Joe Brooks (Jackie Jeffers)
By PJ Marcello, Staff Writer -- marcello13@up.edu
Last Friday, Joe Brooks used his smooth songs to make the female-laden crowd swoon at the Campus Programs Board's (CPB) Coffeehouse event in St. Mary's Student Center.
Joe Brooks is a British singer/songwriter who first gained popularity through his MySpace page at age 17. He signed with Universal/Lava Records in 2009 with his album "Constellation Me." For his most recent EP, "A Reason To Swim," Brooks reestablished his independent career and dropped his label.
Junior Sean Ducey, CPB's director, said they chose Joe Brooks for the semester's first coffeehouse after asking for suggestions on Facebook. He was pleased with the student turnout.
"There (were) about 200 people here," Ducey said. "It's great to have this many people at a Coffeehouse event."
Brooks was a big hit among students. Many people at the Coffeehouse sang along, swaying to the music and interacting with the artist between songs. At one point, he had the entire crowd repeat a chorus and clap together rhythmically for an entire song.
"When he had people sing his song with him and incorporated participation from the crowd instead of just singing, that was one of my favorite parts," junior Elviza Kho said.
Many students were excited to hear Brooks play live and remembered when they first heard him.
"I used to listen to his music on MySpace about seven years ago," junior Rick Baleros said. "He sounds like Jason Mraz!"
It is safe to say Brooks gained a lot of new fans and friends around Portland after his performance.
"He was very personable, funny, had good stage presence and I liked that he would tell us his story behind the songs he played," Kho said. "It was also the longest line to take pictures with an artist that I have seen at a Coffeehouse event this year."
Brooks will go on tour throughout the U.S. beginning March 20, including a stop in Portland at the Aladdin Theatre on March 25.
