Jaguares

When Jaguares, one of the biggest rock bands in Latin America, adopted its jungle-predator moniker in 1995, after the lead-singer dreamed he was rocking out inside a jaguar's mouth, there was no way its members could have predicted they'd be playing inside a Kansas City stable ten years later. Alas, here they come to try their hand in the great wide open after conquering most of Latin America by combining socially conscious Spanish lyrics with a generic mishmash of early U2 and assorted hair-metal bands with just a touch of Latin influence. Jaguares gained a credible foothold on the West Coast in 2002 by touring California with none other than Morrissey -- opening for it. If that doesn't help convey the group's Latin Billboard success, then maybe the fact that it released an album of acoustic versions of its biggest hits in the same year is a telling sign. Regardless of the hype and the chart numbers, we're interested in seeing how Jaguares stacks up when the band plays Benjamin Ranch in support of its new album, Cronicas de un Laberinto.