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Photos courtesy Rudy Cardenas
 You may recognize him as he graced the American Idol stage as a finalist during season six, but if you’ve been to any of the Child & Family Center’s Taste of the Town events in the last five or six years, you’d definitely remember recording artist and musician Rudy Cardenas. He’s got style, charm and unforgettable vocals that will leave you speechless.
Born in Venezuela, Rudy came to the United States when he was just a year old. No stranger to music, Rudy loved performing from the get go. “I was always in music,” states the singer. “I was in choir, in bands, participated in theatre since I was young. I continued this passion for music throughout middle school, high school and even college.” In 2000, Rudy graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in vocal performance, and then moved to New York where he pursued musical theatre. Not too long after, Rudy landed the role of Peter in Jesus Christ Superstar and Riff Raff in The Rocky Horror Show. 
Rudy eventually made his way west to Seattle and joined the award-winning group M-Pact. “We toured all over the world doing what we loved, and that was performing,” states Rudy.
It wasn’t until 2004, when he and the group decided to move to Los Angeles. Just a year later, M-Pact was named vocal group of the year by L.A. Music Awards. With Rudy as lead vocalist, the group shared opened and shared the stage with Boys II Men, Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock, Take 6 and many more.
In 2007, Rudy auditioned in Seattle for the hit television show, American Idol. Rudy’s rendition of Journey’s Open Arms landed him a spot in Hollywood as one of the finalists on the show.
“I was doing music full time before American Idol,” states the singer, “and I continued with my career after. Idol opened doors for me. It also introduced me to more of the pop world.”
Just a few years ago, Rudy joined Santa Clarita based band, Lights, the premier tribute to Journey. The band is comprised of Rudy, lead vocalist, August Zadra, on lead guitar, Casey McNerney on bass, Victor Bender on keyboards, piano, keytar and guitar, and Al Estrada on lead guitar.
“Lights is a concert experience, and watching us is like reliving Journey in its day,” states Rudy. “We throw in a lot of curveballs during the performances, and give our fans a musical concert experience that starts and ends with Journey, with a lot of fun stops along the way.” Rudy continues, “All the guys are amazingly talented. We work hard at getting the sounds just right.”
Lights recently performed at the 25th annual Taste of the Town event following Mark LeVang and Friends’ performance. “I have been involved with the Child and Family Center for the last six or so years,” states Rudy. “Mark LeVang, who is the musical director for the event is a good friend of mine, and we have worked together for many years. I think it’s important to be involved with non-profit organizations, and more importantly giving back to the community.”
“One of the most important things that I’ve learned as a singer/performer is that you have to use what you have and what God gave you. It’s been my mantra throughout my career and it helps me through whatever musical thing I have to do. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the fans. Thanks for supporting not only Lights, but independent musicians in general.”
Rudy recently released his first solo album which is now available on iTunes. For more information about Lights, or to see upcoming performances, visit www.lightsband.com.
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