Recent scientific studies show that "perfect pitch", the ability to instantly identify or sing any musical note at will, is not a talent of the few but rather an ability we are all born with. Over time, researchers say, it is either lost or refined through practice. Whether or not the sense of rhythm falls under the same umbrella remains a mystery, but one thing is unmistakably clear: some people are better equipped than others. Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero would fall under this category. How two guitarists manage to sound like an entire band continues to floor me, and I'm not alone: during their recent Japan tour, the slack-jawed awe I saw on the faces around me never seemed to stop, as sold-out crowds did their best to sing and clap along to each of the duo's poly-rhythmic passages.
Quintero lowers her guitar and bounces over to a microphone: "We love that you're clapping," she says, "keep it, up...and don't rush please?" I knew what she meant: many people in the audience were getting carried away - people who perhaps had not fully discovered their own innate rhythmic gifts and were either completely off or speeding up in excitement during the opener, turning the crowd'ssyncronized accompaniment into a smattering of random slaps and pats. By the second number, the problem was solved, as Quintero turned her guitar body, mic'ed from the inside, into the band's time keeper. The palm of her hand hit the guitar flat for a deep 4/4 thump not unlike house music, all while never ceasing to pluck the strings at a frantic pace. Her "drum solos" came by using her right ring and index fingers to rap the guitar's corner in a dexterous ballet of knuckle and nail that most people couldn't achieve with two hands. If these words do not paint an accurate picture (I'm guessing they don't), a simple jaunt throughYoutube should prove more descriptive. 
Placed around the stage were various black boxes, ostensibly the type used for drum kits and amplifiers. I heard people nearby wonder aloud whether or not these would be opened and an unannounced band would strut onto the stage. At first, I wondered, too, but then realized that these were merely decorative. While Rod Y Gab's sound is as large as a 5-piece band, a massive, empty stage could dwarf them visually. "We aren't used to playing seated venues," she says as the crowd howled, "but we hope to play places like this again." The venue she's referring to is Bunkamura Orchard Hall, a place known more for opera and ballet than heavy metal-informed acoustic guitar duos who gained their chops as street buskers. Yet here she is, with partner Rodrigo Sánchez, playing frenzied Latin rhythms in one of Tokyo most esteemed concert halls. Having seen both this show and the performance at Odaiba's Zepp live house the week before, I can say that Bunkamura was superior, at least from a audiophile's point of view (not that I actually qualify as one). What also made it more exhilarating was that the acoustically designed Orchard Hall was not built for shows like this - or crowds like this. The entire front section stood the entire show, and howls of approval could be heard from both balcony levels. |
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As you might expect, the audience was a little rowdier at Zepp, but most time was spent staring, jaw agape at Rodrigo and Gabriella's fingers as they flickered over the strings like lightning bolts, or squinting from the glare of the stage lights bouncing off Rodrigo Sánchez's gleaming guitar (someone must polish it right before they play). Sánchez speaks very little, but when he does it is in Japanese. Reading from a small piece of paper, he enunciates every syllable as he explains how he metMetallica (one of the band's stated influences) and was able to play onstage with them recently. Many in the crowd began to whoop, as anyone who has seen them in the last few years knows thatMetallica's "Orion" is one of the many cover songs found in their set lists. What many people didn't expect was a short electric version of "Battery" would soon follow. Yes, it seems that the sound of strings in their natural state is no longer enough from the Mexican duo. Many songs incorporated the crunch and twang of pedals and amps. On first listen, I thought this might diminish their style, but minutes later I knew that this was exactly where they needed to go. Songs from their earlier albums still have the same taut and percussive stride of years past, but newer creations from the latest album, "11:11", have the muscular bounce that only electric can achieve. 
