Tossing black lipstick and Robert Smith hairdos aside, the band morphed into Jaguares in 1994. The new incarnation sounded more like U2 than the Cure, and it maintained the beauty and diversity of sounds ranging from mariachi to Mexican boleros. The name Jaguares (pronounced ha-WAR-es) was chosen when Saúl Hernández, the band's shaman-like singer, dreamed of singing in the mouth of a jaguar -- a powerful image in Mexican culture.
Almost 10 years later, with appearances on Leno and Letterman and a co-headlining tour with Morrissey interspersed, the band is supporting its fourth studio release, El Primer Instinto, a collection of reworked and acoustic versions of familiar songs from both the Caifanes and Jaguares catalogues. Most recently, Jaguares sold out a show at Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, and, as at most of their gigs, their fans passionately sang along like they were mouthing the soundtrack of their lives.
