It’s no secret among the Panic Manual circle that I’m a huge fan of the broadly defined term “world music”. Whether it’s Nigerian afro-beat, Cuban Son, or Brazilian Bossa Nova; chances are I dig it. So when one my favourite “world music” bands decides to pair with one of my favourite types of “world music”, I definitely stand up and take notice.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela are a Mexican-born guitar duo that moved to Ireland to blend flamenco and latin style playing with a bit of the rock and roll. They cover tunes like Stairway to Heaven and acoustic versions of metal songs. Each track on their last album, 11:11, was dedicated to one of their guitar heroes: from Dimebag Darrel (Pantera) to Jimi Hendrix. While a fun & gritty album, it lacked the cohesiveness of their self-titled 2nd effort.
Area 52 is their next project, and this time Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero are partnering with a 13-piece Cuban Orchestra collectively known as C.U.B.A. I couldn’t be happier with the direction they are headed. Partnering with a Cuban band will make for some fun new sounds, padded with sweet Cuban goodness. The last time Rod & Gab came to town, I went directly to Rotate This and slapped down a wad of cash to buy 10 tickets. I then proceeded to bully & extort many of my friends into joining me; that’s how awesome their live shows are. This latest project is so exciting that if they decided to return to Toronto, I’ll buy 20.*
*OK, maybe not. But I’ll probably buy 10 again, which is saying something!