ENTERTAINMENT

Regie Cabico

Regie Cabico is a spoken word pioneer having won top prizes in the 1993, 1994 and 1997 National Poetry Slams. His work appears in over 30 anthologies including Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Caf? Spoken Word Revolution and Slam. He has appeared on two seasons of HBO's Def Poetry Jam, PBS' "In The Life" and MTV's "Free Your Mind" Spoken Word Tour. Regie is the recipient of three New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships for Poetry and Multi-Discplinary Performance. As a theater artist, his work has been presented at The Humana Theater Festival, Genesis Theater Festival, CrossRoads Theater, Kennedy Center Play Lab, The Kitchen and Dixon Place, among others. He is an ensemble member of the NY Neo Futurist's production of Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind. He teaches writing and performance for Urban Word, NYC and hosts The Friday Night Series for the Poetry Project at St. Mark's Church.

Ed Cho

Ed Cho is not your typical comic. While on the outside you see a friendly face and a polite demeanor, on the inside lies an aggravated, to-the-point comic dealing with dating nightmares, ruthless friends, an overbearing family, and, of course, growing up Asian. His uniquely honest, no-holds-barred style of humor is quickly winning over audiences all across the country.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Central Jersey, Ed caught the stand-up bug by idolizing comedy veterans like Eddie Murphy, Robert Schimmel and George Carlin. He has performed his unique brand of comedy at major venues in New York CIty and all over Florida. His professionalism and hilarious material has earned him representation with Goldstar Entertainment.

In addition to his stand-up comedy accomplishments, Ed is the creator/producer of "What's In It For A Dollar", a barroom reality game show where the (usually drunken) contestants participate in embarrassing stunts for a measly dollar. The show airs overseas, and is steadily gaining popularity with international audiences. In 2001, Ed's screenplay "CHILL" was turned into a short film and was entered in many film festivals, resulting in a "Best Short Comedy" award at the Standig Video Fest in California. He is now in pre-production for his first feature-length film "Plasma", scheduled to shoot in early this year. Website.

Taiyo Na

Taiyo Na, a 25-year old renaissance man of word, sound and action, is releasing his first full-length solo album Love Is Growth in March of 2008 under Issilah Productions.

Born and raised in New York City, Taiyo Na is a 25-year old renaissance man of word, sound and action. Selected as one of the "25 Best Emerging Artists Under the Age of 25" by New World Theater's Intersection Conference, he has shared his work nationwide at venues such as Lincoln Center, The Public Theater, Knitting Factory and many more. His debut album Love Is Growth (March 2008, Issilah Productions) is a blend of gritty NY hip-hop and classic American soul.Website.

Heather Park

Heather Park is not what you expected. She dreams in pictures. She sings with soul.

Soul of a woman, eyes of a child, a voice that exudes warmth, and a tone that invokes you to keep listening. Her music has a lyrical intellect, with a soul that's pure hip-hop. Her velvety voice is laced with a soulful edge, her songs transcend genres and embodies a style all its own. Amidst rich, moving harmonies and vocal arrangements, her songs explore aspects/angles of love and life in a voice of rare sincerity.

Her sound is unique, drawing from the eclectic mix of her musical influences. A classically trained pianist, she grew up listening to everything from hip-hop, R&B, folk, pop, and even country music. There is no simple explanation for her soulful singing. "I honestly don't know where it comes from. I wish I had an easy answer. It's just something that's always been inside of me. I don't know how to sing any other way."

She was introduced into the music scene in 2002, when she made a choice to pursue music over going to graduate school, much to the disapproval of her parents. While working at a deli in New York City, her demo caught the attention of the programming director of New York's Hot 97, and so began her musical career.

Through a chance meeting, she met producer and songwriter Steve Francis (Stush Music) and an immediate creative connection was formed. "It was a blessing to find someone who shared my vision and who allowed me the room to grow and find myself as an artist."

From their creative union, grew a project that was not unique to any one genre but drew from all of them. "I realized a lot of my discomfort came from trying to fit in to external notions of what I should sound like, how I should sing. Now, I've stopped trying to comply and learned to just be."

