Meet Cuthbert "Coco" Rubio
Featured Artist May 2025
May 2025
Meet Coco Rubio
A cultural curator. An arts advocate. A keeper of cool. A quiet force who has helped define not only how Augusta sounds, but how it feels.
For the month of May, our shared birth month it is an honor to celebrate Coco as our Featured Artist of the Month. Not because he asked for it (he wouldn’t), but because it’s long overdue. This is a man who has spent three decades creating platforms for others while never demanding the spotlight for himself. But today, we’re putting it on him and turning it all the way up.
If downtown Augusta had a heartbeat, it would sound like one of Coco’s DJ sets timeless, bold, and full of soul. From the nostalgia of The Soul Bar, which turns 30 this year (yes, 30), to the now-legendary nights at Sky City, Coco’s work has never been about ego. It’s been about energy. It’s been about giving people space to dance, gather, express, exhale, and feel like they belong.
Over the years, his vision has extended far beyond nightlife. His work has helped breathe life into spaces like the Miller Theater, and now he’s officially stepping into a new chapter at the Augusta University Performing Arts Theatre. And that feels right because Coco has always belonged in spaces where art meets education, where experience meets new energy, where the scene is both respected and refreshed.
What makes Coco special is that he’s not just a man behind the music, he’s a memory-maker. He’s one of those rare humans who understands that real community is not built through status, but through sound, space, and intention. He curates not just shows, but experiences. The kind that makes you remember who you were with, what song was playing, what joy felt like in that moment. He loves working with creative people. He loves working in cool, intentional spaces. And he deeply believes in the power of music and art to bring people together in a way nothing else can. That belief doesn’t just shape his work, it defines his life.
Beyond his public role, Coco is also a proud and devoted father. His daughter, Maya, has been a source of inspiration to him for over 26 years. Watching her live, grow, and thrive in her own creative community has filled him with pride and renewed purpose. In many ways, Maya represents the future Coco has spent years helping to build, a world where young creatives have room to explore, be celebrated, and soar. Coco Rubio is part of Augusta’s creative DNA. He’s helped shape the narrative, the soundtrack, and the spaces we call home. His contributions have spanned generations, genres, and zip codes and we’re all better because of it.
So this May, we honor Coco. The DJ. The dreamer. The doer. The quiet architect of Augusta’s soul. Thank you for being proof that behind-the-scenes is often where the real art happens. Thank you for choosing community over clout, always. And thank you for making us feel, again and again like this city belongs to us.
Happy birthday, Coco. This one’s for you