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Live Review: Twanguero

The Hotel Café  Hollywood, CA

Web: twanguero.com

Contact: [email protected]

Players: Diego Garcia, guitar, vocals; Brian Griffin, percussion; Mags Shuear, vocals, tambourine

Material: Diego Garcia is a Spanish guitar player whose songs and style are likened to Andres Segovia, John Williams, Julian Bream, Paco De Lucia and Vicente Amigo. Classical style tunes that push the barrier of pop music with likable themes and melodies that almost soothe the soul. All instrumental tunes carry the listener to far-off lands where inspiration is abundant and life stands still for hours at a time.

Musicianship: Garcia is quite a versatile guitar player and he’s not afraid to show it. His skills go way beyond the classical realm as he showed off blues and country riffs he has picked up on his worldly, globetrotting adventures. Confident in his abilities, this is a performer who addresses his audience with love and passion. It is the same love and passion he has for his music; as if to say, “You would have loved the places I’ve been.”

Performance: Garcia has extremely good stage presence and acknowledges the audience as if they were close friends. He seems genuine in his storytelling, as if he would truly have loved for you to have been to the places he’s been. He takes the time to tell you about his musical journey and the far-off lands that his music has taken him—and that, my friends, is worth gold. It doesn’t hurt to be backed by world-class musicians on percussion, either. Griffin and Shuear were so in tune with Garcia, you’d think they were touring buddies for years.

Summary: Diego Garcia has been around the world a few times and he will not hesitate to tell you about his experiences. An extremely gifted guitar player and very good songwriter, Garcia credits his success to the team surrounding him and the freedom they allot him—the freedom to play and create music as he knows how and to express himself through that music. Catch this Latin Grammy Award and Spanish Music Award winner at his next show, you won’t be disappointed. His brand-new solo CD, titled Backroads Vol. 2, recorded in the jungles of Costa Rica, is out now.

Photo by Pierce Brochetti