Lugo™ stands as a trailblazer in contemporary music. Edwin Lugo Walker, known as Lugo, is the proud nephew of the legendary Roberto Clemente Walker. Growing up in the Boogie Down Bronx, part of Borinken's largest Barrio, Lugo™ began captivating audiences from a young age, singing in his father's church at just three years old. As an undefeated champion on "Showtime at The Apollo," he quickly made his mark in the music scene. The iconic Paul Simon discovered Lugo™ and took the stage on Broadway in "Paul Simon's The Capeman," sharing the spotlight with Ednita Nazario, Marc Anthony, and Ruben Blades. Lugo™ boasts a remarkable collection of accolades, including a Grammy-associated award for Songwriter and Vocalist, two President's Volunteer Service Awards (1,000 Points of Light), and certificates of appreciation from Youngsang, Korea. He garnered the prestigious "Second to None" Native Indigenous Tomahawk from The Second Infantry Division in South Korea. He was recognized as a NATO Diplomat by the U.S. Department of Defense. In addition, he received a Theatre Lab Award letter from Robert Redford, who appointed Glen Close as his mentor, and earned a Young Arts merit in Theatre Scholarship. Lugo™ actively served as a TNG-CWA Local Union Officer at The National Labor College in MD. He enhanced his skills at several esteemed institutions, including the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he earned a certificate from His Majesty King Charles III. Lugo™ also attended the Performing Arts High School, receiving a Certificate of Excellence in Theatre from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia School of Music and the Arts. He trained under National Medal of Arts Awardee Miriam Colon at The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre and Rosetta Lenoire at AMAS Repertory Theatre in New York, later completing his double major in Theatre and Opera at The University of Texas at Austin.
Lugo's collaborations with multi-platinum and multi-Grammy-winning producers, such as Paul Simon (Ladysmith Black Mambazo), "Bassy" Bob Brockmann (Christina Aguilera), Rob Fusari (Lady Gaga), Abdul Malik Abbott (Jay-Z), The Berman Brothers (Baha Men), Justin Strauss (Luther Vandross), and Harold Martin Jr. (The Holland Tunnel Project), demonstrate his versatility and influence in the music industry. He confidently navigates genres such as acid jazz, neo-soul, Latin, hip-hop, funk, and gospel, using ™ as a powerful moniker to protect and promote his intellectual property globally. As a dedicated humanitarian, Lugo launched world tours from 2005 to 2008 with the U.S.O., performing in South Korea, Italy, Spain, and Afghanistan to uplift servicemen and women, as well as their families. His landmark performance in Cuba at the "Primavera en La Habana - Springtime in Havana" music festival marked the first-ever Lugo™ concert televised at the UNESCO World Heritage site and broadcast live from El Amphitheatro en el Malecón Cubano. Additionally, he published an impactful autobiography filled with rich history, poetry, prose, and song lyrics. A prolific songwriter and vocalist, Lugo™ has been accepted into The Recording Academy's Grammy process every year since 2000. He contributed to the Grammy Award-winning album "Just Chillin" by Norman Brown. He penned hits for numerous artists, including the viral dance sensation "Keep Your Head Up" by Norman Brown featuring Faye Simpson in Asia. With over 3,000 published works and five decades of songwriting expertise, his music appears in major productions, including Jay-Z's film "State Property," MTV's "Made," and the BBC's "Ben's Zoo." Lugo has graced some of the most significant venues, including the Sundance Theatre in Utah, The Jazz Café in London, and The Nuyorican Poets Café, which poet Allen Ginsberg hailed as "the most integrated place on earth." Moreover, Lugo has made notable appearances in television series like "The Nick," "The Night Of," "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," "Law and Order," And Saturday Night Live".  For more information, visit www.iamlugo.com. **Photo Credit: Luke Fontana**

Kingston Rudieska is a Korean authentic ska band formed in Seoul, Korea in 2004


KINGSTON RUDIESKA (SOUTH KOREA)

Although South Korea is about as far from Jamaica as a country could be, that hasn’t prevented the authentic sounds of Jamaican musical genres such as ska and reggae from reaching Korea’s shores.
Korea’s first traditional ska band, Kingston Rudieska has been paying respect to the roots of ska since their first show in 2004. This nine-piece group blends bluebeat ska, jazz, reggae, dub, and nyah binghi influences into a final product that is uniquely Korean, something the band has dubbed “feast ska.” Their shows are a mix of foot-stomping instrumentals backed by a four-piece horn section with warm, soulful vocal songs sung by “Sugar” Lee Seok-yul, all with a traditional jazz improvisational vibe as many of the members are trained jazz musicians. Their music pays heavy respect to ska pioneers the Skatalites, and it’s not uncommon to hear a Skatalites cover thrown into their sets.

Over the past decade, they’ve come a long way from playing dingy basement clubs to appearing on some of the nation’s biggest stages, fostering a love of Jamaican rhythms to a nation still newly discovering the genre. They’ve appeared at nearly all of Korea’s major music festivals, including Jisan Valley Rock Festival, Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, Busan Rock Festival, Seoul Jazz Festival, Rainbow Island Music Festival, and Grand Mint Festival. Additionally, Kingston Rudieska has appeared on numerous televised music programs in Korea.

Kingston Rudieska has had the privilege of performing with many other talented musicians and bands. They’ve collaborated with popular Korean musicians Bobby Kim, YB, Sim Soo Bong, and Yoon Hyung Joo. They’ve also shared the stage with Japanese bands such as Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Eskargot Miles, and Cool Wise Men, North American groups the Slackers and Chris Murray Combo, as well as Babylove and the van Dangos (Denmark), Dr. Ring Ding Ska Vaganza, and Skazz (Australia). Most recently, they recorded an EP with Dr. Ring Ding (Germany).

They recorded their first single in 2006, and since then they’ve released three full-length albums, not to mention one EP and a couple digital singles, and contributed a track to the United Colors of Ska 4.0 compilation on Pork Pie Records (Germany).

Due to the expenses of travelling with a nine-piece band, Kingston Rudieska has little experience playing to overseas audiences, having toured the Philippines in 2012 and visited Japan in 2013, during which time they formed the jam band Asian Unite with Japanese bands Eskargot Miles, Frisco, and Kingstompers.

· 최철욱 Choi Chul-Wook (leader, trombone)
· 이석율 Lee Suk-Yul (lead vocals,percussion)
· 오정석 Oh Jeong-Seok (Trumpet,Flugelhorn)
· 배선용 Bae Sun-Yong (Trumpet)
· 성낙원 Sung Nock Won (Tenor sax)
· 서재하 Seo Jae-Ha (Guitar)
· 손형식 Son Hyong-Sik (Bass)
· 김대민 Kim Dae-Min (Drums)



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