Caifanes

Rock group Caifanes from Mexico are pioneers of the revival of Spanish-language rock (Rock en Español) in Mexico in the mid to late 1980s. Their musical approach clashed with the then dominating ballads and happy pop tunes that filled the radio and TV programs, in offering dark and moody lyrics.

Line-up

The first Caifanes lineup consisted of Saúl Hernández (vocals & guitar), Sabo Romo (bass guitar), Alfonso André (drums) and Diego Herrera (keyboards and saxophone). Late in 1989, a new member (who had previously played in a band with Hernández and André), Alejandro Marcovich (lead guitar), was recruited. A power struggle between Marcovich and Hernández later led to Caifanes' break up.

Other members (guest musicians): Jesús "Chucho" Merchán (bass), Federico Fong (bass), Jose Manuel Aguilera (guitar), Stuart Hamm (bass), Gustavo Cerati (guitar), Adrian Belew (guitar), Yann Zaragoza (keyboards) and Cecilia Toussaint (backing vocals), Leo (percussion).

History

Their first live show was April 11, 1987, in Rockotitlan, a famous rock venue in Mexico City. The expectation created by Mexico City's underground rock scene was so immense that the building was filled to capacity and people were left outside. Even though Caifanes was a new group with bass player and producer Sabo Romo and Diego Herrera on keyboards and sax. Saul, Alfonso, and Alejandro Marcovich had already played in a band, Las Insólitas Imágenes de Aurora (The Unusual Images of Aurora), that had a legion of fans.

Their first disc, the self-titled Caifanes (also known as Mátenme porque me muero, Volumen I, or the Black Disc) went on sale in August 1988 and the single "Mátenme porque me muero" ("Kill me because I'm dying") was their first hit, which was then followed by "Viento" and "La negra Tomasa" (the latter a cover of the cumbia written by the Cuban musician Guillermo Rodriguez Fiffe). The disc showed clear influences of the British band The Cure. Gustavo Cerati of Soda Stereo was an invited musician playing the guitar in "La Bestia humana". The CD itself was preceded by an EP made up of three songs. This was in order to see if the targeted audience would accept the group. The immediate sale of 300,000 copies prompted the making of the full disc.

Their second disc was titled Volumen II (Volume II, but it is much better known as El Diablito (The Little Devil)). This is due to the image of a devil, such as those found in the Mexican "Loteria" game that resembles bingo. In this disc we see the inclusion of Alejandro Marcovich to the group as the lead guitar. His presence results in a notorious change from the beginning and his style would be fundamental to what would be Caifane's trademark sound.

In Volumen II appears one of the most famous songs of the group, "La Célula que explota" (The Exploding Cell). This song is a hybrid of a rock ballad and a mariachi, and it points into the direction that Caifanes would take in terms of musical style – a mix of rock with elements of various forms that are found in the Mexican music scene.

In 1992, El Silencio (The Silence) was released. It was produced by Adrian Belew and includes many of Caifanes' biggest songs. "No dejes que..." ("Don't let"), "Miércoles de ceniza" (" Wednesday of ashes"), "Nubes" ("Clouds"), and "Nos vamos juntos" ("We Leave Together") are found here, among many others. At this time the group was already a hit in Mexico, Central America, parts of South America and also among the Latino community of the United States. In August of that year, they played in front of a sold-out crowd at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles and in 1993 they did the same in Mexico City's Palacio De Los Deportes, something that had never happened with a rock group. In that concert, Sabo Romo played his last show with the group. Diego Herrera would follow suit at the end of that tour.

At the end of the tour, Caifanes became a trio formed by Saul, Alfonso, and Alejandro. Federico Fong joined as a bass player and Yann Zaragoza played the keyboard. Together they made Caifanes' last disc, El nervio del volcán (The Volcano's Nerve). The singles to come out of this disc were "Afuera" ("Outside"), "Aquí no es así" ("Here It's Not Like That"), and "Ayer me dijo un ave" ("Yesterday A Bird Told Me)". At this point, their presence grew and the media followed the band very closely. They played an Unplugged show for MTV Latino (which was in fact not an acoustic concert). Their fame grows as they open for the Rolling Stones in Mexico City and participate in the WOMAD festival, organized by Peter Gabriel.

Caifanes ceased to be in 1995 due to Saúl Hernández and Alejandro Marcovich's creative and legal differences, most notably over the use of the name "Caifanes". Caifanes last played live in San Luis Potosi (a city of Mexico).

Style

In the beginning, it seemed that Caifanes was just a Spanish version of The Cure. This however would not turn out to be the style that they would follow. The inclusion of La Negra Tomasa in their self-titled album was unforeseen, as both Hernandez and Romo are both from a middle class background. After this first disc, Caifanes would not try to imitate another particular group's style, instead, it would incorporate elements of different music from Mexico's varied music scene onto their own songs.

In El Diablito, while most of the songs have a style that would be simply classified as rock, the lyrics themselves also change and start taking popular elements (such as the usage of the phrase De Noche Todos Los Gatos Son Pardos (At night, all the cats are dark,darkish) in the title of the song). In this disc we also see what would be the model for their songs in La Celula Que Explota (The Exploding Cell); poetic and demanding lyrics with music that runs in between rock and Mexican music. Alejandro Marcovich's presence in the group from this disc on becomes fundamental in the sound in such a way that for many fans, the difference between Caifanes and Jaguares is the style of the lead guitarist.

La Celula Que Explota, a mix of a rock ballad and a mariachi, is the first of many songs that would blur the line between rock and Mexican music. In El Silencio, the fusion would follow a rhythm that is followed by people in Mexico's poorer parts. Nubes (Clouds), Hasta Morir (Until Death), Para Que No Digas Que No Pienso En Ti (So That You Cant Say That I Don't Think About You). You also hear a bit of banda (Piedra- Stone), and even a version of Son Veracruzano in the song Mariquita, where the traditional Jaranas are mixed with Marcovich's guitar. And lastly, in El Nervio Del Volcan, you can hear the group experimenting with indigenous rhythms in Afuera, they include a touch of a bolero in Ayer Me Dijo Un Ave and they play La Llorona over the traditional vals that bears the same name.

Aftermath and legacy

In the late 90's Saúl Hernández came out with another group, Jaguares which is basically the evolution of Caifanes' musical style, showing what direction Caifanes would have taken without Alejandro Marcovich. The only "official" member is Saúl, (even though Alfonso André has been the only drummer in all of Jaguares' records and tours, he's been credited as guest musician), but most of the musicians,like Sabo Romo and Herrera, that recorded or toured with Caifanes, (with the exception of Marcovich) have participated in this project recording and touring, always being billed as "guest musicians".

Since then, Jaguares has consolidated into one of Spanish Rock's premier bands in both critical and commercial success.

Despite only four albums in eight years, Caifanes will be forever be associated with the revival of Rock en Español and its golden era (1984-1997).

Discography

1. Caifanes (1988), aka Matenme porque me muero, Volumen 1
2. El diablito (1990), aka Volumen 2
3. El silencio (1992)
4. El nervio del volcán (1994)
5. La Historia (1997), (greatest hits compilation)

See also

• Jaguares

External links

• Caifanes [Fan Site]
• Jaguares Official Web Site
• Caifanes and Jaguares Fan site
• Caifanes [Fan Site]
• Saul Hernandez (Lead Vocals/Guitarist of Caifanes and Jaguares)
• Club de aliados de tu reino