Star 99: 'Born to Run' and 'Vegas'

The Sunday Music Drop is a weekly radio series hosted by the KQED weekend news team. In each segment, we feature a song from a local musician or band with an upcoming show and hear about what inspires their music.

Star 99 is a punk band from San José, and in this episode of The Sunday Music Drop, they share their songs, “Born to Run” and “Vegas.”

“I usually write the songs alone in my room,” said Saoirse Alesandro about her songwriting process. She then brings these ideas to her bandmates, who also used to be her roommates. “This band kind of started so that we could hang out more.”

In addition to Alesandro, band members include Thomas Romero, Jeremy Romero and Chris Goff.

Alesandro says the song “Vegas” is about being from San José.

“San José is not a small town, but it feels like one,” she said. “You walk down every block and it’s your whole past, like it’s your high school, where you had your first kiss and where your mom yelled at you.”

Star 99 has a show at El Rio in San Francisco on Sept. 24, 2022.