The Mars Volta is an American
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...
band from
El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...
, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are
Omar Rodríguez-López
Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López (born September 1, 1975) is an American guitarist and songwriter. He has formed or played in several bands, including the Mars Volta, At the Drive-In, Antemasque, and Bosnian Rainbows. He was the bassist for the ...
(guitar, producer, direction) and
Cedric Bixler-Zavala
Cedric Bixler-Zavala (born November 4, 1974) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta and the only constant member of the post-hardcore group At the Drive-In, for whic ...
(vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms the core of the band. The band's current line-up also includes founding member
Eva Gardner
Eva Catherine Gardner (born February 17, 1979) is an American bassist from Los Angeles. A founding member of The Mars Volta, she has been a studio and touring musician in bands for Cher, Gwen Stefani, P!NK, Veruca Salt and Tegan and Sara.
E ...
(bass), Omar's brother
Marcel Rodríguez-López (keyboards, synths, percussion), Linda-Philomène Tsoungui (drums) and
Leo Genovese
Leo Genovese (born 1979) is an Argentine jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer. He has played with The Mars Volta.
Life and career
Genovese was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, in 1979. (keyboards, saxophone).
Known for their energetic live shows and
concept albums, The Mars Volta formed following the break-up of Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala's previous band,
At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (dru ...
. Seeking to experiment and expand their sound, Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala recruited Gardner,
Isaiah "Ikey" Owens
Randolph Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (December 1, 1974 – October 14, 2014) was an American keyboardist known for his work with The Mars Volta, Jack White and an array of bands from the Long Beach music scene.
Biography
He notably performed as a m ...
(keyboards),
Jon Theodore
Jon Philip Theodore (born December 30, 1973) is an American drummer. He is best known as a former member of the Mars Volta and as the current drummer for Queens of the Stone Age. After contributing to Bright Eyes' 2020 album, ''Down in the We ...
(drums) and
Jeremy Ward (sound manipulation) to form The Mars Volta. The band released their debut EP, ''
Tremulant
__NOTOC__
A tremulant (from Latin: ''tremulus'', "trembling"; french: tremblant, it, tremolo, es, temblor) is a device on a pipe organ which varies the wind supply to the pipes of one or more divisions (or, in some cases, the whole organ). Th ...
'', in 2002, with Gardner leaving the band prior to recording their debut album, ''
De-Loused in the Comatorium
''De-Loused in the Comatorium'' (commonly referred to as ''De-Loused'') is the debut studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on June 24, 2003, on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records. Based on a short st ...
''. She was replaced by
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...
bass guitarist
Flea
Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...
for the sessions. The
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records.
Rubin helped popula ...
-produced album received widespread critical acclaim upon its release in 2003.
The band's second studio album, ''
Frances the Mute
''Frances the Mute'' is the second studio album by American progressive rock band The Mars Volta released in February 2005 on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the album incorp ...
'' (2005), was self-produced by Rodríguez-López and was the first to feature longterm members
Juan Alderete
Juan Alderete de la Peña (born September 5, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the longtime bassist of Racer X, the Mars Volta and Marilyn Manson.
Biography
Alderete was born in Los Angeles, California the fourth of five children. ...
(bass) and Marcel Rodríguez-López. The album debuted at #4 on the
US ''Billboard'' 200 and became the band's biggest commercial success, selling over 500,000 copies in the US and achieving Gold certification from the
RIAA. The band's third studio album, ''
Amputechture
''Amputechture'' is the third studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on September 12, 2006, on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the album ...
'', was released in 2006 and was the last album to feature Theodore. In 2008, the band released ''
The Bedlam in Goliath
''The Bedlam in Goliath'' is the fourth studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on January 29, 2008, on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Motown Records. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodríguez-L ...
'', a concept album inspired by the band's turbulent experiences with a
ouija
The ouija ( , ), also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and grap ...
-type talking board. The album's first single, "
Wax Simulacra
"Wax Simulacra" is a single from the album '' The Bedlam in Goliath'' by The Mars Volta. The single debuted on November 18, 2007, on San Francisco's Live 105 FM. It was previously played live by the band under the name "Idle Tooth". The B-side "Pu ...
" was awarded a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
in 2009 for
Best Hard Rock Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards until 2011.
The academy recognized hard rock music artists for the first time at the 31st Grammy Awards (1989). The category was ori ...
. The band released its fifth album, ''
Octahedron
In geometry, an octahedron (plural: octahedra, octahedrons) is a polyhedron with eight faces. The term is most commonly used to refer to the regular octahedron, a Platonic solid composed of eight equilateral triangles, four of which meet at ea ...
'', in June 2009.
Following the release of their sixth album, ''
Noctourniquet
''Noctourniquet'' is the sixth studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on March 26, 2012 on Warner Bros. Records, Warner Bros. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, it is the band's only studio ...
'' (2012), and a run of reunion shows with At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta entered a hiatus in September 2012. Rodríguez-López subsequently formed a new project,
Bosnian Rainbows
Bosnian Rainbows was an American art rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2012. The band consists of former the Mars Volta members Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, backing vocals) and Deantoni Parks (drums, keyboards), alongside Le Butcherette ...
,
and the band formally broke up after disagreements between Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala. The duo repaired their friendship and reunited in 2014 for a new project,
Antemasque, and further At the Drive-In tours and recording sessions.
Reuniting in secret in 2019, Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala recorded a new studio album, ''
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership for ...
'', with Gardner, Marcel Rodríguez-López and drummer Willy Rodriguez Quiñones. The band announced their reunion – after ten years of public inactivity – with an art installation called L'ytome Hodorxí Telesterion, in June 2022. For the band's live return, jazz pianist Leo Genovese and drummer Linda-Philomène Tsoungui were added to the line-up.
Band name
Cedric Bixler-Zavala stated in an interview:
The Volta is taken from a Federico Fellini book about his films, what he characterizes as a changing of scene, or a turnaround; a new scene to him is called Volta. Y'know, changing of time and the changeover. And Mars, we're just fascinated by science fiction so and it's something that ultimately looked as in anything I write, its meaning is always up to the listener. As the way we write songs and words, if it looks great on paper then to us it's like painting, so if it looks good meaning the second then people usually have a better interpretation than we ever would.
History
Formation and beginning (2001–2002)
The roots of The Mars Volta are found in the band
At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (dru ...
.
ATDI imploded on the verge of a commercial breakthrough, partly due to boredom, partly to musical differences.
Members
Cedric Bixler-Zavala
Cedric Bixler-Zavala (born November 4, 1974) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta and the only constant member of the post-hardcore group At the Drive-In, for whic ...
and
Omar Rodríguez-López
Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López (born September 1, 1975) is an American guitarist and songwriter. He has formed or played in several bands, including the Mars Volta, At the Drive-In, Antemasque, and Bosnian Rainbows. He was the bassist for the ...
began to further explore their experimental,
dub-influenced
side project
In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style.
