One Liner: Kings of the flamenco guitar do excellent instrumentals and covers
Poster Position: Second Quarter - Line 8.
Both Weekends.
Saturday at 4:30
Tito's Tent (excellent location)
Thoughts: I hope that somewhere out there, a person quickly glanced at this poster and was excited to see Olivia Rodrigo on there. I could have sworn that these cats have already been here, but I do not find them when I search my prior posts.
Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero. Here is the thing about these two - absolutely virtuosic guitar kings. Flamenco-style guitar, mostly instrumental, and somehow they got their start for eight years in Ireland before heading back to Mexico City. But then as, you are lulled into a pattern of complicated guitar meanderings that could be a classical song written 300 years ago, a funky song that belongs on a Tarantino soundtrack pops up, or all of a sudden you realize that they are covering Metallica or Radiohead or Led Zeppelin, which is imminently dope as well.
Grew up in Mexico City, hearing traditional flamenco and jazz from their parents, but also were fans of Metallica and other American rock. Met at the age of 15, bonded over their love of music, and became a couple soon thereafter. Rodrigo started a metal band with his brother that fell apart, they moved to the coast and played at resort beaches for a while, before moving to Europe to try their thing there. After some busking and pubs, they latched on to some bigger names like Damien Rice and David Gray and became a success. They have a Grammy, played for Obama at the White House, and have headlined Red Rocks.
Despite my excitement for them, they really don't have a lot of streams. I think a lot of folks don't go for instrumentals. Seven studio albums - lotsa weird ass titles in here: 2002's re-Foc, 2006's Rodrigo y Gabriela, 2009's 11:11, 2012's Area 52, 2104's 9 Dead Alive, 2019's Mettavolution, and 2023's In Between Thoughts ... A New World. Their only #1 was that 2006 album and it was on the Irish charts. Top track by a good bit is "Tamacun" with 49.5 million streams and a classic flamenco sound.
Live version, but you get the idea. Two very skilled guitarists doing cool stuff. My only worry about the show is that this sounds neat but isn't especially exciting to watch unless you are on the front row and can see what they are doing to those guitars. If you are 50 yard back in the crowd at the Honda stage, I don't know if it translates. That track is off of the 2006 album, which has several of their top tracks including "Stairway to Heaven" and Metallica's "Orion." But we will go with the top song from their new album for the other track here - "Descending to Nowhere" has 3.2 million streams.
Still in the same family as the traditional flamenco, but with some modern flourish to it where under those guitars there is a little more of a synth layer building with the song.
I worry a little about the show itself being underwhelming just because they will need to give everything they have to their guitars the whole time, but I also like the appeal of seeing two masters at their craft going to town.
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