They popped out of the blue with a couple of interesting singles, which resonated with lots of people interested in new punk rock sounds. Their debut EP is an explosive mix of sounds and it’s an incredible collection of melodies and energy. They ended up in two official Spotify playlists… and they haven’t played their debut show yet! How did this happen? Who are they? Their name is supposed to be the name of a lucha libre champion (or something) but they are in fact a new band with members of other punk and indie projects from Italy such as Slander, La Fortuna, Regarde.
How would you describe Jaguero to someone who has no idea of what your band sounds like?
Jaguero merges different genres based on our main influences: early 2000s punk rock, with a texture of emo/grunge and entire sections with something closer to the new school hardcore. Some references could be something between Angel Dust, Drug Church and PUP!
What’s your songwriting process like? What’s the balance in the band when it comes to deciding what a song should sound like?
We act like a collective: each one shapes a new song with some details or ideas that can characterize the song in its fullness. Most of the time, one can write a verse or a chorus, and then in the rehearsal room we start to jam quite randomly, but after a few tries, we understand what is the direction the song is taking.
Is it possible for punk rock to sound “new” and “fresh” now that it’s been around for a few decades? Do you try to contribute to its evolution or you like to keep it in the lanes of what’s already been tested as effective?
Probably punk rock is one of the most colourful genres around, due to its infinite sub-genres and styles, and because of that it’s pretty easy to be associated with other pre-existing band. Nevertheless, our aim when writing songs is not to be a caricature of some redundant stereotypes; in this sense, we’re trying to take something new, but obviously, there are plenty of other incredible bands that are pure innovation in punk music.
What’s the Italian music scene like? Does it have an impact on you as a band, especially since you sing in English (and your other projects are also in English)?
Italy has a great community of underground bands from all possible genres: most probably one can find a kick-ass band for whatever genre you like. We live in one of the most “musically productive” regions, and usually people think about our region as a furnace of great bands. While we’re trying to be one main band of the Italian punk/emo scene, we’re also trying to point towards non-italian countries, mostly thanks to our past experiences outside the country. Being a part of this community implies sharing experiences, purposes, and so the scene is actually pushing you towards upper limits. There’s lot of bands that sing in English here (most of them because it sounds softer than italian) but many cool projects are in Italian: so, each band can decide which is the best fit for its music.
If you could leave on a World tour with a band, what band would it be? Why them?
Most probably Turnstile and/or Angel Dust: both of them are taking punk/hardcore music to an upper level, also reaching several people outside our scene.Also, our teenage-fanboy dream could also be on tour with giants of our genre, like Get Up Kids or Iron Chic. It’s still pretty difficult to decide on one of them!
You’re collaborating with Epidemic Records, an Italian label that works with acts from other Countries as well. Does music transcend borders, in your opinion? Do you think there’s a European underground scene or things are still divided among the many Countries in your continent, music-wise?
Music does transcend borders, but the environment in which a band moves its first step will define most of the path. Usually being in a huge city is better for the music instead of living in a small city because you have more possibilities in the huge one, obviously. Nevertheless, a large and worldwide scene is well connected and bound together, but sometimes could be difficult to reach proper channels to be a part of it. The European and American scenes are well connected also because of festivals such as The Fest or Outbreak Fest (or other amazing festivals in Europe), where people from one country take the opportunity to attend the festival and visit the other country. We’re all a big family, that’s the important thing!
What is the most important thing for an upcoming underground band?
The music you play is the most important thing, for sure: if you don’t believe in your music and you’re just pretending, it will be a disaster. Then, since we’re in 2022 and the music scene is evolving also following social media, a good press office is fundamental right now, maybe more than an actual label. One band should reach specific channels to expand its music to more people, and all streaming numbers (sometimes fakes) are pointless if there no real people following your project. Here’s, the press office role is fundamental to take you to the new possible audiences (but also to labels, websites, newspapers or magazines) without making up numbers, and that is why, in our opinion, the press-office role of Gab De La Vega, head of Epidemic Records, was fundamental in our first steps as a band.
What matters the most: the songwriting or the performance?
Extremely difficult question, but we go for performance. If you write something without thinking about live concerts, most probably it would have no passion in it. The main aim for Jaguero was the live concert, and so we wrote songs thinking about that even during the recording session. We did this because we love to perform live because that is the scene we were talking about before!
Are you making any plans to take your music outside of Italy?
We’re booking a few shows outside Italy for 2022, but as most nowadays bands, it’s challenging to book shows and make them happen to the current situation. Our aim is to reach America, United Kindom and whatever other country we can; so, if it will not happen in 2022, the next year we’ll probably reach our first objectives, hopefully!
Tell us three things nobody know about Jaguero!
That’s a tricky question, social networks are screwing up our privacy day after day, so everyone knew everything about anyone! Jokes apart, our singer/guitar player Andrea Cichellero is an astrophysicist, while our drummer Andrea Campesato Segnini (beside being a full time graphic designer) is a climber. No particular gossip about Guido (singer, bass guitar) and Matteo (singer, guitars), but they’re the “party” section of the band, so if you wanna have some after-show fun, you know who to find.