Usually these projects emphasize ...
called
De Facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
, which featured Bixler-Zavala on drums, Rodríguez-López on bass,
Isaiah "Ikey" Owens
Randolph Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (December 1, 1974 – October 14, 2014) was an American keyboardist known for his work with The Mars Volta, Jack White and an array of bands from the Long Beach music scene.
Biography
He notably performed as a m ...
on keyboards, and
Jeremy Ward on vocals, loops and sound effects.
During 2001
Eva Gardner
Eva Catherine Gardner (born February 17, 1979) is an American bassist from Los Angeles. A founding member of The Mars Volta, she has been a studio and touring musician in bands for Cher, Gwen Stefani, P!NK, Veruca Salt and Tegan and Sara.
E ...
joined the members of De Facto on bass, and they recorded two songs with drummer
Blake Fleming
Blake Fleming is an American drummer known for his involvement with several influential experimental bands.
Early life
Born in Alton, Illinois, in 1972, Fleming started drumming at age 8, spending several years in fife and drumming corps, ba ...
and producer Alex Newport, which became the first demo by The Mars Volta. The lineup for their first public show at Chain Reaction in
Anaheim, California was Rodríguez-López, Bixler-Zavala, Owens, Gardner, Ward, and drummer
Jon Theodore
Jon Philip Theodore (born December 30, 1973) is an American drummer. He is best known as a former member of the Mars Volta and as the current drummer for Queens of the Stone Age. After contributing to Bright Eyes' 2020 album, ''Down in the We ...
. This lineup recorded three more tracks with Alex Newport, which became the
EP ''
Tremulant
__NOTOC__
A tremulant (from Latin: ''tremulus'', "trembling"; french: tremblant, it, tremolo, es, temblor) is a device on a pipe organ which varies the wind supply to the pipes of one or more divisions (or, in some cases, the whole organ). Th ...
'', released in early 2002 by
Gold Standard Laboratories
Gold Standard Laboratories or GSL was an independent record label which was founded in 1993 in Boulder, Colorado by Sonny Kay. In 2000, it was relocated to San Diego, California, United States, and two years later, to Los Angeles. It was headqu ...
.
After the demise of At the Drive-In, Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala found themselves once again starting from the ground up, touring and performing in smaller venues. In their early years The Mars Volta were characterized by chaotic live shows and heavy drug use.
''De-Loused in the Comatorium'' (2003–2004)
Following ''
Tremulant
__NOTOC__
A tremulant (from Latin: ''tremulus'', "trembling"; french: tremblant, it, tremolo, es, temblor) is a device on a pipe organ which varies the wind supply to the pipes of one or more divisions (or, in some cases, the whole organ). Th ...
'', The Mars Volta continued touring with a fluid line-up while preparing to record their debut full-length album ''
De-Loused in the Comatorium
''De-Loused in the Comatorium'' (commonly referred to as ''De-Loused'') is the debut studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on June 24, 2003, on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records. Based on a short st ...
'', produced with
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records.
Rubin helped popula ...
and released on June 24, 2003. Whereas ''Tremulant'' had no general theme (except the prophetic mentioning) ''De-Loused'' was a unified work of
speculative fiction telling the first-person story of someone in a drug-induced coma, battling the evil side of his mind. Though lyrically obscure, The Mars Volta stated in interviews that the album's protagonist is based on their late friend Julio Venegas, or ''"Cerpin Taxt"'', an
El Paso
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...
poet and artist who went into a coma for several years after a deliberate drug overdose, recovered and later committed suicide.
He died jumping from the Mesa Street overpass onto Interstate-10 in El Paso during afternoon rush-hour traffic. (Venegas' death was also referenced in the At the Drive-In song "Embroglio" from their album ''
Acrobatic Tenement
''Acrobatic Tenement'' is the debut studio album by American post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, released on February 18, 1997, on Flipside (fanzine), Flipside. The album, along with ''In/Casino/Out'' and ''Relationship of Command'', was reissued ...
''.)
In an interview with ''
The Aquarian Weekly'' in 2008, Cedric Bixler-Zavala said about working with Rubin, "Rick really over-simplified some of the parts that we thought were unique, and just made them very digestible. He's got this thing about representing the common man's ears—I'd rather jab the common man's ears. If we don't, we'll never get to a place where future music exists."
[''The Happy Pastors''](_blank)
by Daniel Alleva
The Aquarian Weekly
January 30, 2008.
The Mars Volta had no official bassist during the recording session, but
Flea
Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...
(of the
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...
) played bass on nine of the album's ten songs, with
Justin Meldal-Johnsen
Justin Meldal-Johnsen (born March 26, 1970) is an American musician, record producer, songwriter and musical director. He is best known for his work with artists such as Beck, Paramore, Nine Inch Nails, M83, Air, and St. Vincent.
Meldal-Johns ...
playing
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...
on "
Televators". Flea's bandmate
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...
also contributed additional guitar, synthesizer and backing vocals to "Cicatriz ESP". After several temporary replacements, a permanent bassist for the band was found in
Juan Alderete
Juan Alderete de la Peña (born September 5, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the longtime bassist of Racer X, the Mars Volta and Marilyn Manson.
Biography
Alderete was born in Los Angeles, California the fourth of five children. ...
(formerly of
Racer X).
Despite limited promotion, ''De-Loused'' earned strong reviews, and appeared on several 'year-end best-of' lists. The album remains The Mars Volta's best-seller, with over 500,000 copies sold. Rolling Stone ranked a track from ''De-Loused'', "Drunkship of Lanterns", the 91st Best Guitar Song Ever. The band later released a limited-edition storybook version of the album, available by download from the Gold Standard Laboratories website. The book speaks of Cerpin Taxt (Julio Venegas) and his suicide.
While on tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in support of the album, founding member
Jeremy Ward died of a
heroin overdose
An opioid overdose is toxicity due to excessive consumption of opioids, such as morphine, codeine, heroin, fentanyl, tramadol, and methadone. This preventable pathology can be fatal if it leads to Hypoventilation, respiratory depression, a lethal ...
.
The band had canceled the tour's second leg, and the first single from ''De-Loused'' was later dedicated to Ward. It was this event which finally convinced band leaders Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala to purportedly quit using
opioids.
Bixler-Zavala recalled: "One day, we were all getting high, and Jeremy asked me if I could see he had worms in his head. I never touched the stuff again. His passing was the final nail in the coffin. We never went back."
''Frances the Mute'' (2005)
As the band resumed touring to support ''De-Loused'', they added Marcel Rodríguez-López (Omar's brother) on percussion. Work on their second album began in 2004. That year the band received the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Vanguard Award.
![The Mars Volta](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/The_Mars_Volta.jpg)
In 2005, the band released ''
Frances the Mute
''Frances the Mute'' is the second studio album by American progressive rock band The Mars Volta released in February 2005 on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the album incorp ...
''. The story given by the band on the album's concept concerns a diary that had been found in a repossessed car by late sound technician Jeremy Ward, while working as a repo-man. The author of the diary is unknown but appeared to be someone who was adopted and was searching for their birth parents, and who may have suffered from mental illness caused by the death of a loved one. The lyrics for each track on the album are loosely based on characters and life events described in this person's diary.
