On August 2nd, the Troubadour’s intimate space was filled with Stetson hats, button-down shirts printed with paisley, and tasteful tattoo sleeves with Modelos in hand. As we waited, the sounds of psychedelic and western music filled the room: “Jinetes En El Cielo” by Los Baby’s, “Chase The Devil” by Max Romeo & The Upsetters, “Cold Companion” by The Arcs. This carefully curated variety of instrumental and worldly tunes set the stage for the night’s main event: Hermanos Gutiérrez.
Hermanos Gutiérrez is comprised of Ecuadorian-Swiss brothers Alejandro Gutiérrez and Estevan Gutiérrez who grew up in Switzerland and paid frequent visits to family in Playas, Ecuador. Estevan, who is eight years older, learned classical guitar at age nine after inheriting his father’s classical guitar. Years later, younger brother Alejandro followed suit, learning guitar from Youtube tutorial videos. When the brothers’ lives finally overlapped again in Zürich, they began playing guitar together. Alejandro and Estevan’s intentions were to undergo sonic experiments and create musical connections, or as Alejandro stated during the concert, “we started off playing the guitar in our basement reconnecting as brothers,” but the alchemy created by their stylistic mastery was undeniable. Now, after completing a worldwide tour opening for Khruangbin, the brothers are on their first headlining tour throughout the western US. Alejandro plays electric guitar and lap steel guitar, while Estevan plays electric guitar and percussion; the absence of vocals adds to the hauntingly mysterious and western feel of their music. Their guitar lines shapeshift and blend together in an effortlessly satisfying way, yet also result in a sense of intrigue. Like a question lingering on the tip of your tongue, Hermanos Gutiérrez’s music is an unsolved riddle; it is enigmatic and leaves you wanting more.
Estevan and Alejandro nonchalantly walked onstage, sat down on two black chairs, and wordlessly began playing “Low Sun” from their new album Sonido Cósmico, which translates to “cosmic sound.” Hermanos’ sound feels connected to the cosmos; it is a multidimensional entity that carries an energy of psychedelia and encourages an exploration of the inner world. Before flowing into another one of their songs off “Sonido Cósmico,” Estevan said, “It is no secret we’re fans of the desert; the next song is meant to take you there.” Hermanos’ music is crafted as if they’re scoring a Western film that doesn’t exist- it is within each listener’s head. Whatever journey their music takes you on is fulfilled, abundant with notes of self discovery and mystery. During their show, I found myself traveling down these different landscapes, which evolved into journeys of the mind down beaten paths and winding roads. As I listened, I wondered what mindscapes everyone else went down while listening to Hermanos’ music. A past lover? A new adventure? A recurring dream? The land of the subconscious? Listening to Hermanos Gutiérrez’s music live felt like taking the potion that Alice ingests, enabling her to enter Wonderland.
The brothers then moved into “Until We Meet Again” off of Sonido Cósmico, which Estevan stated was inspired by Wim Wender’s 1984 Western film Paris, Texas. Other inspirations that the brothers have talked about are Ennio Morricone, an Italian composer who scored films such as “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” José Gonzáles, a Swedish indie folk singer-songwriter and guitarist, as well as latin rock records from the 60s and 70s. Both Estevan and Alejandro spoke in mesmerizingly soft tones, lending a further atmosphere of intimacy to the show. “It feels so right to be in Los Angeles and be so close to people… I feel so grateful to be here and to have a brother,” Alejandro said as they moved into “Tres Hermanos” from their 2022 album El Bueno y El Malo featuring Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. As the brothers closed out their set, Estevan said with a well of appreciation and a warm smile on his face, “you feel our music.” I left the show in a haze of my own thoughts, stepping back out into the warm summer night and allowing myself to feel the lingering effects of their music throughout my body.
