Oh this is a terribly tenuous Brighton link but I haven't been this musically inspired for years and I really want to pass it on.
Rodrigo y Gabriela played at Brighton Dome back in 2006 (that's the terribly tenuous Brighton link!), but as I'd never heard of them then the gig unfortunately passed me by.
It wasn't until last year that I came across these 2 Mexican guitarists on a Latin album and was instantly blown away. Rodrigo y Gabriela are an instrumental acoustic duo whose playing is very hard to categorise. Doing so kind of shoe horns them in to something that simply doesn't do them justice. But if I tried I'd say heavy metal inspired riffs on an acoustic guitar with a percussive backing - but all done on 2 guitars. See - enough to put anyone off!
I went to see them play live at Hammermith Apollo last night and the atmosphere was one of the most electric I have ever experienced at a live gig. Even better than Salt-n-Pepa supporting Madge in the mid 80s. (That was a joke.) I doubt they will ever come back to Brighton as although they are not well known by today's music industry standards, they can easily sell out somewhere like the Hammersmith Apollo, but if you get a chance see them live - their talent and sheer passion and originality is quite mind blowing.Check them out on You Tube below - even if guitars aren't your thing - they really are something else. How DOES she get those percussive sounds out of that guitar! Love it.
2 comments:
My discovery of Rodrigo y Gabriela began with a change hearing of Diablo Rojo followed by downloading it and wanting to see how they did it. The videos of their concerts had an electricity that I had not experienced before. Eventually, I managed to make it to a concert in Texas this fall. Amazing and hard to describe.
Along the way, I gathered as many of their concert videos, interviews and guest appearances as I could find and created a website, the Rodrigo y Gabriela Fan Club. Perhaps you will enjoy experiencing so many examples of their unique talent gathered in one place.
"How DOES she get those percussive sounds out of that guitar!"
Constant practice! I happened to be sharing a Tube carriage with the two of them en route for Heathrow one time, and they spent the entire trip tapping out rhythms together just using their own bodies, no guitars needed. Amazing people. Thanks for the link.
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