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This electrifying collaboration features Alfonso Ponticelli, a master of Gypsy jazz, and Fugu Dugu, a high-energy, female-led band bringing a Gypsy punk twist. Together, they’ve created something truly unique—think the vibrant energy of Gogol Bordello paired with Alfonso’s world-class jazz artistry.
A multi-instrumentalist, Ponticelli won the 1994 U.S. National Mountain Dulcimer Championship and continues to perform solo and with a group. He has played both banjo and guitar with the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. Ponticelli has collaborated in Chicago with Arabic, Irish, bluegrass, Gospel, Gypsy, Hungarian, Romanian, Spanish Flamenco and many other traditional folk musicians. Ponticelli has had the honor of performing at Chicago’s Millennium Park on its opening night as well as at every major museum in Chicago.
Ponticelli is the 2009 recipient of the Leonardo da Vinci award for outstanding achievement in performing arts from Order Sons of Italy in America and holds a B.M. in Jazz Studies from DePaul University. Ponticelli has been to Cordoba, Spain (1994) to study with the great flamenco guitarists Rafael Riqueni and Manolo Sanlucar, New Mexico to study with Chuscales and Pedro Cortes and has had the great flamenco singer and guitarist Pansequito join his band for two years. He has performed at the Iridium in New York City where Les Paul invited Alfonso to play as a special guest with his trio.
Born in the smoky backstreets of Chicago but fueled by the fiery spirit of Moldova and Eastern Europe, Fugu Dugu is a female-led folk-punk revolution. Their music is a cultural explosion—raw, relentless, and drenched in the sounds of gypsy violins, Moldovan wedding chaos, and vodka-soaked rebellion. Imagine Gogol Bordello and Patti Smith raising a wild child in a back-alley bar in Chișinău—that’s Fugu Dugu.
Fugu Dugu’s punk edge is more than just grit and rebellion—it’s a sophisticated kind of chaos, underpinned by unparalleled musical mastery. At the heart of this refinement is Madame Broshkina, a classically trained violinist whose intricate melodies and searing riffs channel both the elegance of a concert hall and the unbridled energy of a punk mosh pit. Her ability to weave virtuosic technique into the raw fury of Fugu Dugu’s sound elevates the band to a level rarely seen in the punk world. Add Bucky Wanko’s razor-sharp guitar riffs and incendiary lyrics, and you have a band that is as intellectually arresting as it is emotionally explosive.
Singing in Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, and English, Fugu Dugu spins tales of heartbreak, defiance, and untamed joy. Their shows are not just performances—they’re full-blown revolts where no one leaves unshaken.
Fugu Dugu took the United States by storm in 2024 with a wildly successful 15-city tour, leaving audiences roaring coast-to-coast. Now, the band is gearing up to take it to the next level in 2025, with bigger stages, more fire, and a growing global fanbase.