The 11:11 album, they explain between songs, is dedicated to their influences, a varied mix that includes everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Michel Camilo to Palestinian Oud trio Le Trio Joubran. And perhaps, I think, Hayao Miyazaki? Early on, Sánchez decided to test the crowd's own "perfect pitch" talents, playing 2-note transitions and gesturing for the crowd to sing the notes. We complied, only to have Sánchez play another two notes. And then a third time. It wasn't until he played them together that we realized his trick: stitched together, what sounded like an Olympic-sized anthem was actually the theme Miyazaki's anime classic "My Neighbor Totoro."As the show came near the close, Quintero informed us that they will be available for autographs after the show, and that they are auctioning a guitar (provided, no doubt by Yamaha, their sponsor), of which all proceeds will go towards Haiti relief. Then came a quick guitar "tutorial," as she put it. Using just one thumb, two fingers and three minutes, she showed us just how easy - and how difficult - playing their style of guitar really is. Watching the "step one," "step two" and "step three," makes it seem easy enough. Then you realize that watching her like this is like watching those slow-motion nature films of humming birds in flight. Once her fingers hit her performance pace, they blurred together like spokes on a wheel. Sure. I can do that. "You don't use your knuckles," explains Quintero, "It's all your fingertips and your fingernails." Having recently cut her nails, she says, "I am now begging them to grow, but no luck. So now I must play in the flesh." Indeed. And I, like everyone at these Tokyo shows would agree, Rodrigo y Gabriela must be seen in the flesh to truly be believed. |
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report by jinki and photos by hanasan |
 mag files : Rodrigo Y Gabriela Tooth and Nail : Rodrigo y Gabriella drop jaws (10/01/18 @ Tokyu Bunka Mura Orchard Hall) : review by jinki, photos by hanasanphoto report (10/01/16 @ Matsushita IMP Hall) : photos by hiroshiphoto report (10/01/14 @ Zepp Tokyo) : photos by samOde to Tamacun (08/11/14 @ Shibuya O-East) : review by jeff, photos by hanasanphoto report (08/11/14 @ Shibuya O-East) : photos by hanasanSensational or Artistic: What Makes These Two So Special? (08/11/12 @ Shibuya AX) : review by kern, photos by hanasanphoto report (08/11/12 @ Shibuya AX) : photos by hanasanphoto report (08/11/10 @ Osaka Big Cat) : photos by ikesanOff The Beat'n Track (08/03/30 @ Shibuya Duo Music Exchange) : review by dom, photos by hanasan指は世界を駆け巡る (08/03/30 @ Shibuya Duo Music Exchange) : review by taiki, photos by hanasan日本初上陸は世界仕様で (08/03/30 @ Shibuya Duo Music Exchange) : review by miyo, photos by hanasanphoto report (08/03/30 @ Shibuya Duo Music Exchange) : photos by hanasanColumn : 定例 : これを見逃すな！ ロドリゴ・イ・ガブリエラ - アコギでメタリカ!? (08/01/12) : previewed by hanasanphoto report : (07/06/23 @ Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, Somerset) : photos by hanasanモノクロ、メタル (07/05/28 @ Carling Academy, Liverpool) : review by miyoCD review : Rodrigo Y Gabriela (06/05/25) : reviewed by hanasan |
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The official site Rodrigo Y Gabriela http://www.rodgab.com/ check 'em? -->MySpace / iTunes The latest album  "格闘弦(11:11)" (国内盤 + DVD付き限定版 / 国内盤 / US import / iTunes) The latest book  "Rodrigo Y Gabriela TAB" (US import) |
previous works "Live in Japan" (国内盤 + DVD / UK import / UK import / US import / iTunes)
"Live in Japan"(国内盤 + DVD / UK import / UK import / US import / iTunes) "Rodrigo Y Gabriela"(国内盤DVD付き限定盤 / 国内盤 / UK import with DVD/ UK import / US import/ US import - '12analog/ iTunes) "超絶テク~男女ギターデュオ登場!"(国内盤DVD付き限定盤) "Live Manchester & Dublin"(UK import enhanced / iTunes) "Re - Foc"(US import / iTunes) "Stairway to Heaven [single]"(US import / UK import - 7 inch analog / UK import - 12 inch analog / iTunes) "Tamacun [single]"(UK import - 7 inch analog / iTunes) "Diablo Rojo (Live from Oxegen 2005) [single]"(iTunes) check the albums? |
The latest album "格闘弦(11:11)" (国内盤 + DVD付き限定版 / 国内盤 / US import / iTunes) previous works "Live in Japan" (国内盤 + DVD / UK import / UK import / US import / iTunes) The latest book "Rodrigo Y Gabriela TAB" (US import) jinki's works  2010Tooth and Nail : Rodrigo y Gabriella drop jaws : Rodrigo Y Gabriela (18th Jan. @ Tokyu Bunkamura Orchard Hall)2006Sufi Cool: Mercan Dede Sends Us Spinning : Mercan Dede & Secret Tribe (4th Oct. @ Tokyu Bunkamura Theater Cocoon2003CD review : Last Heaven's Bootleg : Thee Michell Gun Elephant (26th Dec.)2002interview : Have Guitar... Will Travel : Melissa Ferrick (5th Jul.)interview : Hate Machine: The Parkinsons Come Out Swinging : The Parkinsons (5th Jun.)The Fat of the Land : FatBoy Slim Kicks Off : Fatboy Slim & Boom Boom Satelites (1st Jun. @ Makuhari Messe)Still "Perfect"... : Eddi reader (20th Mar. @ La Foret Musium Roppongi)interview : A Singing Angel Sings Free... : Eddi reader (20th Mar.)interview : 聞く人の心を揺さぶりたい... : Eddi reader (20th Mar.)Multi-ethnic Music-monsters, Ozomatli! : Ozomatli (14th Mar. @ Shinjuku Liquidroom)interview : Here come the people's music again! (JPN) : Ozomatli (24th Feb.)interview : Here come the people's music again! (ENG) : Ozomatli (24th Feb.)Ahh, Natalie, Natalie... : Natalie Merchant (6th Feb. @ Harajuku Laforet)Come on up, hipstars! : Katteni Shiyagare (3rd Feb. @ Shimokitazawa Basement Bar)2001The band to watch for in the future... : The 3peace (30th Sept. @ Shinjuku Loft)-->... and more |