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Rodrigo y Gabriela Generate High Energy Performance

Written by and photos by NICK POWILLS

Wednesday, 03 September 2008

Never dipping into deep lyrics or moving vocals, guitar sensation duo Rodrigo y Gabriela prove over-and-over again that a concert’s meat and potatoes can lie within the walls of pure music. There is no need for a drugged out lead singer to be rock stars. In fact, Gabriela Quintero plays the rock star role just fine, sitting comfortable in her chair, moving her fingers over the guitar graciously, and yelling “this is fucking awesome.”

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Entertainment

Art

Tabernacle
Atlanta, GA
August 15, 2008

UPCOMING TOUR DATES
Sep 18th: The Grove Of Anaheim, CA, USA
Sep 19th: The Joint, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Sep 25th: Tennessee Theatre, Knoxville, TN, USA
Sep 26th: The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC, USA
Nov 26th: Le Bataclan, Paris, France

Together, with her close compadre Rodrigo Sanchez, Rodrigo y Gabriela has built a tremendous American fan base, despite struggling at first in the states. In fact, a near sell-out crowd gathered at the Live Nation Atlanta venue – The Tabernacle, which is decked out like the stereotypical rock ‘n roll House of Blues, for a Friday evening extravaganza, performing moving rhythms from their two albums, “Re-Foc” and their self-titled 2006 album, with a mix of new tunes from a promised upcoming album.

“We are back in the studio, working,” Gabriella yelled, with a sexy grin and an un-lady-like desire to use profanity. “We are fucking getting it done.”

While Gabriella did most of the verbal interactions with the crowd on this particular Friday night, Rodrigo was no stranger to the stage, as he frequently stood-up and engaged the crowd with his moving guitar skills as well. And, when lyrics were required when the band showcased their versatility while cruising through classics by Zeppelin, including “Stairway to Heaven”, or Clapton, or even the White Stripes (Gabriella took care of the drum line), Rodrigo simply raised his arms and the crowd launched into choirs as the temporary lead vocalists.

While the Tabernacle was quite full for the Dublin-based band, originally from Mexico City, packed houses have not always been the case. The duo met as teenage heavy metal heads and decided to combine their musical talents for Tierra Acida, a metal band. When that band didn’t collect critical acclaim, Rodrigo y Gabriella began studying guitar in between various day jobs. Frustrated with not making initial American glory, the duo headed to Dublin, where they quickly built a fan base through massive street crowds. Despite speaking no English at the time (Gabriella certainly can now, using the f-bomb quite frequently), the duo networked and caught the ear of Damien Rice, who invited them on tour. As the fan-base quietly grew, so did their gigs. And now, when in the states, packed houses, like the Tabernacle, are accustomed.

While the states dates are limited and distanced, Rodrigo y Gabriella have certainly had great success since their self-titled album, including a stop at Lollapalooza two festivals back.

Amazingly, for nearly two hours, the Mohamed Alis of the guitar, took only one brief break from their sweat-dripping performance that left the crowd craving more, even with the exhaustion of standing, jumping, screaming, and pumping right along with the duo. This concert was quite the experience. Artistic and entertaining. Music at its best.

Comments

Rodrigo y Gabriela
Written by Guest on 2008-09-04 12:52:31

They rock!!