El Gran Silencio

Formed in the early 1990s by high school friends in Mexico, the Latin rock band El Gran Silencio originally performed under the name Zona de Silencio with Cano Hernández handling lead vocals. Their first recording was the demo El Calor del Fuego, which preceded the 1993 release Reino de las Sombras. Guitarist Tony Hernández came aboard that July, allowing the group to play its initial live show. Bassist Julian Villarreal joined the lineup in 1994. The following year the band earned top honors at Monterey’s Rock Contest for the song “Payasos.” Drummer Ezequiel Alvarado’s arrival led to the EP Dofos. In 1997 the group signed with EMI and relocated to New York that November to cut its first album. Produced by Andrés Levin, Libres y Locos appeared in July 1998, and Chuntaros Radio Poder surfaced three years afterward.