Power of rock and roll drives Jaguares

Friday, October 11, 1996

CONCERT:

Rock group spreads social, political message through musicBy
Vanessa VanderZanden

Daily Bruin Contributor

The Smashing Pumpkins’ keyboardist dies of a heroin overdose at
the onset of a worldwide tour. Eddie Vedder blows off the
importance of a Grammy in his acceptance speech. In an era of
astounding apathy in the music world, one man still believes in the
power of rock and roll. That man is Saul Hernandez, lead singer of
the Mexican rock band Jaguares.

Hernandez challenges the sincerity of current American artists.
Their lack of emotional drive and tendency to go with what sells
best places them in a contemptible situation. Hernandez feels
Jaguares’ style goes beyond other bands’ superficial but highly
marketable sounds.

"When I see the new bands, I don’t believe them," he says. "They
are part of the system and they say they hate the system. We grew
up in circumstances where we had nothing. We started to play in the
street to escape the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s because they were
difficult."

In Latin America, rock and roll once was considered satanic. As
late as the ’80s, long hair for males was considered enough of a
problem to warrant jail time. Within this society, Hernandez became
part of an underground rock movement, of which he still speaks with
fiery zeal.

"We do this to express passion," Hernandez explains. "The
Mexican government doesn’t understand and castrates the evolution
of a generation, where a great percent of young people are in the
streets, living in poor neighborhoods, sometimes without water.
Rock and roll talks about some sense of suffering through
metaphor."

This tormented artist feels ready to draw Los Angeles crowds
into his world this Saturday night at the Greek Theater. Already
his band’s album "El Equilibrio De Los Jaguares" has gone double
gold in Mexico. Since then, Jaguares has played many a sold-out
show to intense fans, who sing along to every song in huge displays
of emotion.

"When you play, it always feels like the same crowd," says
Hernandez. "Maybe sometimes the concert isn’t too big, but the same
energy exists. It’s still like a monster of 50,000 heads in front
of you."

In any case, Jaguares’ music remains as bold and spiritual as
the performances the band gives. Soulful guitars wrap around
Hernandez’s breathy voice, which spouts poetic lyrics in his native
Spanish tongue. However, Hernandez feels his music transcends any
bounds created by the language barrier.

"For many years I didn’t know what Mick Jagger was saying," he
points out about his own cross-cultural music tastes. "You want to
be famous, you sing in English. But, there are other people writing
for different things."

For Hernandez, success isn’t as important as the opportunity for
sharing his views. He sees rock and roll as an arena for
broadcasting his beliefs and helping to mold attitudes in the
public at large. Mostly, though, music is Hernandez’s outlet for
personal expression.

The song "Huracan" expounds upon his theories and is what he
terms a "new psychedelic prayer" dealing with societal
problems.

"Each band tells a story," he maintains. "I always write about
my life. I can tell you that it’s honest. There’s a lot of pain
because it’s about your life and what you hate about the system.
Rock and roll offers freedom. This is the one chance we have.

"The history of music tries to protect the purest rhythm of
art," he insists. "Rock and roll is one of the most universal forms
of expression. Anyone can play. You don’t lose the purest part of
yourself to express."

Within his own music, Hernandez speaks out against drug use.
It’s a subject which touches him deeply, having had a problem in
the past. However, his current clean lifestyle allows him to view
the situation with a certain degree of objectivity.

"We have to search in ourselves to fight against drugs. Society
will let you die and say, ‘You’re a fucking junkie.’ But I’m dying
and you’re doing nothing."

Yet Hernandez points out, "The war is with ourselves. I have
problems. I fight against that. I’m not a victim. You have to be
very honest to talk about it."

This level of truth through music provides a mainstay for
Hernandez’s music. It keeps him from losing his head in massive,
sold out shows and allows him to center on the social consciousness
which helps to shape Jaguares’ sound. Yet he insists he would never
want to preach blindly at audiences.

"I don’t feel like a rock star," he says. "I feel more like a
real part of everything. We offer music about confrontation with
government. I’m nobody to tell people what they have to do. If they
agree with me, great. We can fight together."

As part of this ideal, Jaguares performed in Peter Gabriel’s
1994 WOMAD Festival. The event traveled world wide, showcasing
talents from Africa, Russia and the Netherlands, to name just a
few. The experience offered a great deal of insight to Hernandez
and his band.

"It’s interesting how different countries have different views,"
explains Hernandez. "People would go to this concert with an open
mind and not just expect Hollywood stuff like Lollapalooza. There’s
no stars. Even Peter Gabriel was on the road with us and shared a
dressing room."

Beyond the constant call of the road, Hernandez would seem to
take music any day over other all other occupations. Even if he had
to stay home, where he lives alone, he would probably not give up
the sounds of music which possess him. In his mind, it’s all about
diving into the jungle of the unconscious."

Concert: Jaguares play the Greek Theater at 7:30 pm on Saturday.
For tickets and more information, call Ticketmaster at (213) 480-
3232.

BMG

Mexican rock group Jaguares to appear at the Greek Theater.