Mars Volta fans will be sad to know that the band is official breaking up. After 12 years and 6 records, singer Cedric Bixler Zavala announced last night that he is no longer part of the group. He tweeted that he couldn’t pretend anymore, and mentioned that the hiatus they announced last year was an insult to the band’s fans.
At The Drive-In will put an end to their 11-year hiatus when they perform at the desert during this year’s Coachella festival. The post-hardcore band took the Twitter route and announced that they have buried the hatchet and would be reuniting.
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is mostly known for being the the former guitarist for At The Drive-In and currently for the critically acclaimed, progressive rock group, The Mars Volta. Although his partnership in The Mars Volta is usually vocalized by singer, Cedric Beixler-Zavala, it looks like Rodriguez-Lopez has found another way to channel his artistry. The guitarist has recently not only directed but also starred in an independent film titled The Sentimental Engine Slayer.
The Mars Volta are taking their show on the road. The Grammy-award winning duo of guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala will set the tour in motion August 29 at Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco.
The new tour is in support of their latest album Octahedron, which was released on June 23.
Following Outside Lands, the prog-rockers head to Los Angeles for two-nights at the Hollywood Palladium on August 30 and September 1. The tour finale wraps up in San Antonio, TX on September 19.
See below for the complete tour schedule.
The List of performers for the Monolith Festival, this September 12th and 13th is now available. The line-up includes, alternative/punk band Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, progressive rock group The Mars Volta, rap super-duo Method Man and Redman, among others. The festival, presented by Esurance, returns to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a Colorado outdoor venue. The festival debuted in 2007 as the first multi-day, multi-stage festival ever held at Red Rocks.
Colorado is known for its vibrant indie music scene and has been getting attention for its anual Monolith Festival. Billboard magazine said:
“The outrageously beautiful Red Rocks has been screaming out for an underground/indie-style music festival for many years…Thanks to the tireless work of an elite group of Colorado scenesters, the dream is now a reality.”
Tickets on sale now at www.monolithfestival.com.
Click Below for a list of the complete confirmed line-up:
We brought you the new track, “Since We’ve Been Wrong,” and now we’re bringing you the video for it! The Mars Volta have create a subdued but a passionate masterpiece containing clips of them working hard with their talent. With a very lo-fi and artistic view through what looks like a small television screen, the collage then breaks out into full screen at the end.
Limited edition packs are still available, but they are also running out quickly. You can get one here.
Check out the video below and let us know what you think!
The Mars Volta always manage to get people off with their soft psychedelic beginnings and hard core endings; their new album Octahedron is no different. The Grammy Award winning band has done it again, but in Octahedron, The Mars Volta give in to their softer side (not referring to the last 2 minutes of nearly every song, which seems to be more like “improv-jam” sessions), which is exactly what the band needed; a change from all their pre-endless chaos.
In Octahedron, The Mars Volta prove that whether it’s acoustic or electric guitars, they will deliver a sound that sends you into a psychedelic adventure. Guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez mixes in elements of punk and jazz, which coexist perfectly with Cedric Bixler-Zavala‘s falsetto vocals. The mixture of these two create a melodramatic piece; screams and chaos, yet all under a soft roof.
Lots of good picks this week. The man known best for making good bedroom music, Mr. Ginuwine himself has an album coming out this week called A Man’s Thoughts. If you are a Ginuwine, a 90′s R&B fan, or just looking to get some girl into bed, you will love this album. You can go in a different direction with anticipated records coming out this week from progressive rock groups The Dear Hunter and Grammy award winning The Mars Volta. Also, this week we have Music For Men by the group Gossip. As the main act on the record label Music With A Twist, they are making the GLBT community proud. With so many albums coming out this week you are sure to find one that suits you.
Albums coming out June 23rd:
The Mars Volta’s album Octahedron, due for release next week, is now available on Myspace (link) in its entirety for you to listen to. The bold offering emulates other bands that have streamed entire albums online like Wilco and Grizzly Bear.
It’s Volta’s fifth studio-recorded release, and the track Octopaxi reminds me a bit of the famous debut album De-Loused in the Comatorium. Check out the full track list below:
