The Mars Volta

Proclaimed by Flea to be the “best band they ever played with”, The Mars Volta are considering one of the most bold musical groups in the United States, comprising of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (guitar), Jon Theodore (drums), Isaiah Ikey Owens (keyboards), Juan Alderete de la Pena (bass guitar), Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez (percussion), Adrian Terrazas Gonzales (wood instruments), and Pablo Hinojos Gonzalez (sound manipulation). The band began as Cedric and Omar’s projects, DeFacto and At The Drive out of El Paso and later Long Beach, California in 2001.

The band as gained a substantial following, with their bold experimentation deriving from many influences including Latin and Salsa, jazz, punk rock, and progressive rock. Cryptic lyrics, complex time signatures, and numerous tempo changes has been a trade mark in the band’s sound.

The Mars Volta has released two studio albums, De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003) and Frances The Mute (2005). De-Loused featured Flea on bass on nine of the albums’ cuts due to the fact that band lacked a full time bassist. Frances the Mute was the product of a diary that Jeremy Michael Ward, their previous sound manipulator, found in a car he repossessed while working as a repo-man. However, sadly Ward would not take part in making the album as he died of a drug overdose on tour in 2004. Frances was then in turn dedicated in his memory.

The Mars Volta has had significant support from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and has collaborated with them on numerous occasions. Flea and John Frusciante have been contributing musicians on both of their albums and Omar has been a guest musician on three of John Frusciante’s solo albums and on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’s ninth studio album, Stadium Arcadium.

Mars Volta Discography
Tremulant (2002) - EP
De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003)
Live (2003) - EP
Frances the Mute (2005)
A Missing Chromosome (2005) – Compilation
Scabdates (2005) – Live