''Frances the Mute'' started as a bigger commercial hit than ''De-Loused'', moving 123,000 copies in its first week, and debuting at No. 4 on the
Billboard album charts
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the musi ...
. Reviews of ''Frances'' were generally positive (with a 75 on Metacritic) if somewhat polarized; ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' called it "a feverish and baroque search for self that conjures up the same majesty and gravity as
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
three decades before", and even the detractors of ''Frances the Mute'' generally praised the band's musical abilities.
"
L'Via L'Viaquez
''Frances the Mute'' is the second studio album by American progressive rock band The Mars Volta released in February 2005 on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the album incorpor ...
" was later released as the 12 minute B-side to "The Bible And The Breathalyzer" single, a song which did not appear on the album. ''
Frances the Mute
''Frances the Mute'' is the second studio album by American progressive rock band The Mars Volta released in February 2005 on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the album incorp ...
'' has sold nearly 465,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan ratings.
Rodríguez-López wrote all of the instrumental parts as well as arranging and producing the recording sessions himself. He used a method that
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...
used to evoke great performances from bandmates: refusing to let the other members hear each other's parts, or the context of their own part, thereby forcing them to play each part as if it were a self-sufficient song. In order to accomplish this, the musicians recorded to the pulse of a
metronome
A metronome, from ancient Greek μέτρον (''métron'', "measure") and νομός (nomós, "custom", "melody") is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a regular interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats pe ...
. While in the studio, Rodríguez-López recruited
Adrián Terrazas-González
Adrián Terrazas-González is a Mexican multi-instrumentalist who plays flute, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, and percussion. He was a member of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta from 2005 to 2008.
Discography As leader
*''Cu Taan'' ...
to play saxophone,
flute, and additional wind instruments for the album. Terrazas-González was added as a permanent member to The Mars Volta while touring in support of ''Frances the Mute''.
Several songs written during the original recording sessions for the album never made the final cut. Notably, the self-titled 14-minute epic "
Frances the Mute
''Frances the Mute'' is the second studio album by American progressive rock band The Mars Volta released in February 2005 on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the album incorp ...
", which was originally to open the album and was ultimately supposed to decode the album's concept, was not included due to time constraints. Instead the track was featured as a b-side to the single release for "
The Widow".
![The Mars Volta live 2005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/The_Mars_Volta_live_2005.jpg)
On May 21, 2005, instead of playing a traditional
set
Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics
*Set (mathematics), a collection of elements
*Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively
Electro ...
at
KROQ's Weenie Roast Festival, the band played a 50-minute improvisation jam that was jokingly named on-the-spot as "Abortion, The Other White Meat" by Rodríguez-López. In keeping with The Mars Volta's tradition of testing and developing new work live, parts of "Abortion" later appeared on "Population Council's Wet Dream" from Rodríguez-López's 2009 album ''
Old Money''.
Midway through their headlining U.S. tour, former
At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (dru ...
member
Paul Hinojos
Pablo J. Hinojos-Gonzalez (born July 17, 1975), also known as Paul Hinojos, is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist for At the Drive-In, and former touring member of The Mars Volta. He is also a former guitarist of Sparta.
Biogr ...
left the band
Sparta
Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...
to join The Mars Volta, claiming, "My time with Sparta has run its course, and simply wasn't fun anymore." Hinojos joined as rhythm guitarist and became the band's sound manipulator, the position previously held by the late Ward. Hinojos had previously toured with The Mars Volta in 2003 and 2004.
During mid-2005, the band toured in support of the album with
System of a Down
System of a Down (also known as SoaD or simply System) is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards); Daron Malakian (guitar, voc ...
and curated the
All Tomorrow's Parties
"All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''.
Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...
festival at
Camber Sands in England.
In addition, a full-length live album named ''
Scabdates
''Scabdates'' is the second official live recording from the band The Mars Volta. It was released on November 8, 2005 and features music recorded between May 2004 and May 2005 during the tours in support of ''De-Loused in the Comatorium'' and ''Fra ...
'' was released on November 8, 2005.
''Amputechture'' (2006–2007)
Upon finishing the majority of touring for ''Frances the Mute'' in fall 2005, Rodríguez-López traveled to
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
and wrote what became ''
Amputechture
''Amputechture'' is the third studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on September 12, 2006, on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the album ...
'', which was released on September 8, 2006, in Europe, on September 9, 2006, in
Australia and on September 12, 2006, in the U.S. Rodríguez-López spent much of his time in Amsterdam working on and performing various solo projects most notably under the name "
Omar Rodriguez Quintet". During this time Rodríguez-López also composed the score to the film ''
El Búfalo de la Noche'', which was written and directed by
Guillermo Arriaga
Guillermo Arriaga Jordán (; born 13 March 1958) is a Mexican author, screenwriter, director and producer. Self-defined as "a hunter who works as a writer," he is best known for his Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and BAFTA Award f ...
and Jorge Hernandez Aldana respectively. The Mars Volta as a whole performed the score.
''Amputechture'' was produced by Rodríguez-López and mixed by
Rich Costey
Rich may refer to:
Common uses
* Rich, an entity possessing wealth
* Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling
** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting
Places United States
* Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated comm ...
.
Jeff Jordan provided the artwork, making it their first album not to feature the
work
Work may refer to:
* Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community
** Manual labour, physical work done by humans
** House work, housework, or homemaking
** Working animal, an animal t ...
of
Storm Thorgerson
Storm Elvin Thorgerson (28 February 1944 – 18 April 2013) was an English graphic designer and music video director. He is best known for closely working with the group Pink Floyd through most of their career, and also created album or other ar ...
. It was once again a concept album, but rather than telling a story, the album was a series of vignettes, with each song telling a different story. It became the last album with drummer Jon Theodore, whom Rodríguez-López fired before touring in support of the album. Rodríguez-López said in an interview with an Italian fan site that Theodore was the only member in the band who was not happy playing live and brought down the moods of the rest.
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...
was featured on every track on ''Amputechture'', except for "Asilos Magdalena". Rodríguez-López contributed the solos and riffs where the guitar work needed to be doubled. Bixler-Zavala said in an interview, "...he taught Frusciante all the new songs and Frusciante tracked guitars for us so Omar could sit back and listen to the songs objectively. It's great that he wants to help us and do that."
On July 28, 2006, the drummer's spot was filled by
Blake Fleming
Blake Fleming is an American drummer known for his involvement with several influential experimental bands.
Early life
Born in Alton, Illinois, in 1972, Fleming started drumming at age 8, spending several years in fife and drumming corps, ba ...
, formerly of
Laddio Bolocko
Laddio Bolocko was a noise rock band from New York City, formed in 1996 by members of Panicsville and the Dazzling Killmen. Their sound has drawn comparisons to experimental rock groups such as This Heat and Can and free jazz musicians like Albe ...
