The Recording Academy Texas Chapter, in partnership with the GRAMMY Foundation, hosted a GRAMMY SoundChecks event with Mexican rock phenomenon Jaguares in conjunction with their headlining concert at the first-ever South Padre International Music Festival, which featured more than 60 bands performing over a three-day period. For more than an hour vocalist and composer Saul Hernandez, guitarist Cesar "Vampiro" Lopez, and bassist Marco Renteria answered questions posed to them by a select group of Port Isabel High School students interested in careers in music.
The question-and-answer session was conducted in both English and Spanish. Jaguares shared their thoughts on their musical journey, which started in Mexico City more than 20 years ago. Their journey symbolizes an important period in Mexican rock history, which saw the emergence of a new generation of artists with defiant songs that created an identity apart from U.S. and European rock.
The energized students asked intelligent questions ranging from the technical ("What formal music education did you have?" and "What can I learn to become a better musician?") to the spiritual ("Where do you get your inspiration?" and "What keeps you going after so many years on the road?"). Others ranged from reminiscent ("What are your favorite memories as a performing artist?") to hopeful ("What do I tell my parents when they discourage my dream to be a musician?").
The band answered each question thoughtfully and their respect for the curiosity of these students belied their status as rock icons not only in Mexico, but throughout the United States, Central America, and South America as well as in the Middle East.