José Rioseco Puga

José Rioseco Puga is a Chilean born guitarist, José grew up listening to his parents’ extensive music collection which exposed him to a diverse array of musical genres and aesthetics from all over the world. This would greatly influence his interests and endeavors in the world of music, and they all started to merge once he started learning guitar as a teenager. Equally compelled by the intensity of heavy metal bands of the 80’s as well as the beauty, finesse and sensibility of the classical guitar, it wasn’t long until he felt the calling of the Spanish guitar and the passion required to play it. 

Completely self taught, he’s always looked for ways to merge the music side with the live performance side of show business which is critically important to him. 

Performing consistently since he was a child, both solo and as a member of several different bands, José quickly accumulated experience as a live musician, also drawing inspiration from theatre, film and circus alike. His ambition kept growing as well, and he decided to move to Australia during his 20’s to fulfill his dream of being a professional musician. After spending a few years fully immersed in the Spanish guitar and perfecting his craft as well as growing a following in different parts of Melbourne, he moved to the USA for the next step. 

After settling in Portland, Oregon, he quickly got in contact with Johnny Bacolas and joined the Rumba Kings for things to come full circle for him, combining both the intensity and the passion that he’d been chasing. In short, 

José lives under the motto of “If you’re not going to fully put your heart into it, then why do it at all”, bringing an emotional performance to audiences regardless of where he is.