With the release of her debut album "Dream In Pictures, Heather has established herself within the industry. Her album is an eclectic blend of styles and captivating vocals. She's been featured in Jade Magazine, Asiance magazine, Asianmusicsource.com, and has performed on Imaginasian TV.

"It's a never-ending lesson, learning to love the skin you're in. I'm certainly no exception. The songs in 'Dream in Pictures' are an honest reflection of my heart and mind. It's such indescribable bliss to be able to write and sing music that finally resonates with your soul. I hope they resonate with your soul, too. Website.

Kevin So

In a decade of performing his original music around the country, Kevin So has earned the respect of his fellow musicians (Keb' Mo', Mary Lou Lord, Amos Lee, for starters), won over members of the press and radio (the Boston Globe, WFUV, many more) and built up a substantial fan base coast to coast. With the sky still the limit, he has spent more than 15 years giving free rein to his musical imagination.

Born and raised in Boston, So channeled his early passion for singing and playing piano and guitar into the start of a career in music with his appearance, in 1990, on a nationally broadcast Fox show hosted by Natalie Cole called "Big Break." In 1994, So toured the country as a member of a pop/r&b cover band that later had some of its musicians moving on to Britney Spears' band. When not playing keyboards with the group, he spent a considerable amount of time listening to the recorded music of Bob Dylan early in his career and to the Delta blues of Robert Johnson.

By 1995, So had quit the cover band and was a regular on the open-mic folk scene in Boston. His strong musicianship and natural showmanship as a solo singer-songwriter caught the attention of Boston Globe pop critic Steve Morse — who wrote that Kevin was "unusually talented." The next year, Kevin took to the interstates for his first road work. At the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, an Austin Chronicle's music writer took notice, writing that So was "the big discovery." The release of Kevin's first full length CD, Pendulum, in the same year signaled the arrival of a top-flight storyteller who kept his every blues, folk or pop stylistic flourish in the service of his melodically rich music. The release of So's Individual album, in 1997, was accompanied by a sold-out performance at Club Passim. So emphasized the plaintive clarity and maturity of his tenor voice and the cool compassion of his guitar playing on Blackout Road, a limited edition EP released earlier in '97 that saw him making a convincing turn toward electric folk blues.

So moved to Chicago in late 1999. He booked his own gigs, performing shows in the Midwest and elsewhere. Busking on the street at SXSW time in Austin, Texas, Kevin was "discovered" by the big-league talent Agency Group. Subsequently, he opened for venerable pop-soul belter Joe Cocker, then toured as the opening act for visiting English agit-rocker Billy Bragg. On the down side in the new millennium, Kevin's ever-supportive father passed away suddenly due to a heart attack. In 2001, So moved back to Boston, encouraged by the renewed affirmation of his standing as one of the most popular performers in New England with two SRO nights headlining Club Passim. Musically, he was shifting from folk in a pop/r&b direction. The day after September 11, 2001, Kevin hooked up with popular bluesman Keb' Mo' in Los Angeles to collaborate with Mo' in writing the wonderful song, "Talk," which Keb' would eventually record.

So continued touring in 2002, becoming a favorite performer/speaker for dozens of Asian American student organizations around the US. The double-disc Leaving the Lights On, stylistically based in contemporary r&b, appeared to an avalanche of praise in 2003. In August, Kevin relocated to Brooklyn and got busy on the vibrant NYC music scene there. His next CD, The So Must Go On: Live in Concert, appeared in 2005. Always making new friends, So continues to tour the country at a vigorous clip. In August 2007, Kevin was the proud recipient of the "Overall Excellence Award" (Outstanding Music & Lyrics) for his work in "VICTOR WOO: THE AVERAGE ASIAN AMERICAN," a musical production loosely based on his life and times, which debuted at the 2007 New York International Fringe Festival to packed houses. The release of So's latest album, A Brighter Day, quite possibly his most compelling work to date, is supported by concert dates in 2008. Website.