Hermanos Gutiérrez | Tiny Desk Concert - JME - The Jacksonville Music Experience

There is a slow burning intensity to everything Hermanos Gutiérrez does, including how the duo walked into our offices and saw the Tiny Desk for the first time. “Wow, there it is…” Estevan said quietly to his brother Alejandro.

Hermanos Gutiérrez’s origin story is as intricate as the guitar playing styles of its two members. The brothers have roots in both Switzerland and Ecuador, and the time spent in those two very distinct cultures and geographies gives their sound a tempered European coolness, coupled with a warm, playful energy. From the opening strains of “El Bueno Y El Malo” the brothers’ turn behind the Desk is the perfect introduction to their music if you don’t already know them — and a treat if you already do.

Photo: Bob Boilen/NPR

They weave intricate guitar lines over each other that intertwine to the point that if you close your eyes you can’t tell where one begins and the other ends. With a slight touch of a digital loop pedal, Estevan even sneaks in an entire percussion section on bongo and cowbell on “Tres Hermanos.” When my Alt.Latino co-host Anamaria Sayre and I interviewed them on the podcast last year, I notice that they converse very much like they play: their comments intertwine and layer upon each other’s in the same way they play in unison and against each other in songs like “Thunderbird” and “Pueblo Man.”

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