Rodrigo y Gabriela

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courtesy ATO Records

Rodrigo y Gabriela and instruments.

Rodrigo y Gabriela

media release: GRAMMY-winning guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, who are bringing their OurHome tour to The Sylvee on Sunday, November 1st. The tour follows the September 18 release of their new album, OurHome, recorded in Japan after a period of creative frustration ultimately led them back to the intimate, rhythmic interplay of two acoustic guitars that first defined their sound. 

OurHome is both a love letter to Japan, a country they’ve been returning to for over 20 years, and a meditation on what home means after spending much of their lives moving between countries and cultures. Recorded and self-produced at NK Sound Tokyo, the album features Japanese jazz virtuoso Hiromi, former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman, cellist Hiyori Okuda, and Kyoto-based guitarist Yukihiro Atsumi, while drawing inspiration from manga, anime, mythology, migration, philosophy, and personal transformation. “Akatsuki,” with Hiromi, was inspired by Naruto, while “Monster” grew from their fascination with Naoki Urasawa’s landmark manga and led to Urasawa himself creating the official video after they discovered he was already a fan of the duo.

The album also arrives at a meaningful point in their story, roughly 20 years after two musicians from Mexico City found their first major audience in Ireland and built an unlikely global career with two acoustic guitars. Their mix of metal, Latin rhythms, rock, acoustic music, and influences gathered from around the world never fit neatly into one category, but has since carried them to over 1.5 million albums sold, a GRAMMY win, sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall and Royal Albert Hall, a performance at the Obama White House, and appearances everywhere from Glastonbury and Austin City Limits to NPR’s Tiny Desk. Rod or Gab would be happy to talk about the new record, Japan, guitar and their unusual playing style, growing up as metalheads in Mexico City, manga and anime, creative longevity, and what “home” means to them today.