BUZZ BANDS

Winding road

to the Echo

What Rodrigo y Gabriela bring to the Echo tonight -- besides flamenco-flavored guitars picked with rock-star energy -- is a tale of perseverance that, when digested, adds cinematic flourish to their already colorful instrumental music.

Languishing in the heavy-metal scene of Mexico City in the late 1990s and earning extra money as buskers for tourists, the duo -- at the invitation of a friend -- packed their acoustic guitars and moved to Dublin, Ireland. But when they arrived, their friend wasn’t there. They took to playing in the streets again, eking out a living by the grace of the natives.

“We didn’t know anything about Dublin; the whole idea to go was an accident,” says Rodrigo, who was as downcast about the weather (dreary) as he was upbeat about the people (friendly). “It was amazing that so many Irish musicians invited us to support for them. When we left Mexico City, we thought it was the end of our career as a band. It was just the beginning.”

The duo’s flavorful playing won an audience as they gigged throughout Europe over the next five years and earned notice from fans such as songwriter Damien Rice. Two album releases presaged a U.S. deal with ATO -- and the recording of “Rodrigo y Gabriela” with producer John Leckie (Radiohead, the Stone Roses).

“It’s the kind of music that just happens when you are forced to survive in the real world,” Rodrigo says from New York as the duo kicks off its first visit to the U.S. “It never would have happened if we’d stayed in Mexico.”

La Rocca at home with muse

It’s a long way from Dublin, Ireland, to Los Angeles. But the guys in La Rocca think it was worth the trip.

“It’s been the best thing we could have done,” singer-guitarist Bjorn Baillie says. “There’s so many more places to play out here, within one city, let alone the rest of the country.”

The band just finished a couple of coast-to-coast tours and plays Hotel Cafe tonight to celebrate Tuesday’s release of “The Truth,” the quartet’s debut CD. It’s a remarkably accomplished album of radio-ready cuts that wouldn’t sound out of place sandwiched between the Killers and Oasis -- or U2 and a Springsteen anthem, for that matter.

“It was important that we make the record here as well,” said Baillie, whose brother Simon plays bass in the band, with Nick Haworth on keyboards and Alan Redmond on drums. “I mean, it’s not sunshiney and poppy in a California way, but ... we started living in a house again. That’s important because we then have instant access to each other, and I think that’s going to translate onto the stage. I think it did on this last tour.”

The band cut a video for the song “Sketches (20 Something Life)” during a quick break between tours. “Basically, we went into Venice and had a night out, doing what Irish boys do best, and filmed the entire thing,” Bjorn Baillie says. Appropriate milieu for a group named after its favorite watering hole.

Fast

forward

* Touts: The Little Ones kicked off their August residency at Spaceland in feel-good style Monday night, and a couple of fans up front were blowing soap bubbles. Festive? There was reason -- the L.A. quintet has signed record deals with Astralwerks in the U.S. and Heavenly in Britain and Europe, frontman Edward Reyes says. The band, which continues to record with David Newton (who produced its “Sing Song” EP), starts a tour with the French Kicks in mid-September.... Hello Stranger (formerly known as Vagenius) celebrates the release of its self-titled debut Saturday at Safari Sam’s.... Gary Jules is back with a heady new album and headlines the Troubadour on Sunday.... “Numbered Days,” the sophomore effort by the Meeting Places,

isn’t out until October, but the L.A. quartet plays tonight at the Silverlake Lounge. The album was produced by ex-Grandaddy guitarist Jim Fairchild.... And speaking of Grandaddy, ex-frontman Jason Lytle checks into the Hotel Cafe for shows Friday and Saturday.... And among myriad impressive out-of-towners with shows in the next week are: Seattle’s Harvey Danger plays Spaceland on Saturday; Illinois garage-rock kings the Living Blue preside Tuesday at the Silverlake Lounge; and San Diego’s Black Heart Procession plays the Knitting Factory on Tuesday.

-- Kevin Bronson and Frank Farrar

*

Recommended downloads

* Stream Rodrigo y Gabriela’s “Tamacun” at www.myspace.com/rodrigoygabriela

* Stream La Rocca’s “Sketches (20 Something Life)” at www.myspace.com/laroccamusic

* Stream Hello Stranger’s “Take It to the Maxx” at www.hellostranger.tv/songs.php