La Gusana Ciega

Emerging as a trio during the 1980s, the Mexican Latin outfit La Gusana Ciega formed around singer and guitarist Daniel Gutiérrez together with bassist Manuel Leyva. Their entry into Rockotitlán's Batalla de las Bandas ll, a prominent regional rock competition, opened doors to performances at intimate clubs throughout Mexico City. The group also contributed tracks to two compilations, placing "Risas de Colores" on Uga Buga and "Canción a Merlina" on Sin Alternativa. Intolerancia, an independent imprint, issued the debut album Merlina in 1996 under the guidance of producer Carlos Walraven. German Arroyo stepped in as drummer the next year, and once guitarist Jorge Vilches completed the lineup, the resulting quartet captured Super Bee before securing support slots for Oasis across Latin America. Relocating to New York in 1999, the band tracked Correspondencia Interna with producer Martin Bisi; Universal released the album that August. Extensive U.S. dates alongside Jaguares and Julieta Venegas followed in 2000, the same year a concert at Mexico City's Centro Universitario Cultural was documented and issued as the self-titled live set, accompanied by a clip for "Tornasol (Vuelves a Ser)." An English-language EP titled Edición Limitada arrived the following year, featuring the single "Sunday Fever" that appeared on the Latin American soundtrack for the hit comedy American Pie. Despite mounting success, the members disbanded in 2002 to pursue separate endeavors. They returned with a reunion tour in 2005, then issued both a greatest-hits package and the fresh studio album La Rueda del Diablo in 2006. Subsequent releases included the covers collection Jaibol in 2008, Conejo en el Sombrero in 2011, and Monarca in 2014, the last earning a nomination for Best Rock Album at the 2015 Latin Grammy Awards. An EP, Borregos en la Niebla I, surfaced in 2017.