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Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is an American rock group founded by Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. They are generally considered progressive rock, with jazz, punk and Latin influences. They are known for their wild, energetic, and highly improvised live shows, cryptic lyrics, and use of ambient music.
Members:
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Cedric Bixler-Zavala
Isaiah "Ikey" Owens
Juan Alderete
Thomas Pridgen
Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez
Adrian Terrazas-Gonzales
Paul Hinojos
Wikipedia link
Tremulant EP
Tremulant EP is the first EP release by the progressive rock band The Mars Volta. Songs are less guitar-based and more explicitly percussion-oriented than later Volta releases, with the first and last two minutes of the EP containing virtually no melodic elements whatsoever.
"Concertina," often regarded as the centerpiece of the EP, is a brutal condemnation of Ben Rodriguez, a former bandmate of Cedric and Omar's from At the Drive-In whom Cedric and Omar regarded as a sociopath. According to interviews conducted with the band, they held Rodriguez responsible for tormenting Julio Venegas to the point where he committed suicide. The band later re-recorded it along with "Eunuch Provocateur". (The re-recording has yet to surface on official releases, but can be obtained legally in the Comatorium's trading forum here and here).
The backwards vocals at the end of "Eunuch Provocateur" are the lyrics from the song "Itsy Bitsy Spider". Other backwards vocals in the same song can be heard saying "did mommy or daddy ever have to spank you?". These samples come from an old vinyl the band used that contained children songs.
Track listing
1. Cut That City – 5:44
2. Concertina – 4:54
3. Eunuch Provocateur – 8:48
Recorded in Long Beach, California from October to December 2001. Produced by Alex Newport and The Mars Volta. Album production design and layout by Sonny Kay and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez.
Members of the band At the Drive-In, Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez were in De Facto with audio technician Jeremy Michael Ward. De Facto included Cedric on drums, Omar on bass, and Jeremy with various loop, vocal, sound, and distortion effects - a composite of sounds, hinging squarely on tripped-out, instrumental dub. Though De Facto started as a local band with a rock feel, they were rooted in the realm of dub reggae pioneers such as Lee Perry and Dr. Alimantado. The group also dabbled in electronica, Latin/salsa, and jazz which provided them with a distinct sound. The band played local shows around their home town, El Paso, Texas, and released their first album How do you dub? You Fight for Dub. You plug Dub in. The group eventually moved to Long Beach, California in 2000 and the keyboardist Isaiah "Ikey" Owens was added to the band lineup. In 2001, De Facto released their second album, Megaton Shotblast on Gold Standard Laboratories, and received instant success. They were also members of the group At the Drive-In, which established much of their fan base. De Facto continued experimenting with new sounds after Rodriguez-Lopez and Bixler-Zavala decided to end to their time with At the Drive-In. The remaining members of At the Drive-In went on to form Sparta. Omar cited frustration with growing mainstream success, as well as creative suffocation as his motivation for quitting At the Drive-In. Eva Gardner joined the De Facto, and it became what is now The Mars Volta - a new project they envisioned would fulfill their creative desires. During 2001, the band recorded two songs with drummer Blake Fleming and producer Alex Newport, which became their first demo. Later the lineup for their first public show at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, California was Rodriguez-Lopez, Bixler-Zavala, Owens, Gardner, Ward, and drummer Jon Theodore. This lineup recorded three more tracks with Alex Newport, which became the Tremulant EP, released sparsely in early 2002.