,
Dazzling Killmen
Dazzling Killmen was an American math rock band from the St. Louis, Missouri area. Formed in 1990, the group issued four singles and two full-lengths before officially ending in 1995, with a majority of it released through the independent label ...
, and the very first Mars Volta demos. A new song titled "Rapid Fire Tollbooth" was debuted live on September 22, 2006, in Chicago, Illinois, as reported by fans and attendees of the show who had received set lists from the stage. The song originally appears on Rodríguez-López's solo album ''
Se Dice Bisonte, No Búfalo''. The song eventually evolved into the track "Goliath" from the band's fourth studio album.
On September 25, 2006, The Mars Volta played a unique set on the opening night of a double-header in Toronto, Ontario. Cedric Bixler-Zavala fell ill and could not perform, so The Mars Volta played with
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...
on third guitar. The set consisted of over 47 minutes of instrumental material, including a lengthy cover of the
Pink Floyd composition "
Interstellar Overdrive
"Interstellar Overdrive" is an instrumental composition written and performed by Pink Floyd. The song was written in 1966 and is on their 1967 debut album, '' The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'', clocking in at almost ten minutes in length.
The so ...
". On October 17, 2006, while opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the band played with drummer
Deantoni Parks
Deantoni Parks (born November 2, 1977) is an American new wave/avant-garde/experimental musician. He is the co-founder, co-producer and drummer of the New York band KUDU along with artist Sylvia Black, and one half of the writing duo We Are Dar ...
as Rodríguez-López had fired Fleming because of complications within the band. Parks remained with the band only until the conclusion of the Japanese tour because of his prior commitments with other bands. On October 31, 2006, in Cleveland, Ohio, as Parks could not perform, The Mars Volta played an approximately 40-minute improvisation set as a rehearsal for another drummer,
Thomas Pridgen
Thomas Armon Pridgen (born November 23, 1983) is an American drummer, best known for his role as the drummer of The Mars Volta from October 2006 until October 2009. He is touring with rapper Residente and is the drummer for hardcore punk band T ...
.
On a 2006 episode of
The Henry Rollins Show
''The Henry Rollins Show'' was a weekly talk show hosted by musician Henry Rollins on the Independent Film Channel (IFC). The show featured Rollins' monologues, interviews with celebrities and uncensored musical performances. The show was cancele ...
, The Mars Volta performed "Tetragrammaton" and "Day of the Baphomets" in a rare television performance. Afterwards, they did an interview with Rollins about the creation of ''Amputechture''.
''The Bedlam in Goliath'' (2008)
![Thomas Pridgen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Thomas_Pridgen.JPG)
In 2007, Thomas Pridgen became the new permanent drummer for the band. Pridgen's first full-time appearance was at the March 12 show in New Zealand, where the band debuted the song "Idle Tooth" which was later renamed "
Wax Simulacra
"Wax Simulacra" is a single from the album '' The Bedlam in Goliath'' by The Mars Volta. The single debuted on November 18, 2007, on San Francisco's Live 105 FM. It was previously played live by the band under the name "Idle Tooth". The B-side "Pu ...
" for the forthcoming album. After shows in New Zealand and Australia, The Mars Volta toured a few West Coast venues as the headliner, then entered the studio to record their fourth LP, ''
The Bedlam in Goliath
''The Bedlam in Goliath'' is the fourth studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on January 29, 2008, on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Motown Records. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodríguez-L ...
''. One of these performances was captured in a live concert DVD (which remains unreleased) shot by director Jorge Hernandez Aldana.
Despite finding a permanent drummer and getting the band back on track, the recording and production of the album was reportedly plagued by difficulties related to a bad experience with a
Ouija board
The ouija ( , ), also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and grap ...
purchased in a curio shop in Jerusalem. According to Rodríguez-López, their original engineer experienced a nervous breakdown, his studio flooded twice, and both he and mixer Rich Costey claimed that various tracks would disappear at random.
On November 5, 2007, The Mars Volta released a document by Jeremy Robert Johnson titled, "The Mars Volta's Descent into Bedlam: A Rhapsody in Three Parts". The document includes a history of the band and describes the obstacles and inspirations they encountered in the creation of ''The Bedlam in Goliath''. On November 20, 2007 "
Wax Simulacra
"Wax Simulacra" is a single from the album '' The Bedlam in Goliath'' by The Mars Volta. The single debuted on November 18, 2007, on San Francisco's Live 105 FM. It was previously played live by the band under the name "Idle Tooth". The B-side "Pu ...
", the first single from the forthcoming album, was released with a cover of "
Pulled to Bits" by
Siouxsie and the Banshees as the b-side.
The band kicked off their supporting tour with a December 29, 2007 "secret show" at the
Echoplex
The Echoplex is a tape delay effect, first made in 1959. Designed by Mike Battle, the Echoplex set a standard for the effect in the 1960s—it is still regarded as "the standard by which everything else is measured." It was used by some of the ...
in Los Angeles, California, followed by a special New Year's Eve performance at San Francisco's
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (formerly San Francisco Civic Auditorium) is a multi-purpose arena in San Francisco, California, named after promoter Bill Graham. The arena holds 8,500 people.
About the venue
The auditorium was designed by re ...
. That night they played their first ever acoustic set, which included six songs and a live performance of "Miranda, That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore". The band then departed on a club tour of the U.S. east coast throughout January, with an album release show at San Diego's
Soma
Soma may refer to:
Businesses and brands
* SOMA (architects), a New York–based firm of architects
* Soma (company), a company that designs eco-friendly water filtration systems
* SOMA Fabrications, a builder of bicycle frames and other bicycle ...
, followed by another month's worth of European dates from mid-February to mid-March.
On January 2, 2008, The Mars Volta released an
online game called "Goliath: The Soothsayer", based on a true story that inspired their forthcoming album ''The Bedlam In Goliath''. The album chronicles the band's purported experience with the "Soothsayer", a
Ouija board
The ouija ( , ), also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and grap ...
owned by vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and its transition from a source of fun on tour to a psycho-spiritual force that almost tore the band apart. The game was available for a limited time exclusively via
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...
.
On January 17, 2008, the band made their U.S. network television debut, performing "Wax Simulacra" on the
Late Show with David Letterman (Rodríguez-López, Bixler-Zavala and Hinojos had appeared on the show with
At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (dru ...
in 2000). On January 22, they made a surprise appearance at
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada's
MTV Live studios, where they performed "Wax Simulacra" and an extended version of "Goliath". In late January, the new album debuted at a career-best No. 3 on the
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...
.
![Omar Rodríguez-López](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Omar_Rodr%C3%ADguez-L%C3%B3pez.JPG)
The song "Wax Simulacra" won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. It was the band's first nomination and win. The band members thanked their families and Bixler urged people not to forget the memories of the recently departed
Lux Interior and
Ron Asheton
Ronald Franklin Asheton (July 17, 1948 – c. January 6, 2009) was an American musician , who was best known as the guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter for the rock band the Stooges. He formed the Stooges along with Iggy Pop and his brother, ...
.
''Octahedron'' (2009–2010)
Omar Rodríguez-López had discussed the band's next album as early as January 2008, the month that ''The Bedlam in Goliath'' was released,
claiming "I consider it to be our acoustic album." Cedric Bixler-Zavala had expressed an urge for the album to not be released on a major label. In February 2009, Rodríguez-López claimed "the next two Mars Volta records are already recorded and waiting for a release date."
On April 14, 2009, The Mars Volta announced their fifth studio album, entitled ''
Octahedron
In geometry, an octahedron (plural: octahedra, octahedrons) is a polyhedron with eight faces. The term is most commonly used to refer to the regular octahedron, a Platonic solid composed of eight equilateral triangles, four of which meet at ea ...
''. It was released June 23 in the United States and June 22 in the rest of the world. A vinyl version was released on July 21 in a limited edition of 500 LPs.
In the spirit of distillation of the band's sound, Rodríguez-López asked saxophonist Adrián Terrazas-González and guitarist/sound manipulator Paul Hinojos to leave. Regarding their departure, percussionist
Marcel Rodríguez-López noted that: "it's like we got a whole new band. It's two less members – we got to play differently."
The first single released in North America was "
Since We've Been Wrong". The first European single was "
Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi () is an active stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located in Latacunga city of Cotopaxi Province, about south of Quito, and northeast of the city of Latacunga, Ecuador. It is the second highest summit in Ecuador, reaching a h ...
".
An excerpt from The Mars Volta's performance at the All Tomorrow's Parties, UK 2005 A Nightmare Before Christmas festival was featured in the
All Tomorrow's Parties film, which was released in cinemas during October 2009.
During the Octahedron tour, the show on October 23 in
Raleigh, NC
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southea ...
was unexpectedly cancelled. It was supposed to be the final show of the North American leg of the tour, but was cancelled due to an argument between Bixler-Zavala and Thomas Pridgen, the drummer at the time, which ended with Pridgen abruptly leaving the venue. A month later, Pridgen confirmed his departure from The Mars Volta via Facebook stating he was "not in TMV anymore".
In a February 2011 interview, Pridgen said he left the group "because the singer had a jealous ego trip. There's nothing more to elaborate on"; however, Juan Alderete stated in 2013 that "Thomas got really drunk, did some bad things and did some real damage to the trust we all had with him." The band later completed the tour with drummer Dave Elitch.
They played throughout Europe and Australia until the end of January 2010.
In October 2010, The Mars Volta played two shows in Brazil and Chile. Long-time keyboardist, Ikey Owens, was absent during these dates due to touring commitments with his own project,
Free Moral Agents
Free Moral Agents were a collective of musicians brought together by Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (keyboardist from The Mars Volta) as a means to expand the sounds of what started as a solo recording project. In the spring of 2006 the band started playing ...
.
''Noctourniquet'' (2011–2012)
Shortly after ''Octahedrons release, Rodríguez-López claimed to have put the supposed follow-up "on hold" and was starting work on a completely new album. In an April 2010 interview with Rolling Stone, Rodríguez-López talked about trying to loosen his grip in the studio. He claimed to have finished writing the album, and was awaiting lyrics and vocals from Bixler-Zavala. Rodríguez-López spent most of 2010 focusing on his solo career, and little information regarding the sixth Mars Volta album was released. During this year drummer
Deantoni Parks
Deantoni Parks (born November 2, 1977) is an American new wave/avant-garde/experimental musician. He is the co-founder, co-producer and drummer of the New York band KUDU along with artist Sylvia Black, and one half of the writing duo We Are Dar ...
began touring with Rodríguez-López as well as appearing on several solo records, and Cathy Pellow of
Sargent House Records confirmed that Parks was in talks to become the next drummer for The Mars Volta.
In 2011 Rodríguez-López spoke about the band's new album in several interviews, saying that it would feature thirteen songs which, "
rea simplified version of what we've done before", and would be released "Whenever the record label decides to put it out". Bixler-Zavala took the opportunity to make a few remarks on the sound of the album, indicating a drastic change in sound for the band, referring to the new sound as "future punk".
On March 19, 2011, the
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group
The Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group (often referred to by its acronym ORLG) is an American experimental rock band, and the main side project of Omar Rodríguez-López. Featuring an ever-changing lineup of musicians alongside Rodriguez-Lopez, the gro ...
performed at
SXSW. Bixler-Zavala joined the group as a vocalist, performing entirely new material with the band, which led to speculations of the show being a secret Mars Volta show under the Omar Rodríguez-López Group moniker. The Group continued to tour throughout April with the same lineup of Bixler-Zavala, Omar and Marcel Rodríguez-López, Juan Alderete, Deantoni Parks and (previously offstage) keyboardist/sound manipulator
Lars Stalfors
Lars Stalfors is an American record producer, writer and mixer based in Los Angeles. His most recent credits include Cold War Kids albums ''L.A. Divine'' (2017) and ''Hold My Home'' (2014) including the #1 alternative song "First". He has also w ...
.
An official Mars Volta tour began in summer of 2011, consisting of them opening for
Soundgarden
Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yama ...
on select dates. This was in addition to their opening slot for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in their one-off gig in Hong Kong on August 9, 2011.
During these shows the band (featuring the same six members) continued to play the new material premiered during the Omar Rodríguez-López Group tour earlier in the year, with Bixler-Zavala telling the crowd at one show that he was "inviting them to a private rehearsal for their new album," confirming the material was off the band's upcoming album.
Keyboardist Ikey Owens, who had played with the band since its inception, was noticeably absent from all 2011 dates. When asked in an interview, Owens stated that he knew "Absolutely nothing
f the upcoming album I haven't heard one note of it; I haven't played on it. I don't know if I am going to play on it; I have no idea".
Bassist Juan Alderete later revealed via his Twitter page that Owens was no longer playing with The Mars Volta as he was busy "producing bands". Marcel Rodríguez-López and Lars Stalfors took over keyboard and synth duties with the band in lieu of Owens.
On January 5, 2012, a new song titled "Zed and Two Naughts", a song revealed to be from the band's upcoming album, was confirmed to be included on the
MLB 12: The Show Soundtrack.
On January 12, it was revealed that the upcoming album would be called ''
Noctourniquet
''Noctourniquet'' is the sixth studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on March 26, 2012 on Warner Bros. Records, Warner Bros. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, it is the band's only studio ...
''. Later that week, an official page went up confirming ''Noctourniquet'' as the album title along with unveiling the album art and a full track listing and announcing March 27, 2012 as the release date. The album's first single, "The Malkin Jewel," was first broadcast on February 13 and subsequently released on February 14.
Hiatus, breakup, and reunion rumors (2013–2021)
After the conclusion of the ''Noctourniquet'' tour, Omar Rodríguez-López decided to put The Mars Volta on hold to fully concentrate on his new project,
Bosnian Rainbows
Bosnian Rainbows was an American art rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2012. The band consists of former the Mars Volta members Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, backing vocals) and Deantoni Parks (drums, keyboards), alongside Le Butcherette ...
