E-mail a friendRodrigo y Gabriela
airdate October 1, 2009
Acoustic guitarists Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero perform as the instrumental duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. With Sanchez playing lead and Quintero as rhythm, they have a unique sound that straddles world and rock music. They met as teenagers in their native Mexico and bonded over their mutual passion for heavy metal. They played bossa novas in hotel bars before deciding to try their luck in Europe, stopping first—and staying—in Dublin, Ireland. They will tour the U.S. and Europe this fall, in support of their new CD, "11:11."
Guitar duo performs Hanuman from their new CD, 11:11. (5:42)
Full Interview (7:15)
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Tavis: Before we get a chance to talk to Rodrigo y Gabriela, I wanted to let you see why they've quickly made a name for themselves. From their new CD, "11:11," here they are performing the first single, "Hanuman."
[Live musical performance]
(Cheering, applause)
Tavis: Talk about an unlikely path to success, Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Lopez left their homes in Mexico City 10 years ago bound for Dublin, Ireland, in hopes of starting a music career. At the time, they spoke no English and had very little money, but as you just heard, their unique sound quickly caught on and their previous CD has sold now more than a half-million copies and counting.
This is their latest - "11:11." Rodrigo and Gabriela, nice to have you both here.
Gabriela Lopez: Thank you very much for inviting us.
Rodrigo Sanchez: Thank you very much for having us.
Tavis: How and why Dublin? Why Dublin? You're from Mexico City, why do you end up in Dublin trying to start a music career?
Lopez: Well, the idea was to travel - to play and travel, and we wanted to start in Europe. So we wanted to start in different countries and we wanted to go to somewhere that we didn't know anything about. And so someone suggested to go to Ireland, so we said, "Why not? We don't know anything about it, so (laughter) we ended up there and we planned to stay there for 15 days and then move to other country, but then we ran out of money so we couldn't go anywhere.
Tavis: Yeah.
Lopez: Yeah.
Tavis: Why go someplace, Rodrigo, where you don't know anything about the culture, you don't speak the language, you - why? That's pretty risky.
Sanchez: Yeah, I'm still wondering why we did it, but I think the plan was to learn something new. We didn't want to go to Spain, which was kind of the obvious place to go, and it was going to be the same for the big cities. Somewhere small sounded good to us, and pretty unknown, and that was the idea. We certainly found that.
Tavis: What's the challenge of getting people to appreciate your music when you can't communicate to them in their language?
Lopez: Well, I think first of all, because we're starting off playing - we started off in a metal band in Mexico first of all. Then we gave up that and we ended up playing this duet. And we didn't care about getting famous or get an album out, we just wanted to play and learn more about music and all that thing.
So we didn't care too much about communication in that way, we just wanted to pay and keep traveling. But then eventually we got a record deal and all that, and then we discovered that people was attracted to our music in other language, English-speaking language and all the northern European countries, and mainly because we didn't - were singing in Spanish or anything, because they could relate to us. And I think it's more challenging to try to sing in Spanish and go to those audience and try to communicate like that.
Tavis: How would you, Rodrigo, describe what your music is? Gabriela has told the story, you started out in metal. You've obviously developed your own sound these days. How would you describe what your sound is?
Sanchez: Well, we often get that question, and we don't like to label. That sounds kind of a common answer, but it is true. Our influence is coming from - mixing the metal roots and the Latin thing. I don't think it's been done before, somehow. Our travels around Europe in that particular time in our lives, it was - I think it was kind of a very important part of the sound we have because we mixed everything.
Even the Irish sound, in a way, kind of affected Gabriela's right hand when she just plays around the wood, and it's coming from the Irish bodhran instrument, which is like a drum that they play with a stick. So it's a big mix, I wouldn't really dare to call it any - it's important to say and mention that we don't play flamenco. A lot of people think that we play flamenco.
But flamenco's pretty serious and flamenco lovers, they're purists, you understand? (Laughter) We love flamenco and all that, but don't confuse that.
Tavis: I know you get asked that all the time, which is one of the reasons - I think this - in six seasons, maybe, six seasons of hosting this show, almost into season seven now, I bet you are the first musical artists we've had on this show who I let perform before I sat for the conversation. You don't even know this. We always do it the other way around.
Always do the conversation first and then the band performs. But I couldn't figure out a way to describe what it is that you do. (Laughter) I said, "You know what? Let them do this first. Then I'll have the conversation." Because I couldn't even explain to the audience what it is you do.
So you're part of the "Tavis Smiley Show" trivia now - the first guests to ever do this out of order.
Lopez: Well, that's good.
Sanchez: That's good.
Tavis: Yeah. (Laughter)
Lopez: I like to go out of order.
Tavis: Well, yeah, I can see. (Laughter) Speaking of out of order, the new CD's called "11:11." Eleven tracks inspired by 11 artists, and some of the folk you've been inspired by are?
Lopez: Are Al Di Meola, (unintelligible) Santana, Paco de Lucia, Diamond Darrell.
Tavis: Jimi Hendrix.
Lopez: Jimi Hendrix.
Sanchez: Pink Floyd. We didn't know where to fit. We didn't know we were going to play world music festivals or rock festivals, and we come from the rock side. We did play a few world music festivals back in the day, and we didn't feel right, you know what I'm saying? It was, like, weird. And suddenly, eventually, things just changed and moved around to where our roots were, and we fit - I feel better.
Lopez: And it was challenging and it is, but there's no other way we can do it, so that's why we do it. We have to do it that way, I guess, but we also enjoy it a lot.
Tavis: Well, they do it their way, as you heard, and I'm delighted to have them on the program to celebrate the release of their latest CD, "11:11." Rodrigo and Gabriela, nice to have you both on. All the best in the coming months and years.
Sanchez: Thank you very much, Tavis.
Lopez: Thank you very much.
Sanchez: Thank you very much.
Tavis: My pleasure, my pleasure.
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