Rodrigo Y Gabriela – ‘Tamacun’

Guest post by Lucy Donnelly.


Usually a more than competent air guitarist (see: ‘Growing up in Tamworth: Hobbies’) even I am defeated by the likes of master shredders, Rodrigo y Gabriela. The Mexican duo were apparently born with their chubby childish digits firmly clutching guitar strings. Question my grasp of the birthing process and human anatomy at your own peril – upon listening, you will understand. It is not the precision, speed and obvious technical prowess that leads me to this conclusion. Rather it is the furious emotion, soul and guts that is so rich in their music. Yes I said ‘guts’. Nothing so decadent and enriching could spurn any other ingredient. Never has the term ‘heartstring’ been more relevant.

Hang on – classical/flamenco guitar couple? Yawn, says Majority. Obviously that lends itself to a more highbrow/boring type of audience, whom we of the ‘whatever’ generation could not really care less about. I mean who of said generation really wants to sit down and watch/listen to two people making dreary love to some curvaceous hunks of wood? Leave that to the genre of human that actually seriously own ‘opera glasses’ and ‘concert blacks’. Or ‘Spaniards’ (errr… they do that type of thing, right? Dancing and guitars and paella and siestas and whatnot… Yawn, says hemisphere varietals.)

Mais non! Let me set you straight. To begin, Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero are not your typical instrumental team. The words ‘hot’ and ‘exhilarating’ are more apt adjectives than ‘pleasant’ and ‘enjoyable’ in terms of their music. Their concerts are said to be more akin to rock concerts than classical – in fact, one of their greatest ‘influences’, famed Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo has actually played with them live and they are renowned for their unexpected covers – ‘Stairway to Heaven’ (Led Zeppelin), ‘Wish You Were Here’ (Pink Floyd) and ‘Voodoo Chile’ (Jimi Hendrix) to name a few. They met whilst playing in a thrash metal band. Thrash metal!? Perhaps their influences and background are what gives them their ‘edge’. According to The Sun, jazz and metal guitarists from all around the world are desperate to join them on stage – for example, Marty Friedman from Megadeath. Megadeath!? Your yawns simply won’t fly now. Sorry.

The music is beautiful. Raw, precise, frenetic. Listen to ‘Tamacun’, from their self-titled second studio album. There is guitar-bashing, vicious strumming, furious yet accurate plucking and some insanely driven melodic lines. Rhythm is just as much a part of their pieces as tune. Accessible flamenco? Who woulda thunk it? The metal aspect is deeply entrenched in the energy beneath their work, but at no time does it supersede the beauty and melodic complexity of their music. It is certainly not isolationist, regardless of the skill and sophistication required to create it.

‘GET UP AND GO!!!’ shouts ‘Tamacun’. The rhythmic finish, consisting of much violent percussive guitar, is Redb Bull for the ears. GET UP AND DANCE. Much like metal – only palatable for everyone. Background, foreground… it could serve as either. Regardless of ear-vintage. Is there anyone to whom this would not appeal? I am beginning to doubt it. Catchy is the core of pop. This song is certainly ‘catchy’, as much as I hate to cheapen it to such a description. Energy. Spirit. Blah, blah and blah I would play it at any dinner party – if I could were only domestically capable of creating a menu. All-encompassing and all-inspiring – a warning, however – such music may prompt ‘Spanish’-style dances of the solo variety, complete with invisible maracas. I speak from personal, cringe-worthy experience.

These guys are great because the melodic line is reminiscent of singing, the rhythmic feel that of rock/metal and the overall classification tends to be that of the classy ‘flamenco’ exotic variety. And my God, the skill. I wonder if their parents incorporated musical instruments during their conception?

I certainly would not be surprised if this were the case.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela – ‘Tamacun’