In April of this year, an unimaginable dream became reality for fans of the
New Wave of Mexican rock of the ‘90s. After almost 16 years of separation,
the legendary band Caifanes reunited and played emotion-filled concerts for
tens of thousands of delirious devotees at the massive Vive Latino and
Coachella festivals in Mexico City and Los Angeles. Dizzy with ecstasy, the
fans turned the venues into a massive karaoke session, singing along with
their heroes, who recaptured the magic that defined their stunning success.
Between 1987 and 1995, Caifanes released four albums that changed the
course of Mexican rock history. “El Negro” (‘89), “El Diablito”(‘90), “El Silencio”
(‘92) and “El Nervio del Volcan” (‘94), Caifanes helped to musically liberate a
new generation. “There was an existential need for the creation of the
group,” said Hernández. “Up to then it was all blues and heavy metal. We
came to develop a new language to communicate our identity.”
Their first album, “El Negro” established Caifanes’s identity both musically
and conceptually. Songs like “Viento,” and “Mátenme Porque Me Muero,”
were atmospherically influenced by post-punk groups like the Cure, but the
lyrics spoke to a particular kind of Mexican spirituality. “La Negra
Tomasa,”broadened their appeal. “Perdí Mi Ojo de Venado” referred to an
amulet traditionally worn by Mexicans to ward off evil, and spoke to the new
slang and street codes engendered by a new generation.
As Caifanes reached new creative heights, the chaotic nature of touring and
recording began to tear the band apart. On August 18th, 1995 the band
played its last show “We no longer understood each other,” said Hernández.
In 2010 the unthinkable took place, Caifanes decided the time had come to
forgive and forget.
“It was as if we had been gone for 15 minutes, not 15 years,” said Hernández
of their rehearsals. “The magic was still there.” “Passion has memory”.
The concerts at Vive Latino and Coachella were clear evidence of a renewed
determination of these extremely gifted innovators of Mexico’s golden age
of rock, from the first chords of the anthemic dirge “Será Por Eso,” when
more than 70,000 people passionately joined Caifanes once more. Caifanes
had shown, once again that in Mexico, rockers are modern-day demi-gods,
and their shows are a 21st century version of a mysterious, ecstatic ritual. The
magic of Caifanes is back, coming soon to a town near you.
www.caifanes2011.com
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