Rodrigo y Gabriela Take Over Royal Oak

Quick- what kind of band would be the first logical choice for a guy and a girl raised on Mexican and American thrash metal to form later in life? If you guess Latin influenced acoustic numbers, you’re probably in the minority of what would have been guessed, but there’s nothing wrong with change ups.

Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero met in Mexico City playing in a thrash band called “Tierra Acida”, but was growing fed up with the limitations of thrash metal, so the duo moved to Dublin, Ireland (quite a change for them undoubtedly) and began to pave a new musical direction. The duo released their first record, “Foc” in 2001 and have been starting to gain exposure in many different circles from there.

The duo has continued to deliver their upbeat brand of latin fusion rock sound with their most current release. “11:11”, which was released in September, is a fiery brand of acoustic rock that makes its American counterparts sound absolutely boring in comparison. Songs like “Master Maqui” and “Hora Zero”, show Sanchez’s remarkable and nimble guitar skills and keeps the music from falling into slow and droning (in fact- it’s the complete opposite), while Quintero’s rhythm guitar keeps the sound lush and full.

Every song on “11:11” is dedicated to a wide range of musicians, anywhere from Carlos Santana to Dimebag Darrell. It shows the far reaching musical ideas the duo has taken from over the years.

Rodrigo and Gabriela will be touring in the US through March 21^st, and in North & South America through the end of April. The tour will come to Royal Oak Saturday, March 6^th as they play the Royal Oak Theater. In a nod to their metal roots, Alex Skolnick of Testament fame will be opening up the show with his brand of instrumental based rock that is removed from the material with Testament. Make sure to check out probably the best acoustic based rock these days as Rodrigo and Gabriela hit Royal Oak.

Rodrigo y Gabriela play the Royal Oak Theater on Saturday, March 6^th. Tickets are $30 and are available at www.tickets.com. Additional dates and band info can be found at www.rodgab.com.