gig review: rodrigo y gabriela @ the mountain winery

[rone]

Some time ago, captain_nesky texted me and Kim, letting us know about this band she caught in Santa Cruz that she was sure we'd love; unfortunately, before i got a chance to check them out, i blew away my phone's inbox after getting a bit of a page storm from work that filled up its memory.  Later, marc_andreessen posted about them (and if you had any doubt that Dave Winer is a douche, check the comments).  I was really impressed, and upon visiting their Web site, i saw they were playing nearby soon, so i bought tickets.

The show was simply excellent.  Rodrigo and Gabriela are really good musicians and showpeople.  The crowd at the Mountain Winery was diverse in many ways (young, old, straight couples, gay couples), but everyone was decidedly rich-looking, so i didn't expect a lot of energy from them.  However, Rodrigo and Gabriela's music had everyone jumping, singing, dancing, and clapping along.  The tickets were a bit expensive, but the venue is very nice and, because it's not enclosed, no earplugs were necessary.  The woman in front of me complimented my singing of "Wish You Were Here", which was quite flattering.  R&G also covered Metallica's "One" and "Orion", and their signature cover of "Stairway to Heaven" was excellent, but the one that took the prize from me was their cover of Brubeck's "Take Five"; i can't begin to describe the length and subtlety of it.  And these guys headbanged often through their songs, Rodrigo on lead, and Gabriela on rhythm and percussion, strumming and whacking her guitar in the same motion.

They just played at Glastonbury, so i'm wondering if any of my Glasto-attending friends caught them there.  They're touring constantly, so you should definitely catch them if they come by your neck of the woods.  It was easily one of the best 5 shows i've seen. Look for them on YouTube, too.