Kingston Rudieska, Coburaya, and The TownGhost

Although South Korea is about as far from Jamaica as a country could be, that hasn’t prevented authentic Jamaican music, namely ska and reggae, from reaching her shores. Korea’s first traditional ska band, Kingston Rudieska, has been paying respect to the roots since they began in 2004. The nine- piece band blends bluebeat ska, jazz, reggae, dub, and nyahbinghi chanting into a final product that is uniquely Korean; something the band has dubbed “Feast Ska.” Their shows mix foot-stomping instrumentals – fronted by a four-piece horn section – with warm, soulful vocal features sung by “Sugar” Seok Yul Lee. Their performances are punctuated with a jammy, improv vibe as many of the members are trained jazz musicians. The music pays enormous respect to, ska pioneers, The Skatalites. It’s not uncommon, during a set, to hear an impromptu Skatalites cover kick off an improvisational jam to the delight of the crowd.