NASHVILLE, TN. (SONY BMG) - Mexican rock supergroup
Jaguares are launching an extensive 26 city U.S. tour in support of their first studio album in four years, 'Cronicas de un Laberinto' (Sony/BMG – May 31st).
Jaguares will continue visiting many new markets as they have on previous tours, including such unlikely destinations as Oklahoma City, Memphis, Kansas City, and Charlotte.
"Every concert is a great opportunity to show what the band is about. A show in a smaller city is as important as our bigger shows," says Hernandez. "We went to Raleigh, North Carolina and we found out there are a lot of Jaguares fans there – the people were so happy, and there was this incredible energy. If we have the opportunity to open new places to play, we will." For the first time, Jaguares have also selected a different location for its record release concert – instead of Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, the band has chosen to hold this special show on June 11th in Ciudad Juarez (on the U.S. border with El Paso).
The new disc was co-produced in Nashville by Jaguares friend and King Crimson member Adrian Belew, who has also worked with David Bowie and Frank Zappa. The follow-up to 2002's platinum-selling 'El Primer Instino' live acoustic album, 'Cronicas de un Laberinto' features the infectious first single "Hay Amores Que Matan" ('there are loves that kill'), an uptempo rocker backed with powerful horns. "I think that love created us, but it also can kill us," says vocalist Saúl Hernandez. "The song talks about the many loves – love of one's country, of one's family, of the person you're in a relationship with. But in the end, there is just one love that kills you – that is the love you don't have."
The lineup of Jaguares consists of Saúl Hernández (vocals/guitar), Alfonso André (drums), and César "Vampiro" López (guitar). Guest musicians on this album include Federico Fong (bass), Leo Muñoz (percussion) and Adrian Belew (guitar). Following the success of 'El Primer Instinto' and a 28 month non-stop tour which included two Revolucion Tours (in which they shared the stage with legendary British rocker Morrissey, Sonora Santanera, Julieta Venegas, Maldita Vecindad, and others), Jaguares are looking forward to extensively tour the U.S. again this summer.
According to Hernandez, the new album's title 'Cronicas de un Laberinto' ("chronicles of a labyrinth") is an analogy for the present state of Mexico, 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 Mexico 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. The first song on the album is about entering the labyrinth, while the end of the album is the hopeful exiting of the labyrinth – not depending on the government all the time, being responsible for ourselves, making a better country - be it Mexico, the United States, or any place."
The new album features 14 songs that place an increased emphasis on melody. "With our previous studio album, we worked on a harder, more vintage guitar sound," says Hernandez. "On this record, we were working on a different sonic idea – melodic guitar lines. There were three guitar players – Adrian Belew, Cesar "Vampiro" Lopez, and myself. We realized the best way to work together was to make an ensemble instead of emphasizing solos. When you hear it, you never know who is playing the guitar lines. It's one sound."
Over the past three years, Jaguares has appeared on 'Late Night With Conan O'Brien', 'Tonight Show w/Jay Leno' & 'FOX Good Day NY', received a Grammy nomination, and landed its previous album 'Cuando La Sangre Galopa' at No 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums & Heatseekers Sales Charts.
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. The candles are lit, the priests take the stage, and in the space of a single evening, the concert becomes a holy rock-and-roll ceremony.
JAGUARES U.S. TOUR DATES
May 8 Kansas City, MO Benjamin Ranch
June 23 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
June 24 Modesto, CA Palladium
June 25 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
June 26 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
June 28 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
June 30 Sacramento, CA Tropicana Club
July 2 San Diego, CA House of Blues (two shows)
July 7 Dallas, TX Far West
July 8 Houston, TX OK Corral
July 9 McAllen, TX Villareal
July 10 San Antonio, TX Planet Barrio
July 13 Austin, TX Stubb's
July 14 Oklahoma City, OK OK Corral
July 15 Laredo, TX Palacio
July 16 Tucson, AZ Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre
July 21 New York, NY BB King's
July 22 New York, NY BB King's
July 23 Falls Church, VA State Theatre
July 24 Philadelphia, PA House of Blues (Trocadero)
July 26 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall
July 27 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
July 29 Atlanta, GA Earthlink Live
July 30 Atlanta, GA Earthlink Live
Aug. 3 Denver, CO Gothic Theater
Aug. 4 Chicago, IL House of Blues
Aug. 5 Chicago, IL House of Blues
Aug. 6 Chicago, IL House of Blues
Sept. 15 Los Angeles, CA Pantages Theater
Sept. 30 Memphis, TN State Fair – Main Stage
