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Rodrigo y Gabriela playing Radio City Music Hall, played Jools Holland's Hootenanny on New Years Eve (videos)

Rodrigo y Gabriela @ Terminal 5 in Sept. (more by Paul Bachmann)
Rodrigo y Gabriela

For Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero the story begins with all the key ingredients for that quintessential rags-to-riches story – humble beginnings and of course, undeniable odds stacked against them – but that’s not what makes this story so damned interesting. Growing up in Mexico City, that country’s pinnacle metropolis of culture and arts, Rodrigo and Gabriela were exposed to music from an early age. As teenagers the two developed a keen love of music and eventually met when Gabriela joined Rodrigo’s thrash metal band, Tierra Acida (Acid Earth). With ambitions of becoming serious musicians, they applied to a music conservatory, but having had almost no proper musical training both were denied entry. And so they continued their affair with Mexico City’s rock scene. Yet opportunities were scarce, and success even scarcer. Years of unrequited pursuit left them frustrated and disheartened with their home city’s music industry. So with about $1000 and no English skills whatsoever, the duo picked up and moved to Dublin, Ireland. Though it may have been by choice, the odds were certainly stacked against them, but Rodrigo y Gabriela weren’t in music to play the odds.

It was all about the adventure. “We didn’t actually want to be part of a record label anymore, especially when we first went to Europe. We were in a backpacking situation but we were happy,” says Rodrigo of their early excursion to Europe, with a much improved English vocabulary now. “We were young and totally irresponsible; we weren’t really worried about anything.” [Jambase]

Rodrigo y Gabriela will headline Radio City Music Hall in NYC on April 29th. Tickets ($49.50, $39.50, $34.50) go AmEx presale Wednesday (1/13), “Internet Presale” Thursday (1/14), and then general sale on Friday (1/15).

As the above article points out, Rodrigo y Gabriela, though originally from Mexico, now reside in Ireland, home of Glen Hansard of The Frames and Swell Season. The Swell Season’s 2nd headlining show at Radio City is coming up soon – January 19th to be exact (tickets). Josh Ritter opens. The Swell Season show is one day before Lady Gaga kicks off her four-night run at the historical venue, and it was recently leaked that Spoon will be playing there in March.

On New Years Eve, Rod and Gab participated in UK TV host Jools Holland‘s annual Hootenanny on BBC Two. Check out the videos and all dates below…

Hanuman – Rodrigo y Gabriela (JAH 2009)

Buster Voodoo – Rodrigo y Gabriela (JAH 2009)

Rodrigo y Gabriela – 2010 Tour Dates
Jan 11 – Aotea Center Auckland, New Zealand
Jan 14 – ZEPP Tokyo, Japan
Jan 15 – CLUB Diamond Hall Nagoya, Japan
Jan 16 – IMP HALL Osaka, Japan
Jan 18 – TOKYO Tokyo, Japan
Feb 28 – 9:30 Washington
Mar 20 – The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater Miami Beach, FL
Apr 8 – X-Tra Zurich, Switzerland
Apr 10 -Olympia Theatre Paris, France
Apr 11 -Olympia Theatre Paris, France
Apr 13 -Docks Des Suds Marseilles, France
Apr 14 – Bikini Toulouse, France
Apr 16 – The Phoenix (Bourges Festival) Bourges, France
Apr 17 – The Zenith (Artefact Festival) Strasbourg, France
Apr 21 – Forest National Club Brussels, Belgium
Apr 29 – Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY
Nov 2 – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire London, United Kingdom
Nov 3 – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire London, United Kingdom
Nov 5 – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire London, United Kingdom
Nov 6 – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire London, United Kingdom
Nov 7 – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire London, United Kingdom