1) Rodrigo y Gabriela

Style: Rock / Flamenco
Country: Mexico

This is a very interesting duo formed by Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero who can produce incredible and very lively music using two acoustic guitars and nothing more. 😉

Rodrigo y Gabriela began their career in Mexico but after some time playing they became disappointed with the Rock scene in their own country and decided to move to Europe, to follow their dreams. After giving some concerts in bars and cafés, playing cover songs from bands such as Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Testament and Overkill... they started creating their own original tunes, which were incredibly well received by the public.

Gabriela Quintero does all the percussion of the songs... by tapping with her bare hands of the case of the guitar! 🤗

This is certainly an original kind of way of replacing the drums... and it deserves to be seen.

In the videoclip of the song Hanuman, you can have a taste of that:

2) Room Eleven

Style: Jazz
Country: Netherlands

This band had an excellent career start by releasing two fantastic albums in a short time: Six White Russians and a Pink Pussycat (2006) and Mmm... Gumbo? (2008). The band started when the vocalist Janne Schra seek out a guitarist - Arriën Molema - to accompany her in writing some songs. Three years later, they were joined by Tony Roe on the keyboards, Lucas Dols on the bass and Maarten Molema on the drums... and Room Eleven was born.

The group composed some really vibrant and cool songs, with a modern type of jazz, with some fusion elements from rock and folk. My favourite track is Come Closer. I believe this song is a masterpiece. 🤩

Too bad they never released a videoclip for it, so here's the audio version. Enjoy!

Sadly, the band was never able to grow a real chemistry between the elements and they separated in 2009. Immediately after the breakup, Janne Schra, Tony Roe and Lucas Dols moved on to form the band Schradinova.

3) Rage of Light

Style: Metal / Progressive Metal / Melodic Death Metal
Country: Switzerland

I couldn't complete this post with a mention to a little known Progressive / Melodic Death Metal from Switzerland.

This project was created by the vocalist / keyboardist Jonathan Pellet who had the idea to create a hybrid of Trance and Melodic Death Metal. Since he was quite busy with other bands, it was only a decade later that the vocalist Melissa Bonny and guitarist Noé Schüpbach were recruited to make his dream come to life...

The track Mechanicals has all the elements of a Progressive Metal band, with long solos and melodic guitar riffs acompanied by fast drumming. Melissa Bonny makes an excellent use of her vocal range, alternating between clean and melodic parts and agressive screams and growls... and of course, the lenght of the song. As so often happens with Progressive Metal, Mechanicals is a long track, almost 8 minutes long. 😁

I hope you have liked these 3 bands. 😁

If you want to join the challenge, visit the announcement post, here: Music A to Z Challenge #R and use the tag #a-zmusic.

See my previous entries here:

A) The Agonist & Arch Enemy / Atakama & Amely Sky [Metal]
B) Багира & Blind Ivy [Metal]
C) Conquer Divide & Cripper [Metal]
D) Dark Tranquility & Dead Sara [Metal / Rock]
E) Eths & Expellow [Metal]
F) Fine Fine Titans & Frantic Amber [Metal]
G) Green Jellÿ & GWAR [Comedy Rock / Comedy Metal]
H) Hiromi Uehara & Haggard [Jazz / Metal]
I) In Evil Hour & Infected Rain [Punk / Metal]
J) Jinjer & Joss Stone [Metal / Soul]
K) Koalas Desperados & Katzenjammer [Reggae / Hip-Hop / World Music / Folk Rock]
L) LaScala & Louna [Rock / Alternative Rock / Fusion]
M - Part 1) Mayra Andrade & Mariana Aydar [World Music / Popular Brazilian Music]
M - Part 2) Moonspell & Mortad [Metal]
N - Part 1) Nneka & Norah Jones [Reggae / Soul / R&B / Jazz]
N - Part 2) Nightwish & Nevermore [Metal]
O) Onuka & Otep [Electro-Folk / Metal]
P) Patricia Barber, Pink Freud & PJ Harvey [Jazz / Electro-Jazz / Rock]
Q) Queen Ifrica & Quique Neira [Reggae]

Rodrigo y Gabriela, Room Eleven & Rage of Light [Music A to Z Challenge #R]

1) Rodrigo y Gabriela

2) Room Eleven

3) Rage of Light