ATO Records’ Rodrigo Y Gabriela Tapped For ESPN’s First Take And Sunday NFL Countdown Shows In Arizona In Advance Of Sunday’s Big Game
Rodrigo y Gabriela Launch U.S. Headlining Tour February 7th
January 30, 2008 — With anticipation high for Sunday’s big game, Rodrigo y Gabriela are honored to be featured on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown on February 3rd. The fast-fingered, acoustic heavy metal duo from Mexico via Dublin, have produced exclusive video segments for the show, which will air Sunday (11 am - 2 pm ET). This exposure on ESPN’s popular NFL pre-game show will incorporate tracks from Rodrigo y Gabriela’s critically acclaimed, self-titled debut album. The pair, who will kick off a U.S. headlining tour February 7th, will perform live on First Take, the popular morning sports news and discussion program, from ESPN’s set location at The Mix at Southbridge in Scottsdale, Arizona, this Friday, February 1st (10 am-noon ET on ESPN2). (Check local listings for details.)
Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero met as teenagers at a cultural center in Mexico City. The two shared a passion for metal music and Gabriela played with Rodrigo in his brother’s band for a time. Then the two ventured abroad. When plans to stay with a friend in Dublin fell through, they began busking to make a living. Forging a unique style that straddles both world music and rock, and often imbued with timeless Hispano-classical influences, the pair attracted the attention of Damien Rice, who asked them to open for him on a slew of Irish tour dates. Soon they had a record deal and were recording their debut with producer John Leckie (Radiohead, My Morning Jacket).
Released in 2006, Rodrigo y Gabriela entered the Irish charts at #1 - ahead of releases by the Arctic Monkeys and Johnny Cash. In the States, they’ve been lauded in artist-to-watch features by the likes of Rolling Stone (“each is a virtuoso in their own right”) and The Wall Street Journal (which tipped them as possibly “the next Buena Vista Social Club”), selected as MTV’s “Artist of the Week” and performed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.” Rodrigo y Gabriela - which has shipped over 250,000 copies in the U.S. - spent 44 weeks on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers Chart, crossed over to the top half of The Billboard 200 album chart and hit #1 on the World Albums Chart. Praised by Variety for their “stunning, jaw dropping performance...clearly the evening’s highlight” at KCRW’s “Sounds Eclectic Evening” in Los Angeles in the spring of 2007, the duo went on to play the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Central Park’s Summerstage, Lollapalooza, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Austin City Limits Festival - and then launched a sold-out fall headlining tour.
Rodrigo y Gabriela’s upcoming headlining dates are listed below. U.S. summer festival appearances will be announced shortly.
- 2/7 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
- 2/8 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
- 2/9 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
- 2/11 San Diego, CA - 4th & B Concert
- 2/12 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theater
- 2/14 Denver, CO - The Fillmore
- 2/16 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa