Ratones Paranoicos

Argentine Latin rock ensemble Ratones Paranoicos came together in 1984 under the primary sway of the Rolling Stones, a connection frontman Juan Sebastian Gutierrez (aka Juanse) has often described by noting that the Stones remain as essential to him as medicine. Their first album, Los Chicos Quieren Rock, appeared two years afterward, yet genuine breakthrough arrived with 1989’s Furtivos and its standout track “Rock del Gato,” one of the quartet’s most enduring compositions. That momentum prompted a contract with Sony Music and a collaboration with former Rolling Stones producer Andrew Oldham, resulting in the 1991 release Fieras Lunaticas and its hit single “Rock del Pedazo.”

In 1992 the group supported Keith Richards and Guns N’ Roses in Buenos Aires; three years later they again opened for the Rolling Stones across five shows at River Plate Stadium, the nation’s largest venue, drawing a combined crowd of 300,000. Ratones Paranoicos have also shared stages with fellow Argentine heavyweights Los Piojos and singer-songwriter Andrés Calamaro, joining the latter on the track “Para Siempre,” written as a tribute to soccer icon Diego Maradona. The band marked its twentieth anniversary in 2006 with a concert at All Boys Stadium in Buenos Aires.