Performers at 2010 Holiday Charity Festival
Korea Daily, the largest Korean-language newspaper in the United States, is holding its annual charity event on December 11 and 12 on the grounds of the RFK Community Schools in Koreatown LA.
As part of the festivities, several performers have been invited to provide live entertainment for the 3,000 people expected on each day. The new Visit Koreatown Organization, which sprung out of the community’s Twitter and Facebook social-media channels, has arranged for the following artists to perform.
American Idol finalist Paul Kim
Chiptune artist Mike Bleeds
Koreatown rapper Daresay
Koreatown rapper Furis
Dancer Joseph Villarroel
PAUL “PK” KIM is a Korean-American singer and songwriter recognized internationally for his Top 12 finish during Season 6 of American Idol. His motivation for auditioning for the show was to alter the stereotypical Asian image that William Hung had given audiences previously. His AI performance received unanimous praise from the judges and he quite notably sang barefoot during all of his performances.
PK’s career entered a new phase in 2010 when his single “Hero” (produced by John Ho and written by Jimmy Burney) was released with a music video and was further picked up for heavy rotation on MNet, a television network seen in five million households. He just recently returned from touring in Asia.
* Paul will be giving away 100 copies of his single “Hero” during the festival.
MIKE BLEEDS is a 25-year-old chiptune artist based in San Diego, California. He pumps out electro-heavy dance music through the raw sounds of Nintendo Gameboy consoles running the program LSDJ (Little Sound Dj). He first started creating “chip” music in early 2007, when he used Gameboy emulators on a laptop to run LSDJ, then moved on to using the actual Nintendo Gameboy hardware and LSDJ flashed onto cartridges in a way that produces a much more authentic sound. His most recent performance was at the Soda Bar. To listen to his music, visit http://myspace.com/bleedsofficial
Chiptune (or chip music) is written in sound formats where many of the sound textures are synthesized or sequenced in real time by a computer or video-game console sound chip.
DARESAY, born John Shin, is a 21-year-old underground rap artist and vocalist from the streets of Koreatown in Los Angeles. He has performed at Jeet Kune Flow (founded in 2004 originally as a project of Asian Hip Hop Summit 3), and Ghetto Musik (held at Berendo Saint Baptist Church), Indigenous (at Genkotsu in Little Tokyo). His goal is to use his rap lyrics and hip hop persona to change the views of how Koreans are perceived.
FURIS, 22-year-old Jonathan Chung from Koreatown in Los Angeles, tells his life story through his music. Soon after being released from prison, Furis debuted his album “Float On,” a 15-song mixtape that was inspired by God, written in prison, and composed by fellow musician and friend, Alex E. Through his music, Furis tells the story of his life experiences, his struggles, and his ambitions. “Float On” features local artists Vita, Alex E., and Daresay.
JOSEPH VILLARROEL is a 23-year-old dancing sensation on YouTube. The winner of the $5000 Evolution of Dance Off contest online, Joe has appeared on the television show Lopez Tonight and danced on stage with the Wonder Girls at the Wiltern Theater.
Having lived most of his early life in an apartment building dominated by Korean residents, he understands the Korean language and has developed an affinity for Korean pop music. He can dance to almost any music genre, even to Korean pop classics by Deux, HOT, Clon and SES. He studies political science at Santa Monica College and is hoping to become a lawyer.
For the holiday charity festival, Joe will be dancing to an American/Kpop mix on Saturday and a Spanish mix on Sunday.
Watch clips of Joseph busting his dance moves on his popular YouTube channel where is known by his username lalalalalatechno (five la’s) http://youtube.com/user/lalalalalatechno
The two-day festival will also feature a bazaar where businesses as well as families can sell their wares for the benefit of charity; live stage performances of both traditional Korean and urban American entertainment; auctions of donated items; games and activities for children and their families; and the iconic food trucks of Los Angeles.
The organization that Korea Daily formed to directly manage and benefit from this annual event is the Korean American Volunteer Corps (KAVC), a group that has been helping minority communities through various programs since 2001. The hallmark event of KAVC is the charity festival they hold every year that is the largest such event in Koreatown.
More details will be released in the coming days. For questions, please email CharityEvent2010 @ visitkoreatown.org
FOLLOW updates on Twitter @KoreatownLA and Facebook KoreatownLA
VENUE: Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools
Address: 3201 West 8th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90005
Free Parking on the corner of 8th Street and Catalina.
Pedestrians enter the grounds on 8th Street between Mariposa & Fedora.
December 11-12 (Saturday & Sunday), 11am-4pm
VisitKoreatown.org would like to acknowledge the help of Tim of KTB Brand and Dex @theAppleMonkey in securing the performers for the event.