Gabriela displays her uniquely aggressive flamenco style at the Buell Theatre on Saturday. Photos by .
With Tool cranking, it was evident well before guitar virtuosos took the stage Saturday that this wasn’t going to be any kind of flamenco-tango show. And minutes after the sonically flawless Buell was flooded with the Mexican duo’s provocative, eclectic acoustic guitar playing, one thing was certain: this was a headbanging metal show.
Thatap right: Latin-tinged thrash metal on dueling acoustics. I’m talking Dimebag Darrell thrash. Black Sabbath fury. Iron Maiden rage. Jimi ingenuity. Metallica growl. Randy Rhoads speed. All from two classical acoustic guitars.
Don’t think this was some sort of unplugged metal-cover show. Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero may be acoustic, but, like a symphony, they fill every space with wicked speedy fretwork, guitar slapping rhythms and deeply plumbed, heavily adorned riffs, creating an absolutely unique sound.
With their noses centimeters from the necks of their guitars, the hunched over, surgically precise pair exudes all the dark gravitas of a metal band. They definitely have metal in their blood. And they must have metallic fingertips, especially Gabriela, who plays vicious rhythms sans pick.
First timers, like this reviewer, were left with jaws agape. There is nothing to compare this to. The tone is undeniably Latin. While the frenzied strumming and trilling fervor by their right hands reveals whispers of flamenco and tango, the high-pitched, way-down-the-neck fretwork by their left hands is Eddie Van Halen ala “Eruption.”
The improvisation is jazz-based yet rings with tango. The compositions and arrangements are orchestral, with their renditions of songs not “covers,” but inspired interpretations that encapsulate not just the guitar-led tune, but the singing, bass and drums. Itap a symphonic, classical approach that shares the feel of a song as well as the sound. And the inspiration behind everything: high-velocity thrash metal.
Over the course of Saturday’s show, there was coy yet complex playing that danced around Metallica’s “Fade to Black” and various Pink Floyd tunes. I swear I heard Iron Maiden. During an especially sweeping solo by Rodrigo, there were intimations of Tom Morello and Carlos Santana. When he leaned on his rarely used wah-wah pedal, he added a resonant, Jimi Hendrix moan to his already inventive, vibrant translations.
Gabriela somehow covers both the rhythm and bass, while still delivering a flourishing dominance that any lead guitarist would envy. With her loosely dangled fist doing double work thumping and strumming her beat-boxed guitar, she danced along the frets with impressive agility, her long fingers contorting along her guitar’s neck.
Saturday’s show at the Buell featured a stark stage with two chairs and two small monitors. Strategically placed mini-cameras, like one on the end of Rodrigo’s guitar neck, splashed black-and-white images on a blank backdrop. It was a simple touch that allowed close-up views of hands that move too fast and glimpses of intense focus.
Together, the duo’s range seemed limitless. They toyed with volume, dropping to murmuring undertones and climbing to screaming climaxes. Just when you are certain they have reached maximum strum-and-thump speed, they kick in a turbo. As you pull your mouth closed, it drops open again when they rev it higher and you realize that even their turbo has a turbo. I can’t imagine more acoustic virtuosity than Rodrigo y Gabriela.
In the last five years, the pair has emerged as international sensations, awing crowds at festivals across the planet. Their story is as colorful as their music. Former thrash metal bandmates from Mexico City, they moved to Dublin a few years ago and began playing on the streets. Their acoustic busking drew crowds and eventually invites to the stage. Today, they headline.
Earlier this month they released their third studio album, “11:11,” a carefully composed tribute album of sorts for 11 artists that influenced their musical career. The album’s “Atman,” played late in Saturday’s show and introduced with a flurry of F-bombs by Gabriela, features Testamentap in a song inspired by Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell.
Just as its difficult to really grasp the idea of two strumming guitarists and a thrash metal musician playing a tune inspired by Dimebag, itap hard to pin down Rodrigo y Gabriela. As cliché as it sounds, they really defy stereotype.
Case in point: a cerebral encore that strolled through a jazzy “Girl from Impanema” jam and ended in an almost unidentifiable, one-of-a-kind interpretation of “Stairway to Heaven.” And within seconds of ending the show with their radio-rotated “Tamacun,” the Buell was shellacked with AC/DC’s thundering “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You),” leaving heads-a-banging as the pair harvested high-fives from eager fans.
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Jason Blevins is a strange dancer, but that has never stopped him.
Michael McGrath is a Denver area photographer. His work is available at . Visit .
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