CMT Blog: Archive

Lately I've been listening to this duo from Mexico, Rodrigo y Gabriela. They started out playing guitar together in Mexico City, and eventually made their way to Dublin, where their signature sound started to take shape. Playing house parties, pubs and street corners all over Europe, they earned their reputation as great live performers, and picked up something of a cult following on the World Music circuit. But if some would call them a novelty act, their self-titled CD will attest to their musicianship. It was all recorded with live takes, with the exception of some overdubs on "Orion." This video for "Diablo Rojo" was picked up by VH1 in May.

The licks are really impressive, and anyone who's into acoustic guitar will find themselves in a trance. The fullness of the sound that these two can produce with only guitars makes you doubt whether or not it's real. They think of themselves as fusion musicians. Actually they play a mix of flamenco-style guitar and classic rock, with healthy amounts of metal influence. They even find a way to incorporate percussion with guitar slaps and ferocious strumming.

There are no vocals -- this is strictly an instrumental group, but in my opinion that's cool because it makes them truly international, with no language barrier to overcome. I can't say enough about how talented this duo is. John Rich may be looking for a big Latin-country crossover, but maybe I can beat him to the punch!

Rodrigo y Gabriela will be in the U.S. this summer, including a stop at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on August 16. They have a reputation for rocking a crowd so it should be quite an experience. Until then, check out their MySpace page, and yes "Orion" is a Metallica cover and "Stairway to Heaven"... well, just try it.