, which also features Deantoni Parks. When asked in an interview if the band will reunite, he stated:
I don't know, and I'm not insecure enough to have to ask myself that. It's like, we've done that for ten years, eleven years. Now we're all doing different things, and everything that we're doing informs how we express ourselves, and so if that happens then it happens and if it doesn't it doesn't. It's not something to be worried about. It shouldn't occupy a space in the mind. There's way too many things that are much too important to occupy space in the mind.
On January 23, 2013, Cedric Bixler-Zavala revealed that he was no longer a part of The Mars Volta on Twitter and that the band had broken up.
Bixler-Zavala subsequently focused on his solo music and eventually formed a new band,
Zavalaz, which also includes Juan Alderete. He stated shortly after that he was "currently not on speaking terms" with Rodríguez-López and that "the falling out had been four years in the making, so the final announcement on my part was really just to let the children know that Mom and Dad were splitting up".
Rodríguez-López, meanwhile, did not rule out the possibility of The Mars Volta reuniting in the future: "Because of all my anger and how I dealt with people, I spent so much of my life just closing doors left and right. At this point, I refuse to close any, only to open new ones. Whatever comes my way - as long as it's filled with joy and positivity - I want to give my talents to it.
..I'm not interested in throwing tantrums any more." He elaborated further on an article with Billboard, acknowledging Bixler-Zavala's decision to depart TMV, effectively ending the over 20 year musical partnership between Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala for the foreseeable future. Rodríguez-López stated, "I was making a film and heard about it hours later; people were like, 'Are you OK?' I understand where he's coming from; I've known the guy for 22 years. I'll always respect and support any decision he makes. If that's how he wants it, I totally get it and I support it."
In August 2013, a collection of unreleased songs, demos, alternate versions, and in-studio jams roughly spanning from 2005 until the ''Noctourniquet'' sessions was leaked online. The source of these recordings still remains unknown.
In February 2014, several posts on the Comatorium message board by sources close to the band revealed that Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López have been meeting and speaking again, hinting at a possible Mars Volta reunion. The rumors were further fueled when Bixler-Zavala's wife Chrissie posted a picture on
Instagram of her husband and Rodríguez-López holding Bixler's twin boys at a California beach. On April 9, a new project featuring Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala,
Antemasque was announced; Antemasque also featured Flea on bass and Dave Elitch on drums.
On October 14, 2014, founding member
Isaiah "Ikey" Owens
Randolph Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (December 1, 1974 – October 14, 2014) was an American keyboardist known for his work with The Mars Volta, Jack White and an array of bands from the Long Beach music scene.
Biography
He notably performed as a m ...
was found dead in his hotel room while on tour in Mexico with
Jack White
John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...
. According to a representative, Owens died of a heart attack.
In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' on July 11, 2016, when asked about a potential return of The Mars Volta, Rodriguez-Lopez stated, "At some point, we’d love to do
ars Voltaagain too, you know what I mean? There’s so much to do there as well." In February 2018, Bixler-Zavala confirmed on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that The Mars Volta will "be back soon", but later clarified that
At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (dru ...
activity will take precedence for the immediate future. In May 2019, further tweeting from Bixler-Zavala suggested he and Rodríguez-López had been experimenting with new material.
On February 23, 2021, Hamburg based label Clouds Hill Group announced they had acquired rights to handle the band's discography, as well as Omar Rodriguez-Lopez' entire back catalogue, with official reissues of both discographies expected.
On March 4, 2021, Clouds Hill posted a video on Twitter titled 'COMING SOON', featuring audio from ''De-Loused in the Comatorium'', as well as alternate artwork of the album cover. This was later confirmed as the 18-LP box set of the band's entire discography titled ''La Realidad de Los Sueños'' (''The Reality of Dreams''), including unreleased material from the ''De-Loused in the Comatorium'' sessions titled ''Landscape Tantrums''. The set was released on April 23, 2021.
Reunion and ''The Mars Volta'' (2022–present)
On June 18, 2022, the band revealed the coordinates to a location in Los Angeles, California, where fans were allowed to preview new music from the band via an art installation called "L'ytome Hodorxí Telesterion". This was followed up by the release of the single "Blacklight Shine" and a tour announcement, marking both their first new music and first live shows in ten years. The band released a follow-up single "Graveyard Love" on July 8. The band subsequently announced their first album in 10 years, ''
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership for ...
'', which was released on September 16.
Musical style and influences
The band's music has been described as
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...
,
experimental rock
Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...
and
progressive metal
Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...
.
The band's music includes elements from a wide variety of genres, including
hardcore
Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to:
Arts and media Film
* ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film
* ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott
* ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
,
psychedelic rock, and
free jazz
Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...
.
Omar Rodríguez-López commented, "Progressive is not a dirty word for people to use about us. If you're not moving forward, you're stagnant. And that's no way to live." Almost the entire band's output was composed solely by Rodríguez-López, with lyrics and vocal melodies written by Cedric Bixler-Zavala. They cited artists/bands such as
King Crimson
King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
,
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
,
Pink Floyd,
Can,
Captain Beefheart,
Frank Zappa,
Larry Harlow,
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...
,
Fela Kuti,
Ennio Morricone,
Throbbing Gristle,
Talk Talk
Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). The group achieved early chart success with the synth-pop singles " Talk Talk" (1982), " It's My Life", and " ...
,
Black Flag,
Brainiac
Brainiac is a colloquial adjective used to describe exceptionally intelligent people. It may also refer to:
Culture Fictional entities
* Brainiac (character), a fictional supervillain in DC Comics, and an enemy of Superman
* Brainiac (story arc), ...
,
Björk,
Roni Size
Ryan Owen Granville Williams (born 29 October 1969), better known by his stage name Roni Size, is an English DJ and record producer. He came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and frontman of Roni Size & Reprazent, a drum and bass collective. ...
,
Jaga Jazzist and
Aphex Twin as their influences. According to Rodríguez-López, cinema also largely influences his songwriting: "Creating tension, creating flow, creating scenes, creating fast-paced scenes, creating minimal dialogue – it's one of our biggest influences".
Legacy
Many artists and bands have cited The Mars Volta as an influence, including
Mastodon
A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of th ...
,
Lizzo
Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American singer, rapper, and flutist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas with her family when she was 10 years old. After college she ...
,
Protest the Hero,
Nick Hipa
Samuel Nicholas Hipa (born November 30, 1982) is an American heavy metal guitarist. He has performed with several notable acts. He is the current lead guitarist of Mire, and was the longtime former lead guitarist of As I Lay Dying.
Backgroun ...
of
As I Lay Dying
''As I Lay Dying'' is a 1930 Southern Gothic novel by American author William Faulkner. Faulkner's fifth novel, it is consistently ranked among the best novels of 20th-century literature.The New Lifetime Reading Plan: The Classical Guide to Wor ...
,
The Fall of Troy
The Fall of Troy is an American rock band from Mukilteo, Washington. The band is a trio consisting of Thomas Erak (guitars, vocals, keyboards), Andrew Forsman (drums, percussion) and Tim Ward (bass, screamed vocals) who was later replaced by Fr ...
, Danny Marino of
The Agonist
The Agonist is a Canadian melodic death metal band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2004. The current line up consists of lead guitarist Danny Marino, bassist Chris Kells, drummer Simon Mckay, rhythm guitarist Pascal "Paco" Jobin and lead voca ...
, Tor Oddmund Suhrke of
Leprous
Leprous is a Norwegian rock band from Notodden, formed in 2001. The group was founded by singer and keyboardist Einar Solberg and guitarist Tor Oddmund Suhrke.
After releasing several demos with relatively unstable lineups, the band released th ...
, Jonathan Nido of
The Ocean,
Mutiny on the Bounty
The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set h ...
,
The Old Dead Tree
The Old Dead Tree was a progressive death metal band from the city of Paris, France active between 1997 and 2019.
Musical style
Their musical style is a mixture of death metal elements, such as double bass drumming and heavy guitar riffing, and ...
,
Canvas Solaris
Canvas Solaris are an American progressive metal band from Statesboro, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, formed in 1999, and disbanded in 2011. Though they first played with vocals, they moved on to instrumental, drawing influence from bands as dive ...
and Syriak of
Unexpect
Unexpect (often stylized as uneXpect, or unexpecT, and UnexpecT) was a Canadian avant-garde extreme metal band from Montréal, featuring a unique amalgamation of different metal subgenres like progressive metal, death metal, black metal and mel ...
.
A number of other artists have been quoted expressing admiration for their work such as
Neil Peart
Neil Ellwood Peart OC (; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an ...
of
Rush,
Tool
A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...
,
Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English musician. He is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield, Storm Corrosi ...
of
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned critical acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, developed a cult following, and became ...
,
James Hetfield of
Metallica,
Holger Czukay of
Can Mike Portnoy
Michael Stephen Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American musician who is primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. In September 2010, Portnoy announced his departure ...
of
Dream Theater, and
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
.
In 2008, they were named Best Prog-Rock Band by ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine.
Band members
According to the liner notes for ''Amputechture'', ''The Bedlam in Goliath'', ''Octahedron'' and ''Noctourniquet'': "The partnership between Omar Rodríguez-López & Cedric Bixler-Zavala is The Mars Volta. These compositions are then performed by The Mars Volta Group."
Current line-up
*
Omar Rodríguez-López
Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López (born September 1, 1975) is an American guitarist and songwriter. He has formed or played in several bands, including the Mars Volta, At the Drive-In, Antemasque, and Bosnian Rainbows. He was the bassist for the ...
– guitar, direction, backing vocals
(2001–2012, 2019–present)
*
Cedric Bixler-Zavala
Cedric Bixler-Zavala (born November 4, 1974) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta and the only constant member of the post-hardcore group At the Drive-In, for whic ...
– lead vocals
(2001–2012, 2019–present)
*
Eva Gardner
Eva Catherine Gardner (born February 17, 1979) is an American bassist from Los Angeles. A founding member of The Mars Volta, she has been a studio and touring musician in bands for Cher, Gwen Stefani, P!NK, Veruca Salt and Tegan and Sara.
E ...
– bass guitar
(2001–2002, 2019–present)
*
Marcel Rodríguez-López –
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
(October 2003–2010, 2019–present),
synthesizers, keyboards
(2005–2012, 2019–present)
* Linda-Philomène Tsoungui – drums
(2022–present)
*
Leo Genovese
Leo Genovese (born 1979) is an Argentine jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer. He has played with The Mars Volta.
Life and career
Genovese was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, in 1979. – keyboards, synthesizers, saxophone
(2022–present)
Touring members
*
Josh Moreau - bass guitar
(September–October 2022; filling in for Eva Gardner)
Former contributors
*
Isaiah "Ikey" Owens
Randolph Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (December 1, 1974 – October 14, 2014) was an American keyboardist known for his work with The Mars Volta, Jack White and an array of bands from the Long Beach music scene.
Biography
He notably performed as a m ...
– keyboards
(2001–2010; died 2014)
*
Jeremy Ward – sound manipulation
(2001–2003; died 2003)
*
Blake Fleming
Blake Fleming is an American drummer known for his involvement with several influential experimental bands.
Early life
Born in Alton, Illinois, in 1972, Fleming started drumming at age 8, spending several years in fife and drumming corps, ba ...
– drums
(March–August 2001, July–October 2006)
*
Jon Theodore
Jon Philip Theodore (born December 30, 1973) is an American drummer. He is best known as a former member of the Mars Volta and as the current drummer for Queens of the Stone Age. After contributing to Bright Eyes' 2020 album, ''Down in the We ...
– drums
(August 2001 – July 2006)
* Ralph Jasso – bass
(2002)
*
Linda Good
Linda Good is an American musician, composer, writer, songwriter and producer. She is co-founder, with her twin sister Laura, of the alternative pop band The Twigs. Good has also toured as a keyboardist with Jane's Addiction (2001),The Mars Volt ...
– keyboards
(2002)
*
Flea
Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...
– bass
(2002 in studio for ''De-Loused in the Comatorium'' sessions, also recorded trumpet in 2004 for ''Frances the Mute'')
*
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...
– guitars
(2002–2009 in studio, 2003–2006 occasional live performances)
*
Jason Lader
Jason Lader is an American record producer, audio engineer, and mixer from New York. He is also known for playing bass guitar, keyboards, piano, guitar, and as a programmer. He was a member of the band Furslide, and has since worked with Howard ...
– bass
(January–April 2003)
*
Juan Alderete
Juan Alderete de la Peña (born September 5, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the longtime bassist of Racer X, the Mars Volta and Marilyn Manson.
Biography
Alderete was born in Los Angeles, California the fourth of five children. ...
–
bass (April 2003 – 2012)
*
Paul Hinojos
Pablo J. Hinojos-Gonzalez (born July 17, 1975), also known as Paul Hinojos, is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist for At the Drive-In, and former touring member of The Mars Volta. He is also a former guitarist of Sparta.
Biogr ...
–
sound manipulation (2003 live offstage, 2005–2008 joined officially in recording and onstage), live guitar
(2006–2008)
*
Adrián Terrazas-González
Adrián Terrazas-González is a Mexican multi-instrumentalist who plays flute, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, and percussion. He was a member of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta from 2005 to 2008.
Discography As leader
*''Cu Taan'' ...
– woodwind, percussion
(2004 in studio for ''Frances the Mute'' sessions, 2005–2008 joined officially in recording and onstage)
*
Deantoni Parks
Deantoni Parks (born November 2, 1977) is an American new wave/avant-garde/experimental musician. He is the co-founder, co-producer and drummer of the New York band KUDU along with artist Sylvia Black, and one half of the writing duo We Are Dar ...
