PHOTOS: KRISTIN HORGEN | As music fans, we have an innate need to classify our music, to make sure that we have put a specific label on what we are listening to. Rock, black metal, jazz, folk, alt country, fusion, post-punk, shoegaze, electro….the list goes on and on. What Rodrigo y Gabriela have successfully done is make you rethink any preconceived notion you may had about their music, and how it can be classified.
A duo from Mexico City on acoustic guitars…flamenco, right? Wrong. Ok, maybe not 100% wrong, but when the pair’s biggest influence is heavy metal, that kind of shakes things up a bit and breaks them out of the typical “flamenco” mold.
I have lived in Northern Virginia/the greater DC area for my entire life and for some insane reason had never made it to Wolf Trap until this night. The lawn areas were full of picnickers, and the pungent aromatic mixture of wine, Off bug spray, and assorted foodstuffs assaulted the senses as I wandered around before the show. The intricacy of the beautiful wooden pavilion in its woodsy setting gave the show a natural, rustic feel. Adding to the natural feel of the show, during those moments when the music got a bit quieter, a symphony of summer crickets provided their own accompanying harmonies to the man-made music onstage.
Kishi Bashi, clad in a pink jacket and bow tie and spiky dyed mohawk opened the night. The immensely talented violinist from of Montreal has struck out on his own, doing a one-man band performance with the help of a loop pedal and a lot of coordination.
He had the audience clapping along halfway through his first song. The audience, while responding heartily at the end of each song, seemed a bit divided. The older men in the crowd didn’t seem to embrace Kishi as wholly as the younger set. This was best represented by the hoots when he asked who saw him (with of Montreal) at the 9:30 Club. I think the older ladies found him adorable. Not a sweeping statement, just an observation from my vantage point.
Age gaps aside, Kishi Bashi showed different aspects of his talent throughout the set. His extraordinary violin playing was a treat, with both bow and fingers flowing effortlessly over the strings. I would love to hear him in a classical performance sometime. His song “Bright Lights” had a Beatlesque bounciness to it, and he finished the song with ad-lib beatboxing. He made full use of the looper, forming layer upon layer of voice and violin, whether it be plucked, played traditionally, or strummed like a ukulele. Kishi closed out his set with “I Am the Antichrist To You,” a song whose ominous title didn’t quite match up with its’ complexly poetic lyrics.
When the lights went down again, the thunderous sounds of Tool blared forth from the PA system, one of many reminders this night of where Rodrigo y Gabriela’s influences lie. The crowd offered a standing ovation as they took the stage, the first of many to come. The pair was the perfect yin and yang of guitar onstage. Rodrigo Sanchez deftly handled the melodies, while Gabriela Quintero strummed and thumped complex rhythms, often using her guitar as a percussion instrument. They opened the set with their latest single, “The Soundmaker,” but ended it with a little extra flair, borrowing the ending on Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning.”
Watching them play the guitar was like watching sonic fluid in motion, with the sound of the two different guitars weaving in and out. The physical interplay between the two was interesting to watch too. They would separate for a bit and do their own thing—usually Rodrigo propping one foot on a monitor, while Gabriela jumped up and down as she played. After facing the audience for a bit, they would turn and face each other intensely, and it almost became a dance. The duo would lock gazes, stomp their feet together in rhythm, and two would become parts of a bigger whole. They weren’t the only ones stomping—throughout much of the night, the whole crowd was on its feet, stomping and clapping to the music.
Separately, they took a moment to thank the crowd and talk for a moment. When it came time for Gabriela to talk to the crowd, she had a cute, awkward shyness that was genuine and endearing. That shyness vanished the instant she had her guitar back in her hands. When they resumed, both of them had something small attached to the headstocks of their guitars. I quickly realized that they had microcameras attached to their guitars, and the video feed from the cameras was on display on the big screen behind them, giving us a neck-down view of their nimble fingers in action.
They continued with a brilliant rendition of Metallica’s “Orion,” and followed that up by starting to play part of “Bombtrack” by Rage Against the Machine. After playing part of Stone Temple Pilots’ hit “Plush,” Rodrigo announced that it was “karaoke time.” I couldn’t resist, and the metalhead fanboy in me jumped up and bellowed, “MASTER OF PUPPETS!” They responded instantly, playing up to the first verse of the song. Every metal fan in attendance shouted their approval. This was followed up by portions of “Hunger Strike” by Temple of the Dog, “Breaking the Girl” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a wonderfully sincere rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep.”
They closed their set with the absolutely electrifying “Hanuman,” every person on their feet and every hand fervently clapping. They returned for an encore, and after ending the night with “Tamacun,” they graciously thanked the crowd while the sounds of AC/DC sounded their exit from the stage.
So ended a righteous night of music that dazzled the eyes and ears, altered musical perceptions a bit, and was felt down in the depths of the soul.
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA
KISHI BASHI
