We went to Ravinia last Saturday night to see Rodrigo y Gabriela, a guitar duo from Mexico City (via Dublin, of all places). The show was amazing.

Rodrigo y Gabriela’s music clearly shows its Latin influence, but there’s something very different about the way they play: the duo met when they were playing in a thrash metal band called “Tierra Ácida,” and that influence is evident. At first listen, one is tempted to say “Oh, that’s kinda familiar,” but a few seconds into a song you can tell these two have a real edge.

Rodrigo generally plays the melody– usually with hands moving so fast you can’t actually see what he’s doing– and Gabriela plays rhythm by strumming, thumping, and banging on her strings and guitar body while throwing herself into the performance. The crowd at Ravinia took to both of them immediately, and when Gabriela started jumping around while playing, the audience was sold. The few times they spoke to the audience clearly showed they were excited to be there and that they really, really enjoyed what they were doing (an impression many acts don’t seem to give). A favorite moment was when Gabriela was talking about the different types of music they’ve enjoyed and played and then dropped an f-bomb– the crowd actually seemed to appreciate it.

The weather was perfect, and the sounds these these two made managed to fill the entire park; we were seated in the Pavilion and were thrilled to watch as they played. There were also two large screens on either side of the stage where you could see them play up close.

I discovered these guys in late 2009 via the KEXP Song of the Day podcast, where their song “Hanuman” was the featured track. I was walking to the office on a cold November morning and what came into my ears would have made me stop in my tracks if it wasn’t so catchy. Click the link to hear what I mean. That evening, I downloaded their latest album, 11:11, and it’s still one of my favorite albums of the past year. Here’s wishing these two much success.

The image above was taken by a fan at the duo’s Red Rocks show and posted on Rodrigo y Gabriela’s Facebook page.