruel, and Daniel Caesar; however, their verses were performed by Apollo and a unique spin was added to highlight his vocals. 

There was no consistent flow to the show, Apollo kept his fans on their toes. The show would go from soft love songs to sped up rock, fluctuating moods throughout the show. Couples could be seen swaying to “Petrified,” then jumping to “Tamagotchi” a few moments later. Apollo has very passionate fans singing every word to his songs; they even caught his attention at the beginning of the show.  

I have been a fan of Omar Apollo’s work for quite some time, and it was an amazing experience to see him live. He is eagerly excited to share his music in a live performance rather than just streaming services. Seeing fans gather and hearing them scream to his music creates a whole different experience and gives life to Apollo’s music. On behalf of LiveNation and KCR College Radio, I am ecstatic to have had an opportunity to cover Omar Apollo at the Cal Coast Open Air Theater.