Rodrigo and Gabriela are coming to the MUZU TV Studio tomorrow night, on the 11th day of the 11th month, to give an intimate performance of their new album 11:11 (a time that is said to be strongly connected with the spirit world). In anticipation of the very special event, it seems right to honour the path that has brought these wonderful musicians to this point.

The duo first met in their home town of Mexico City, bonding over a shared love of metal music, and began playing in a thrash metal group called ‘Tierra Acida’. They gigged in some of the roughest bars in Mexico City and recorded some material but it was never released. Both Rodrigo and Gabriela continued to learn various styles of guitar and began playing Bossa Novas as a duo a night while teaching guitar lessons during the day.

Becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of opportunities in Mexico, they turned their attentions toward Europe. An Irish friend had offered them a place to stay in Dublin, should they ever make it over to Ireland. They did make it over, but upon arrival found that the offer of hospitality was no longer available to them. Both musicians had very little money and little English, but rather than admit defeat, they threw themselves into the Irish music scene, busking on Dublin’s Grafton Street and gigging in bars around the city.

They fast gained a reputation as two of the cities finest musicians, earning lots of praise for their unique style of playing and their unassuming, open-hearted approach to performance. They also made lots of important contacts including fellow busker Damien Rice, who offered them the crucial stepping stone they needed to take their music from the streets to the stage. Damien asked Rodrigo and Gabriela to provide support to his performance at the Oxegen Festival in 2005.

From here on in the duo began playing festivals back to back across Ireland and the UK. They have since gone on to release six albums ‘Foc’, ‘re-Foc’, ‘Live in Manchester and Dublin’, ‘Rodrigo y Gabriela’, ‘Live in Japan’, and now ‘11:11′.

I am extremely excited about tomorrow’s performance, I think they are two of the most naturally gifted, down to earth and inspirational musicians. The quality of their music and the humility of their performances are attributes that should be treasured these days, when the music industry seems overrun with manufactured artists and glossy marketing campaigns; Rodrigo and Gabriela are indeed a breath of fresh air.

Tune into the Rodrigo and Gabriela MUZU Channel tomorrow night at 8pm to watch the live stream and enter a competition to win a personalized gold disc.

Irish fans, there is still an opportunity to attend the gig, just enter the competition on their MUZU channel

Rodrigo Y Gabriela – Diablo Rojo

Written by Elaine Dowling