Spare, stark, singular – guitars plucked and caressed, twanging and humming – Sonido Cósmico manifests its own enchanted reality. Sixth studio full-length by Hermanos Gutiérrez, June’s summer getaway seeks an exclusive destination: mysterious, dreamy, halcyon like the desert at night.
Estevan Gutiérrez and his younger brother Alejandro tap the timeless audio weave of sibling six-stringers: Kinks Dave & Ray Davies, Angus & Malcolm Young in AC/DC, Rick & Mark Del Castillo of their namesake Austin powerhouse. Dual guitars and lap steel, the Ecuadorian-Swiss duo – Zurich-based, with a footprint in their mother’s South America – pick and strum a minimalist Zen overseen by Black Keys impresario Dan Auerbach.
Austin Chronicle: Sonido Cósmico creates its own reality, its own space and time. What influenced it and y’all?
Hermanos Gutiérrez: Sonido Cósmico stands for our instrumental sound spirit, influenced by Latin music from the Sixties and Seventies, especially psychedelic cumbia from Peru.
AC: Hermanos Gutiérrez showcased at SXSW 2022. What were your impressions of the city?
HG: We really loved the energy of Austin! Such a cool city with cool people. Our good friend Adrian Quesada from Black Pumas lives there and has his studio there. There’s also amazing food in Austin!
AC: SXSW, ACL Fest – what best festivals have y’all encountered?
HG: The Newport [Folk] Festival in Rhode Island is an incredible festival simply because it’s not about the party. It’s about the music. An incredible experience for sure is also Coachella in the California desert. We played in a dark tent and felt like we were in a spaceship, so electrifying!
AC: The new album’s “It’s All in Your Mind” reminded me of Santo & Johnny. If you taught a guitar class, what string-benders would you begin with?
HG: First, I would probably make them watch one of Les Blank’s documentaries, such as The Blues According to Lightnin’ Hopkins” or Chulas Fronteras. These documentaries don’t just focus on single musicians and their special talent. It’s really about where these musicians come from and their culture. The importance of the communities of these musicians and their history had a huge impact on them as artists and on their way of expressing themselves through music.
AC: If you programmed a Latin music festival, who would you invite?
HG: Natalia Lafourcade, Rosalía, Adrian Quesada (Boleros), Ivan Cornejo, Carlos Santana, Oscar D’León.
Saturday 5 & 12, 5:20pm, T-Mobile Stage
This article appears in October 4 • 2024.
