COME the
up
The Community Performs
A musician performs at an open mic. He comes off stage to find a stranger in his seat. The stranger apologizes, moves aside, and compliments the musician on his singing—an original piece called “San Jose.” The musician is Riley McShane. The stranger, Isaiah Wilson. A couple months after that fateful open mic, they huddled outside Café Stritch hatching a plan for their very first show when another stranger tapped each of them on the shoulder and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I want in.” Enter their third founder, Leo Macaya. And thus began The Come Up—a grassroots booking agency and production company for musicians in downtown San Jose. Fast forward four months to February 2, 2018, when their inaugural show came to life in the 20
Device 11.2
newly established Uproar Brewing Company with four musicians, three comedians, and a borrowed sound system. Riley took charge of setting up mics and speakers, Isaiah played host to the incoming talent, and Leo documented the evening with crisp, clean photography that’s since solidified as the collective’s visual identity. More than a hundred people came through, generating so much interest that The Come Up soon landed a monthly showcase, a performance series at SoFA Market, and a stage at SoFA Street Fair. But the best part of that first show wasn’t the lively crowd or the gigs that came after. It was the end of the night, as the last round of applause died down, and it finally dawned on the founders what they had just pulled off. As Leo said of that moment, “It was like, ‘You had
fun? You had fun? Let’s do it again.’ ” And so they did—again and again and again, 27 shows in their first year—at least once every two weeks. With such a rigorous schedule, it’s no wonder that the founders turned from strangers to close friends—or as they call themselves, The Come Up Kids. Their professional dynamic evolved in tandem, the three now working in perfect unison. Riley shows a keen mind for logistics. Isaiah trades in social capital. And Leo’s the third star in a Michelin rating, adding his knack for branding that takes their shows from “worth a detour” to “exceptional, worth a special journey.” Of course, it’s all for the love of music, and maybe even more so, the love of musicians. What started as a simple mission to activate local businesses into
Written by Grace Talice Lee Photography by Daniel Garcia The Come Up sjcomeup.com Social Media sjcomeup
