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The Mars Volta
On Tour17,894,372 plays (482,625 listeners)
Listening now: Wyntermute, Roostersl
progressive rock, experimental, rock, alternative, progressive… see all
El Paso, United States (2001 – present)
The Mars Volta are an American musical group founded by Cedric Bixler Zavala and Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez, generally considered progressive rock with jazz and punk influences and known for wild live shows, extensive jams, cryptic lyrics, various experimentation and use of ambient music to help establish mood.
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 DeFacto started as a local band with a rock feel, they were rooted in the realm of dub reggae pioneers such as Lee “Scratch” Perry and Dr. Alimantado. The group also dabbled in electronica, Latin/salsa, and jazz, giving their 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. Eventually moving to Long Beach, California in 2000 the band added keyboardist Isaiah ‘Ikey’ Owens. Ikey brought a distinct tone to DeFacto that provided a new popularity previously not received. In 2001, DeFacto released their second album, Megaton Shotblast on Gold Standard Laboratories, and received instant success.
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 DeFacto started as a local band with a rock feel, they were rooted in the realm of dub reggae pioneers such as Lee “Scratch” Perry and Dr. Alimantado. The group also dabbled in electronica, Latin/salsa, and jazz, giving their 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. Eventually moving to Long Beach, California in 2000 the band added keyboardist Isaiah ‘Ikey’ Owens. Ikey brought a distinct tone to DeFacto that provided a new popularity previously not received. In 2001, DeFacto released their second album, Megaton Shotblast on Gold Standard Laboratories, and received instant success.
Videos
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Wax Simulacra
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The Mars Volta - Things Behind The Sun (Nick Drake Cover)
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The Mars Volta Things Behind the Sun
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The Mars Volta Candy and a Currant Bun
Top Albums
Top Tracks
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Inertiatic ESP
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Son et Lumiere
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The Widow
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Televators
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Drunkship of Lanterns
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Eriatarka
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Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)
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Wax Simulacra
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Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt
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Cicatriz ESP
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Tira Me a Las Aranas
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Shoutbox
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Nick722 wrote:
the mars volta is a pop band
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kgullholmen wrote:
TMV are pop - PERIOD!
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cocoledzeppelin wrote:
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Mars+Volta/+images/12350401
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cocoledzeppelin wrote:
@ Abortedhugs: watch some of omars interviews on youtube, he evens states that they use the pop song structure when composing their songs, they just, and i quote,' dress it up nicer'.
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doni_guaianazes wrote:
The Mars Volta's discography ------> alltimegreatesthits.blogspot.com/
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Kevmaster wrote:
Finnally! Their best pic is back on top :)
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mellors- wrote:
He wasnt calling them pop. They are pop in the sense of the word popular, and they use verse/chorus pop structure (abite with long instrumental sections) But of course the actual sound they make is nothing related to the pop style. Btw there are some pop songs in non 4/4. "All You Need is Love" by The Beatles is in 7/4 and 4/4, "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal if I remember is in 6/8. Even parts of "Hey Ya" by Outcast are arguably close to 11/4.
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leechoflife wrote:
woot? all their albums rock, especially deloused and the bedlam. IMHO
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AbortedHugs wrote:
B3nniii are stupid? Please list me some pop songs that change time signatures like they do in deloused? better yet, Just list me one in 5/4. Deloused and Frances are the shit. Then they died. thats just how it goes.
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carpediaz wrote:
TMV is WAY better than ATDI
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c0dBulgaria wrote:
leechoflife well said !
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Glenmat1c wrote:
at the drive in is not emo...
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TheDoc24 wrote:
I just love Zavala's voice.
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Ziggaroth wrote:
Emos go home. TMV are infinitely superior to ATDI.
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leechoflife wrote:
b3nniii, I must disagree, ordinary pop songs don't last 12 minutes and don't contain any psychedelic-freejazz-instrumental-experimental parts. Melodies used occasionally bare similarity to some pop songs, but they make up for this by mindblowing instrumental techniques, an impossible amount of electro samples, irregular meters and unusual (!) song structures. "the mars volta is a pop band" is actually one of the most ridiculous statements I've ever read >.<
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MrRastamann wrote:
Love this band
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R4z3 wrote:
No matter how good this band is I still can't listen to them without thinking ATDI were so much better
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B3nniii wrote:
No, he's right. Almost every song on DitC has the structure of an ordinary pop-song. But this doesn't make them less brilliant.
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vanishdoom wrote:
Chapekaloco is just an asshole repeating shit Omar's been saying for years
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AudioInjection wrote:
Vermicide.
Events
- Oct 4 LA Weekly Detour Music Festival Downtown, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
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Oct
24
Voodoo Music Experience
City Park, New Orleans, United States
29 shouts
| 159 attendees -
Oct
25
The Mars Volta
VooDoo Fest, New Orleans, United States
1 shout
| 4 attendees
Listeners
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Wyntermute
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to Tourniquet Man -
Lipstickfight
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to Ouroborous -
kevintheimpaler
Top Listener
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Twiggy_Ramirez
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Toz
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Recent Activity
- norah3 added The Mars Volta to norah3’s library. 50 minutes ago
- Oh-DaeSoo tagged The Mars Volta with ‘indie’, ‘experimental’, ‘art rock’ and ‘progressive rock’. 2 hours ago
- ocreser, rhada789, kiersihope and 13 other people added The Mars Volta to their libraries. 2 hours ago
- cbaoth235 tagged The Mars Volta with ‘progressive rock’ and ‘experimental’. 8 hours ago
- Corgantron tagged The Mars Volta with ‘favourite songz’, ‘progressive’, ‘experimental’ and ‘epic’. 9 hours ago
- Syrgil, MagnuSvenson, steffree and 19 other people added The Mars Volta to their libraries. 9 hours ago
- lee_lemon updated the wiki page for A Missing Chromosome. (diff) last month
- Nestor_J created the Spanish wiki page for A Missing Chromosome. last month
- Tombizar created the wiki page for A Missing Chromosome. last month
- uriy84 tagged The Mars Volta with ‘experimental’ and ‘progressive rock’. August 2008
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Groups (530)
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Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez
447 members
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The Comatorium
422 members
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Long live progression!
297 members
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Cedric Bixler Zavala
294 members
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Concept Albums & Artists
393 members
More Information
- Links
- Band Members
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