You will be redirected to the page you want to view in seconds.

Guitar love is obvious for Paloma's Lugo

2:07 AM, Aug. 9, 2012

Written by

Michael Smith

Filed Under

Send us your Top 10

om Bianco, Business Executive

1. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," Santa Esmeralda.
2. "The Centennial Collection," Robert Johnson.
3. "Darkness on the Edge of Town," Bruce Springsteen.
4. "Complete Jazz at Massey Hall," Charlie "Bird" Parker.
5. "Brothers in Arms," Dire Straits.
6. "Straight, No Chaser," Thelonious Monk.
7. "Graceland," Paul Simon.
8. "The Black Saint & the Sinner Lady," Charles Mingus.
9. "Moanin' the Blues," Hank Williams.
10. "Thick as a Brick," Jethro Tull.
Share your all-time Top 10 favorite albums with the world! Email your list to pnjmusic@yahoo.com.

You can always turn to family when you need advice, and that is exactly what Gio Lugo’s sister did when her young daughter was looking for her first guitar.

“My niece showed interest in wanting to play guitar,” said Lugo, the vocalist/guitarist for Paloma. The band is performing Saturday as part of the Raw Panda Records Showcase at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 Palafox Place.

Lugo related the advice he gave his sister: “What she needs to do is walk in there, look at the guitar and go, ‘That’s me. That is going to motivate me to want to pick up that guitar and make it be a part of me.’ Immediately identify with an instrument.”

Lugo’s advice came from personal experience.

“What it was for me was an old, beat-up hand-me-down.” Lugo said. “A friend of my dad offered me an old Hagstrom guitar. Just old, but whenever I looked at it, I thought it was the coolest guitar I’d ever seen, and it was mine.”

The guitar’s wear was only surpassed by Lugo’s dedication and love for the instrument while learning to make music.

“It wasn’t a thousand-dollar guitar, but it looked great, and when I held it, it was a connection,” he said.

Lugo’s dedication has rewarded him with peer recognition and the opportunity to create music with some of the area’s most talented musicians. Lugo showed respect for his fellow artists when asked about the showcase.

“As far as what the Raw Panda Showcase is, these are all our friends,” Lugo said. “These are all bands that we enjoy, are proud of and it’s the best way to come out to listen to Pensacola original music. It’s all about originality and listening to a lot of friends making music all on one stage. It’s a family.”

Saturday’s show also features Kent Stanton, ASHMEN and Pioneers! O Pioneers. Admission is $5 for ages 21 and older and $10 for those younger than 21. Doors open at 7 p.m. For details, visit www.vinylmusichall.com.

Benefit for Wendy Fisher

A benefit concert for Wendy Fisher will take place tonight at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. The event features John Hardy, Rob Dill and more, with proceeds going to Fisher’s family. The $5 show starts at 10 p.m. For details, visit www.pensacolahandlebar.com.

(Page 2 of 2)

Death metal Sunday

San Francisco group Fallujah joins New Jersey’s Fit For an Autopsy on Sunday at the Handlebar. Admission is $10 for ages 21 and older; $12 for ages 18 to 20.

Ghostface at Vinyl

The Wu-Block featuring Ghostface Killah (of Wu-Tang Clan) and Sheek Louch (of The LOX) will hit Vinyl Music Hall on Tuesday. With Raekwon having appeared in April and Inspectah Deck performing Aug. 19, how crazy would it be if Method Man, GZA, or RZA followed the Wu-Tang journey and announced a show here?

Tickets are $25. There is a $5 surcharge for those younger than 21. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Goodnight Neverland

Tampa band Goodnight Neverland performs tonight at Bookenz, 3516 W. Navy Blvd. Frontman Kerry Courtney used the band’s release, “Ocean in the Clouds,” to express his journey of life following his mother’s death. The band is known for its ambient sound, with melodic textures of vocals and guitar.

Local group Dinosaur Daze will open. Tickets are $5. For more information, visit www.reverbnation.com/venue/bookenz

Page