The Panda

Mexican pop-punk outfit Panda came together in 1996 after friends Pepe (José Madero) and Rix (Ricardo Treviño) walked away from their prior grunge group to launch something closer to their tastes for Alkaline Trio and blink-182. With Pepe handling vocals and rhythm guitar while Rix anchored the low end, the pair recruited fellow Monterey, Nuevo León, locals guitarist Ongi (Jorge Garza) and drummer Chunky (David Castillo). Once a demo was laid down, Chunky departed and Kross (Jorge Vázquez) stepped in; soon afterward Panda, occasionally rendered as PXNDX, played the recordings for Movic Records and secured a deal almost immediately.

The debut full-length Arroz con Leche arrived in 2000 and featured updated takes on material the musicians had first sketched out as teenagers, after which the band embarked on a nationwide tour. Their second album, La Revancha del Principe Charro, followed the next year. In 2005 Mexico received Para Ti con Despecio, an effort that leaned further into the bright, power-chord punk sound that had already built their audience. Around the same period Ongi exited, prompting Kross’s longtime friend Arturo Arrendondo—who had previously filled in—to assume lead-guitar duties. Panda’s fourth studio release, Amantes Sunt Amentes, surfaced in 2006 and proved successful enough to earn the group three trophies at that year’s MTV Latin American Music Awards for Best Band, Best Alternative Artist, and Best Breakthrough Artist.