Saturday, September 4, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. Majestic Theatre
Combining the sensual heat of flamenco and the hardcore spirit of heavy metal rock, Mexican acoustic-guitar duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela make their San Antonio debut on September 4, 2010 at the city's historic Majestic Theatre. There aren't many instances where the phrases "Folk Rock," "Latin Rock," "Thrash Metal" and "acoustic guitars" are diagrammed in the same sentence but Rodrigo y Gabriela have always been adept at defying convention. "We love flamenco, but this is not flamenco style. It's acoustic rock, and it's very energetic and it's quite loud. Just to warn people in case they expect something else," says Rodrigo Sanchez of the duo.
Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero met in the late '90s in Mexico City in a Metal band called Tierra Acida and, after discovering their mutual disenchantment over the local music scene, decided to relocate to Europe for a completely fresh start, musically and culturally. The pair ultimately settled in Dublin, Ireland, where they found an enthusiastic and supportive audience. "The good thing is that music is the universal language," Quintero says. "We had a great time. We had to learn to speak in Irish English with all those bad words and expressions." It was the duo's 2006 eponymous third studio album that launched their international success. In Ireland, the album entered the charts at No. 1, and it hit the Top 100 in England, France and Switzerland, eventually notching sales of more than half a million units. But it wasn't until a 2007 MTV feature that Rod and Gab began attracting serious attention in America.
The duo's "live" video performance of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" has garnered more than 6 million views. Their newest album 11:11, released last fall to overwhelming acclaim, features their trademark percussive rhythms and intricate leads that reference both their Metal background and Latin heritage. The album's tracks are each dedicated to a different artist that has inspired Rod and Gab in significant ways: Jimi Hendrix, Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia, Carlos Santana, Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, Pink Floyd, Astor Piazzolla and the Palestinian oud players of Le Trio Joubran are all honored.
Rodrigo y Gabriela performed at The White House on May 19, 2010 for President and Mrs. Obama and their guests the Mexican President Felipe Calderon-Hinojosa and the First Lady of Mexico Margarita Zavala. This is only the second state dinner the Obama's have hosted at The White House and is an extraordinary achievement for the Mexican acoustic rockers who shared the stage on this occasion with Obama favorite Beyonce. The intimate black-tie gathering of 200 guests was a dramatic contrast with Rod & Gab's recent raucous 6,000 person sell-out performance at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. The exclusive by-invitation-only performance coincided with the news that global sales for their record releases to date have just topped one million albums worldwide.
British singer/songwriter Bobby Long is the Special Guest of Rodrigo e Gabriela. Long is well-known for the hit song "Let Me Sign" performed by actor Robert Pattinson on the Twilight Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Rodrigo y Gabriela perform "Stairway to Heaven" live.
Rodrigo y Gabriela perform "Hanuman" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, March 23, 2010.
