Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero have been playing guitar together for more than fifteen years. From their hesitant first steps as teenage thrash metallurgists in their native Mexico City, through the innocents abroad street players of Dublin’s Grafton Street at the turn of the Millennium, to the universally acclaimed globe straddling tour machine of 2010; theirs is a musical union where mutual understanding goes beyond intuitive and into the realms of Zen. Rhythmic Yin to melodic Yang.
It has been a year since the release of their last studio album “11:11”. The album sees them developing their core sound into something more sophisticated, intricate and varied. At the heart of the sound is still the stunning interplay between Rodrigo’s dazzling lead work and Gabriela’s unique rhythm play; but the base soundscape is now subtly supplemented by percussion, occasional piano and a fresh arsenal of stringed instruments from around the world, including oud and sitar. And - whisper it quietly – the introduction here and there of electric guitar.
Produced by Rodrigo y Gabriela (with co-production from John Leckie on the title track), the album was mixed by Colin Richardson; famed in the heavy metal world for his console work on Slipknot and Trivium. Picked by Rod & Gab for the way he makes guitars simultaneously sing and sting, it's his desk dexterity that make the sound pictures on “11:11” dance before your eyes and ears.
At the heart of “11:11” lies Rod & Gab’s wish to celebrate some of the great musicians, both past and present, who have inspired them along the way. Each of the eleven tracks is a musical ‘gracias’ to a delicious and diverse assortment of talent. Some are transparent – the ‘Voodoo Chile’ quoting ‘Buster Voodoo’ is a clear nod of appreciation to Hendrix – others are more discreet. Metal God Alex Skolnick of Testament joins them on ‘Atman’, a thrilling Arabesque charge in celebration of Dimebag Darrell, replete with a scorching total shred solo from Skolnick. Elsewhere, Rod & Gab are united with L.A. based acoustic fusion veterans Strunz & Farah, to create a unique guitar quartet for the Paco De Lucia homage ‘Master Maqui’.
Since the release of the album, Rod & Gab's love of playing live has taken them all over the world: UK, USA, Ireland, France, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Headlining world famous venues like Radio City Music Hall (NYC), The Greek Theatre (LA), Red Rocks (Colorado), The Zenith (Paris) and five nights at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London. They have been joined onstage on a regular basis by some of their musical heroes – Rob Trujillo (Metallica), Zack De La Rocha (RATM), Al Di Meola, Alex Skolnick and L Shankar.
In May of this year they were invited by President Obama to play at the White House at an official state reception with Beyonce; turns out that Barack is a big Rod & Gab fan.
Currently working on film soundtrack scores (watch this space); Rod & Gab see music as a garden with many flowers; and they will continue to move from stem to stem like strumming hummingbirds. In the ceaseless pursuit of the ultimate audio nectar, “11:11” is the latest opportunity for us to sip and share with them.
