Tamacun

I was delighted when I saw Rodrigo y Gabirela's latest album 11:11 was at the front display at Barnes & Noble; it's about time this Mexican guitar duo got some high-level attention. Talk about some guitar pyrotechnics! Their rapid acoustic guitar work is as much influenced by metal as it is by flamenco. Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero met in Mexico in a metal band. Abandoning their electric guitars, the two relocated to Ireland gaining notoriety on the local scene. Their self-titled album (which has outstanding reworkings of Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" and Metallica's "Orion") was released in 2006 and hit number one in Ireland, quite an interesting feat for a Mexican acoustic duo. "Tamacun", the album's opener, ripples with life, propulsive, fast, infectious.

Watch the duo play it in the video below: I'm not sure which is more impressive - Rodrigo's speed picking or the percussive strumming of Gabiela's rhythm guitar (love the synchronized head banging too toward the end).