–
drums (September–November 2006, 2010–2012)
*
Thomas Pridgen
Thomas Armon Pridgen (born November 23, 1983) is an American drummer, best known for his role as the drummer of The Mars Volta from October 2006 until October 2009. He is touring with rapper Residente and is the drummer for hardcore punk band T ...
– drums
(October 2006, December 2006 – October 2009)
* Dave Elitch – drums
(November 2009 – October 2010)
*
Lars Stalfors
Lars Stalfors is an American record producer, writer and mixer based in Los Angeles. His most recent credits include Cold War Kids albums ''L.A. Divine'' (2017) and ''Hold My Home'' (2014) including the #1 alternative song "First". He has also w ...
–
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
, sound manipulation
(2011)
* Willy Rodriguez Quiñones – drums
(2021 in studio for ''The Mars Volta'' sessions)
Timeline
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id:wind value:gray(0.5) legend:Woodwinds
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id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:percussion value:claret legend:Percussion
id:soundm. value:lavender legend:Sound manipulation
id:lguitar value:yellow legend:Live_guitar
id:stumem value:skyblue legend:Studio_member
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at:06/24/2003
at:03/01/2005
at:07/12/2006
at:01/29/2008
at:06/23/2009
at:03/26/2012
at:09/16/2022
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bar:Ralph text:"Ralph Jasso"
bar:Flea text:"Flea"
bar:Jason text:"Jason Lader"
bar:Juan text:"Juan Alderete"
bar:Blake text:"Blake Fleming"
bar:Jon text:"Jon Theodore"
bar:Deantoni text:"Deantoni Parks"
bar:Thomas text:"Thomas Pridgen"
bar:David text:"David Elitch"
bar:Willy text:"Willy Rodriguez Quiñones"
bar:Tsoungui text:"Linda-Philomène Tsoungui"
bar:Ikey text:"Isaiah 'Ikey' Owens"
bar:Linda text:"Linda Good"
bar:Marcel text:"Marcel Rodríguez-López"
bar:Leo text:"Leo Genovese"
bar:Adrián text:"Adrián Terrazas-González"
bar:Jeremy text:"Jeremy Ward"
bar:Paul text:"Paul Hinojos"
bar:Lars text:"Lars Stalfors"
PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
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bar:Omar from:01/01/2005 till:01/23/2013 color:keyboards width:3
bar:Omar from:06/01/2019 till:end color:guitar
bar:Omar from:06/01/2019 till:end color:keyboards width:3
bar:Cedric from:03/01/2001 till:01/23/2013 color:vocals
bar:Cedric from:06/01/2019 till:end color:vocals
bar:John from:05/01/2002 till:08/31/2008 color:guitar
bar:John from:05/01/2002 till:08/31/2008 color:stumem width:3
bar:Ikey from:03/01/2001 till:06/01/2002 color:keyboards
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bar:Jeremy from:03/01/2001 till:05/25/2003 color:soundm.
bar:Paul from:06/02/2005 till:12/31/2008 color:soundm.
bar:Paul from:07/01/2006 till:12/31/2008 color:lguitar width:3
bar:Lars from:03/01/2011 till:08/31/2011 color:soundm.
bar:Lars from:03/01/2011 till:08/31/2011 color:keyboards width:3
bar:Eva from:03/01/2001 till:06/01/2002 color:bass
bar:Eva from:06/01/2019 till:end color:bass
bar:Ralph from:06/01/2002 till:10/01/2002 color:bass
bar:Flea from:10/01/2002 till:12/01/2002 color:bass
bar:Flea from:10/01/2002 till:12/01/2002 color:stumem width:3
bar:Jason from:01/01/2003 till:04/23/2003 color:bass
bar:Juan from:04/23/2003 till:01/23/2013 color:bass
bar:Blake from:03/01/2001 till:08/01/2001 color:drums
bar:Jon from:09/01/2001 till:06/30/2006 color:drums
bar:Blake from:07/01/2006 till:09/30/2006 color:drums
bar:Deantoni from:09/30/2006 till:10/31/2006 color:drums
bar:Deantoni from:11/01/2006 till:12/01/2006 color:drums
bar:Thomas from:12/01/2006 till:10/23/2009 color:drums
bar:David from:11/20/2009 till:10/31/2010 color:drums
bar:Deantoni from:11/01/2010 till:01/23/2013 color:drums
bar:Willy from:06/01/2019 till:01/01/2021 color:drums
bar:Willy from:06/01/2019 till:01/01/2021 color:stumem width:3
bar:Tsoungui from:09/22/2022 till:end color:drums
bar:Marcel from:10/03/2003 till:10/01/2010 color:percussion
bar:Marcel from:02/02/2010 till:01/23/2013 color:keyboards
bar:Marcel from:01/01/2005 till:02/01/2010 color:keyboards width:3
bar:Marcel from:06/01/2019 till:end color:keyboards
bar:Marcel from:06/01/2019 till:end color:percussion width:3
bar:Leo from:09/22/2022 till:end color:keyboards
bar:Adrián from:06/10/2005 till:12/31/2008 color:wind
bar:Adrián from:06/10/2005 till:12/31/2008 color:percussion width:3
Discography
* ''
De-Loused in the Comatorium
''De-Loused in the Comatorium'' (commonly referred to as ''De-Loused'') is the debut studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on June 24, 2003, on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records. Based on a short st ...
'' (2003)
* ''
Frances the Mute
''Frances the Mute'' is the second studio album by American progressive rock band The Mars Volta released in February 2005 on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the album incorp ...
'' (2005)
* ''
Amputechture
''Amputechture'' is the third studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on September 12, 2006, on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the album ...
'' (2006)
* ''
The Bedlam in Goliath
''The Bedlam in Goliath'' is the fourth studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on January 29, 2008, on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Motown Records. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodríguez-L ...
'' (2008)
* ''
Octahedron
In geometry, an octahedron (plural: octahedra, octahedrons) is a polyhedron with eight faces. The term is most commonly used to refer to the regular octahedron, a Platonic solid composed of eight equilateral triangles, four of which meet at ea ...
'' (2009)
* ''
Noctourniquet
''Noctourniquet'' is the sixth studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on March 26, 2012 on Warner Bros. Records, Warner Bros. Produced by guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, it is the band's only studio ...
'' (2012)
* ''
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership for ...
'' (2022)
References
External links
Omar Rodríguez-López Official WebsiteThe Mars Volta Live Concert RepositoryThe Mars Volta Italian fansiteInterview with Omar about The Bedlam in Goliath
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mars Volta, The
2001 establishments in Texas
2013 disestablishments in Texas
Musical groups from El Paso, Texas
American progressive rock groups
American experimental rock groups
American progressive metal musical groups
Grammy Award winners
Musical groups disestablished in 2013
Musical groups established in 2001
Musical groups reestablished in 2022
Musical quintets
Sibling musical groups
Rock music groups from Texas
Universal Music Group artists
Warner Records artists
Articles which contain graphical timelines
Alternative rock groups from Texas