Tag Archives: alejandro tomás rodriguez

Engine Performing in Albuquerque, Going Quieto, and Releasing ‘Fuego’ (updated 6/4 with new video links)

Engine/Quieto: Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez, Pierre Lauth-Karson, and Robin Gentien. Photo by Davide Carson.

As Gil Scott Heron told us, the revolution will not be televised, but if the Franco-Argentinian trio Engine has its way, it will be danced. This coming Thursday, May 5, and Saturday, May 7, the trio—Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez (vocals, acoustic guitar), Robin Gentien (vocals, electric guitar, percussion), and Pierre Lauth-Karson (vocals, harmonica, keyboard, percussion)—will make their final U.S. performances at Fusion’s 708 performance space and Tumbleroot Brewery, respectively, before heading to Paris. There, they will kick off the summer season with a CD release concert for their forthcoming album, Fuego, which they will release under the band’s new name, Quieto.

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Coming Alive through Song: Aiming for Fulfillment

A singing encounter with theater group Casa Talcahuano, Buenos Aires. Photo by Martin Bertolami.

In the fall of 2018, Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez—actor, musician and member of the internationally recognized trio Engine, and currently a visiting professor at UNM—introduced a series of singing encounters called Coming Alive through Song, which he described this way in an invitation: “Coming Alive through Song is a cycle of singing sessions open to all. . . . In these encounters, we will dive into a fluid interaction of song, movement, and rhythms rooted in Afro–Latin American traditions, as well as spirituals and shouts from the Deep South of the United States. Part of the day will be dedicated to physical work: exercises of synchronization and reaction contained within a structure that unfolds through different rhythms and games.”

These encounters have continued, and with his return to Albuquerque for the spring semester, they are about to begin again. Rodriguez, who will colead the sessions with collaborator Lloyd Bricken, shared his thoughts about the nature of these encounters, their objective, and their provenance in an interview reproduced here in an edited version, along with a promotional video, details about the upcoming sessions, and a brief profile of Rodriguez’s professional background.

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Engine: Looking for the Light

Engine: Robin Gentien, Pierre Lauth-Karson, Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez. Photo by Trevor Meier.

Back in 2017, when the trio Engine was invited to perform at Tricklock Company’s 17th Annual Revolutions International Theatre Festival and at ¡Globalquerque!, likely no one suspected that it was the beginning of a love affair between the band and New Mexico. Two years later, however, thanks to the Theater Department at UNM and Neal Copperman at AMP Concerts, the Franco-Argentine trio—Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez (vocals, acoustic guitar), Robin Gentien (vocals, electric guitar, cascas), and Pierre Lauth-Karson (vocals, harmonica, shaker)—has established a North American home base in Albuquerque. Last spring, their Encuentros Íntimos (Intimate Encounters) concert series here quickly developed a devoted (and SRO) audience and produced a live recording, Encuentros Íntimos: Unplugged in Albuquerque, and the band also recorded a studio album, Si viene la muerte, before taking off on a four-month European tour. This week, the band—now a sextet for its New Mexico appearances, with the addition of Terry Bluhm (bass), Jefferson Voorhees (drums), and Caro Acuña (percussion)—is launching another set of Encuentros Íntimos. This year’s edition includes four appearances in Santa Fe and four in Albuquerque. Anyone interested in an ecstatic musical experience should mark their calendars accordingly.

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Engine’s ‘Encuentros Íntimos, Unplugged in Albuquerque’ Chronicles Ecstatic Evenings

Engine: Robin Gentien, Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez, Pierre Lauth-Karson

Last spring, in a back room of Albuquerque’s Dialogue Brewing on seven successive Wednesday evenings, the trio Engine—Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez (acoustic guitar, vocals), Robin Gentien (electric guitar, vocals, cascas), and Pierre Lauth-Karson (harmonica, vocals, shakers)—presented a series of seven Encuentros Íntimos, or Intimate Encounters (reviewed here). The first of these events, essentially house concerts, attracted an audience of about 15 people, but word got out, and the last six were standing room only. This new release, available here, captures the final performance with remarkable fidelity and offers a valuable facsimile of the experience shared. Continue reading →

Enginergy: The Trio Engine Channels a Magical Energy (Updated)

Engine: Robin Gentien, Pierre Lauth-Karson, Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez. Photo by Ian Rivera. Courtesy of Engine.

On Wednesday evenings through May 2, in a funky back room at Dialogue Brewery, with its rebar-protected windows and its mismatched collection of office chairs, stools, folding chairs, and legless sofa, a series of Encuentros Íntimos—Intimate Encounters—offers an exciting musical experience with the trio Engine. The group, comprising Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez (vocals, acoustic guitar) from Argentina, and Robin Gentien (vocals, electric guitar, percussion) and Pierre Lauth-Karson (vocals, harmonica, percussion) from France, plays an unclassifiable genre of music that includes original and ancient songs delivered with irresistible rhythms, theatrical savvy, and transformative intention.

Update: Given the enthusiastic reception they’ve had in Albuquerque, Engine has decided to record their new album here, and they’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the project. Please visit their Kickstarter page to learn more and to contribute. Continue reading →