It’s been two and a half years since the start of the pandemic. For many of us, things have begun to feel increasingly “normal” again, whatever that means. For me, that means seeing live music regularly, and I couldn’t be happier to have this opportunity back. Every once in a while, I even get to see a live show right here in my hometown of Napa. This was the case late last week when Rodrigo y Gabriela graced the outdoor stage at Charles Krug for Blue Note Napa‘s summer sessions.
While I’d been to Krug once or twice before for other events, it was my first time seeing live music there, and my partner and I both made mention more than once of the nice, mellow vibe the whole place had. There was no crazy parking lot situation, no insane traffic, and no stress of getting to our seats. It was all just easy and fun.
Before the main event, local NorCal opening act, the Sean Carscadden Trio, arrived early to set the tone for the evening. Right away I enjoyed the tone of Carscadden’s voice. Categorizing this band in one particular genre is too tricky for me, but I can tell you that there’s some jazz, some rock, some blues, a little reggae, and even a touch of swing here and there. Also, the band may consist of a mere three members, but they in no way lack any of the fullness you hear with bigger bands. The sound is really tight, and it’s easy to see that these guys have all been musicians for quite some time.
Toward the end of their set, my partner (a musician himself) leaned over and told me that he kept going back and forth on whether he thought their vibe was more surf rock or “classic, Chuck Berry-type rock and roll.” It wasn’t hard to understand what he meant, as the band has a clean sound without any distortion, so it feels pure. They also had a pretty bass-heavy sound, especially when compared to Rodrigo y Gabriela, who have no bass at all. Overall, we really enjoyed the Sean Carscadden Trio’s set. It’s always fun to enjoy a local band; this one was a treat.
Not long after the trio departed, Rodrigo y Gabriela appeared to take their seats on the stage, which had been set to look a bit like a living room with two nice chairs, a few tables with lamps, wine glasses full of water, and even a rug. As soon as both were seated, they began to play, and immediately I found it hard to take my eyes off Gabriela when she was playing. How is it possible that she’s dexterous enough to simultaneously play the guitar and use it for percussion? The woman is unbelievable.
Rodrigo is no slouch either. His flamenco guitar skills are extraordinary. It’s insane to watch them play because you can hear this beautiful music coming from them and still have almost zero evidence on their faces or even their overall physical vibe if you will, that they’re doing anything to create it: both members of the band are completely focused on the music, eyes almost always closed, serene expressions on their faces.
After the first block of songs, the duo finally addressed the crowd. Rodrigo explained that they have a new album coming out in March before adding that they wouldn’t be playing the upcoming album’s new music. Instead, he said they would “play from all the other albums, and pretty much whatever we feel like playing…”
A little while later, Gabriela spoke to the crowd, saying she had a “little bit of more good news.” She spoke about the hard time everyone had during COVID, but said, “for me and Rodrigo, we had been on the road for twenty years!” Because they were unable to tour during stay-at-home orders, they had instead gone into the studio “because it’s very hard… we don’t know how to do nothing!” The best thing about all of it, Gabriela said, was that we kind of got the most out of it. They were able to write a full album (the aforementioned forthcoming album, due in March), which was recorded “with the philharmonic orchestra of Bulgaria playing with us.” I for one, can’t wait to hear that!
The pair had also made mention of the city of St. Helena’s strict 10 pm curfew, but they didn’t seem to mind and did a great job of respecting it while also playing all the way up as close to 10 as they could, which was fun for the fans. Rodrigo y Gabriela put on a great show, and I’m not sure why it took me this long to finally catch them live, but I’m glad I finally got my chance – I enjoyed it thoroughly.
