MKNZ Ilirska Bistrica, Saturday, 09.03.2002 at 22h:

The Mars Volta (USA)

THE MARS VOLTA will not be taking the easy route. In the presence of a steadfast fan base (via Omar and Cedric’s previous band, AT THE DRIVE-IN), THE MARS VOLTA could effortlessly have ventured down the well-worn path to pop-culture paydirt, but have chosen not to. They could, with ease, regurgitate AT THE DRIVE-IN’s formula for success by catering to the proven tastes of their audience, but have not. They could have cashed-in, networked, greased the wheel, dumbed-down, and let themselves be labeled, trivialized, pigeonholed… They didn’t. They could have, individually, accepted any one of the ludicrous rumored offers from various members of the has-been corporate rock ‘community’ that have come streaming in in the wake of ATDI’s demise.

THE MARS VOLTA have chosen instead to follow their instincts, simultaneously raising the bar for anyone seriously endeavoring to make ‘cutting edge’ rock music, while making it clear that whatever success lays ahead for them will most assuredly be achieved on their terms and no one else’s. They have made credibility, honesty and creativity in rock music fashionable again. They will introduce a generation to the concepts of musicianship and boundary-pushing. They are succeeding where countless others have failed. In a vast landscape of manufactured bullshit, they are real.

THE MARS VOLTA’S sound, still emerging, draws influence from the vast spectrum of rock spanning the last 30 years, as well as Latin, reggae, jazz, and modern electronic music. Reference points might include PINK FLOYD, SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE, LED ZEPPELIN, FUGAZI, THE UPSETTERS, FELA KUTI, U2, THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, RADIOHEAD and the BEASTIE BOYS, to name but a few. Make no mistake – their purpose is ambitious. What differentiates THE MARS VOLTA from their would-be peers is not simply their ambition, however, but the sincerity and ingenuity it drives. The fact that they cross boundaries of race and gender en route to creating their truly challenging breed of rock music simply lends a degree of absolute cultural necessity to what, at this point, is the early stages of an aesthetic revolution.

FACTS: Cedric and Omar are both former members of AT THE DRIVE-IN, Ikey was in LONG BEACH DUB ALLSTARS, and all 3 continue to play and record with Jeremy in the dub-fusion band DE FACTO. Jon is a member of the DC band GOLDEN and was previously in ROYAL TRUX and HIM. Eva is the relative unknown and a formidable secret weapon.

THE MARS VOLTA will issue their debut release on GSL in late March 2002. Entitled "Tremulant", the 3-song EP (on both CD and vinyl) will include the tracks "Cut That City", "Concertina" (currently available on MP3 elsewhere on this site!), and "Eunuch Provocateur". The band will tour Europe with LES SAVY FAV beginning early March 2002.

Cedric Bixler Omar Rodriguez Eva Gardner Ikey Owens Jon Philip Theodore Jeremy Ward