Rodrigo y Gabriela
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rodrigo y Gabriela (
Rodrigo and Gabriela) are a
Mexican musical duo who specialize in playing fast, rhythmic acoustic guitars. The duo's members are
Rodrigo Sanchez, lead guitar, and
Gabriela Quintero, rhythm guitar.
The musicians gained a reputation by playing in the pubs and bars of
Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and despite their unusual style, gained a cult following. Reviewing one of their gigs,
The Independent notes that "Rodrigo y Gabriela's secret is maybe quite simple. They are resourceful musicians who can really play, and are open-hearted, happy entertainers. That, very often, is what people want."[1] Both live a vegan lifestyle and support animal rights.[2]
History
The duo met in
Mexico City while playing in a thrash metal band called "
Tierra Ácida".
Growing frustrated with the limited scope of the domestic music scene, they moved to
Europe, where they met considerable acclaim.
They took up residence in
Dublin, Ireland, after hearing it was particularly welcoming to travelling musicians.
Playing live gigs in various pubs and busking on
Grafton Street and
Temple Bar allowed them to practice their sound. They received their break when
Damien Rice approached them to provide the support for the
Irish music festival Oxegen. In
2005 they toured extensively in festivals around the
United Kingdom and beyond.
The duo has released six albums - Foc, re-Foc,
Live in Manchester and Dublin, the self-titled
album Rodrigo y Gabriela,
Live in Japan and 11:11.
The self-titled album Rodrigo y Gabriela entered the
Irish Albums Chart at #1 beating
Arctic Monkeys and
Johnny Cash to the top spot.[3] It was released internationally on 13
March 2006, having been given an earlier
Irish release.Rodrigo y Gabriela which was produced by
John Leckie includes covers of
Led Zeppelin's "
Stairway to Heaven" and
Metallica's "
Orion". The duo list Metallica as being among their key influences, alongside other heavy metal bands such as
Megadeth,
Slayer,
Testament and
Overkill.
The other tracks are original works inspired by the places they have been and the people they have met. Live in Japan was released on
20 October 2008 (UK), and includes 14 tracks, and a bonus
DVD containing 5 videos.[4] The Led Zeppelin cover can be found on the album
Rhythms del Mundo Classics.
Their feature on
MTV gave them a huge boost in popularity in the
United States. This led to a feature on
Nightmare Revisited, a tribute album to the music from
Tim Burton's
The Nightmare Before Christmas. The duo perform an instrumental version of "
Oogie Boogie's
Song".
They released a new album, entitled 11:11 in
September 2009.
Alex Skolnick of Testament guests on the album, as do
Strunz & Farah. Upon the release of the new album, they have received much mainstream
American popularity and were the featured music on
Monday Night Football on
October 12, 2009 as they celebrated
Latino Heritage Month.
Their song
Santo Domingo was chosen as the
Starbucks iTunes
Pick of the Week for
November 10, 2009.[5]
The duo was the musical guest on "
The Late Late Show with
Craig Ferguson" that aired on
CBS-TV on
October 28, 2009 and was re-run on
December 29, 2009. They performed "
Buster Voodoo." They performed on
Jools Holland'sAnnual
Hootenanny on
December 31, 2009.[6]
The duo was the musical guest on "
The Tonight Show with
Jay Leno" that aired on
NBC on March 23,
2010 to promote their album 11:11 and on "
Lopez Tonight" which aired on
TBS March 25, 2010
In May 2010, Rodrigo y Gabriela performed in front of
U.S. President Barack Obama, with
Beyoncé also featuring.[7]
They headlined the
West Holts stage on the Sunday night at
Glastonbury 2010 [8] and played the
King Tuts
Tent at
T In The Park on 10 July 2010.[9] They also had a spot on the main stage at
Latitude festival that same July, they managed to draw in a huge crowd.
In 2010, Rodrigo y Gabriela contributed a live version of their song "
Hora Zero" to the
Enough Project and
Downtown Records'
Raise Hope for Congocompilation. Proceeds from the compilation fund efforts to make the protection and empowerment of
Congo's women a priority, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voice for
peace in Congo.
They played the
Nice Jazz Festival on 23 July 2010.
They played the Mcmenemin's Edgefield outdoor concert in
Portland, OR on August 14, 2010
The duo performed at the
Ravinia Festival on 8/28/10, and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on
September 30, 2010.
In September 2010 the duo announced a hiatus from touring due to stress injuries caused by
Gabriela's heavily percussive style of playing[10].
On
20 January 2011, Rodrigo y Gabriela entered the studio with
Hans Zimmer to write and record sessions of the score from
Pirates of the Caribbean:
On Stranger Tides. [11]
- published: 13 Feb 2011
- views: 437504