Mexico's rock band Jaguares joins Make Some Noise on the heels of their latest hit album Crónicas de un Laberinto (“Chronicles of a Labyrinth). After years of human rights campaigning with Amnesty International they now bring their full-bodied, signature sound to Lennon's "Gimme Some Truth". Veteran musician Adrian Belew, who has previously recorded with King Crimson, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Frank Zappa and Nine Inch Nails among others, played guitar and co-produced the track.
Jaguares / Caifanes have released 10 albums and collaborated and/ or toured with many artists, including Morrisey, Stuart Copeland, Adrian Belew, Don Was, The Rolling Stones, David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Mark Isham, Billy Preston, Flaco Jiménez, Tigres del Norte, Juan Gabriel, La Internacional Sonora Santanera, Peter Gabriel, Live, Estopa, Red Hot Chili Peppers and many others. In 1997, Hernández even teamed up with legendary Algerian rai singer Cheb Khaled to record the bilingual Spanish-Arabic duet "Ki Kounti."
As a songwriter, Hernández speaks across generations with songs that, whether they become radio hits or not, still take hold as part of the essential soundtracks to the lives of many, in Mexico and all over the world.
With each Jaguares album, Hernández puts political commentary and social consciousness at the forefront of the band's musical vision. "I used to play music in the streets," says Hernández "We grew up in social circumstances that taught us inequality in Mexico is very serious. I am not a politician and will never be one but I try to take advantage of the spaces I am given and speak with the people. You have to do something. If it's not in public, at least do it in your house, in your life. Change what you know isn't right, however you can."
According to Hernández, their new album’s title is an analogy for the present state of México, and on a larger scale, humanity. “In our country, we are kind of lost, whether it be economics, politics, or society. This idea of political change in México is not working well. We are in a labyrinth, walking on a road,” he says. “They are still killing the Indians here. The economic situation still primarily only benefits the wealthy. We are lost – that is the image is of a labyrinth.”
Jaguares have found poetry in darkness, strength in musical mystery, and modern innovation in Mexican tradition. The group can play for 120,000 fans in the Zócalo of Mexico City one week, and then light up 31,000 more people in the United States. Jaguares’ music when performed live is far more than a concert—it's a communal ritual between thousands of singing strangers.
For more info about Jaguares, please visit: www.jaguaresmx.com
