The Mars Volta

Top 10 Spitters In Music History (w/VIDEO)

Spitting. It's a symbolic form of communication that means nothing good in any language or culture -- a sign of disrespect that garners admiration or adoration from no one. Well, except for fans. Stars and celebrities themselves get mighty pissed off if you spit on them, but if they spit on you, you ... More >>

Friends In High Places: 5 Weird Actor/Musician Friendships

You or I may not be a fan of Justin Bieber, but you know who is? Mike Tyson, that's who. As Iron Mike explained a little while ago, he thinks Bieber is "pretty awesome." Apparently the ex-heavyweight champ got turned into a Belieber through his wife, who hooks Tyson up with most of his music. This ... More >>

Five Weird Bands to Watch in 2013

I have to be honest with you here, readers: when I see a "bands to watch in (insert year here)" list, I usually give it a cursory look, wretch in disgust, and x out of it as quickly as possible. Not because the bands are awful, because they're bland! Almost every list focuses on some flavor-of-the-w ... More >>

How Social Media Is Making Band Breakups Even Worse

Though we had previously noted on Rocks Off that psychedelic prog-rockers the Mars Volta had gone on the dreaded "indefinite hiatus" last year, none of us foresaw how truly acrimonious the split would become a short time later. For those who missed it, last week TMV front man Cedric Bixler-Zavala w ... More >>

REWIND: The Mars Volta at Verizon, 9/17/09

​Note: In a series of tweets Wednesday night, Cedric Bixler-Zavala of latter-day prog-rockers The Mars Volta announced he was effectively done with the band, the result of an evident falling-out with partner Omar Rodriguez-Lopez over touring. "What am I suppose to do be some progressive house wife ... More >>

"New" Albums Composed of Old Music: Good or Bad?

It's 2013, and we've all pretty much finished our end-of-the-year lists. Now we look to the future. What albums are we looking forward to this year? If I had to guess, at least some of the best releases of the year will consist of music out of a vault or reissues of old albums. But is that a good th ... More >>

Dearly Departed: Bands We'll Miss Who Broke Up In 2012

Every year has its fair share of births and deaths, even when speaking of bands. They form, reform, and break up. We talk a lot about reunions, but many bands fade out and break up with barely a whisper. It's unfortunate because some of these bands were old favorites at one time. Today we'll look b ... More >>

Fan Direction: 5 Great Music-Video Contest Winners

One of the latest trends I've observed in music is that almost everyone is outsourcing their videos these days, even top artists. It's much easier and cheaper to hold a fan contest, asking your fans to create videos for you, than it is to go out and shoot the video yourself on your (or your record l ... More >>

When the Voice Goes: 5 Rock Singers Who Have Lost It Live

Last week, this video of Guns n' Roses playing at the Bridge School Benefit in California surfaced on YouTube, raising a lot of eyebrows among music fans. It was an acoustic performance of "Welcome to the Jungle" which might sound like a confusing prospect in and of itself, but what has everyone tal ... More >>

Texas Sons The Mars Volta Strip Down To Progress With New Album, Movie

El Paso natives Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta have long been known for their bombast and progressive-rock self-indulgence. Ever since they departed the seminal post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, they've spent their time making what can only be described as "epics." ... More >>

Put On A Happy Face: 6 Ex-Emos Who Found More Success By Being Happy

Emo. The word conjures so many images. For your average American, it will make them think of black eyeliner, wrist-cutting, and essentially hair metal for the '00s. For hardcore kids, they'll think of Jawbreaker. But either way you slice it, emo has had its ups and downs as a genre and has changed ... More >>

In Prog We Trust: Five Progressive Rock Bands You Hate, But Shouldn't

There are some forms of music that struggle to find critical acclaim while others are loved by critics but universally dismissed by the public. Then, there is another group that, despite a loyal and sometimes massive cult following, are disliked by critics and everyday music fans alike. Meet prog-r ... More >>

Nine Bands From the '90s Underground That Should Consider Reuniting

Photo via officialrefused.com​Everyone was all abuzz about the reunion announcements of Refused and At the Drive-In this week. I was less abuzz. I never much cared for Refused (nor International Noise Conspiracy) and I was one of those people that liked ATDI "before" (and I certainly had no ne ... More >>

This Station Is Now Operational: At The Drive-In Is Reuniting. Finally.

With the beginning of a Twitter account and an official website, heavily influential El Paso-based rock act At The Drive-In has announced their reformation today. What the future will hold for the group, which splintered into the Mars Volta and Sparta after their 2001 split, is anyone's guess. SXSW? ... More >>

Zechs Marquise

Purple, Possessed & Pervy: Rock's Top 10 Houses

harleyslist.blogspot.comJohn Lennon and Yoko Ono in a happy pose in front of their home (and future site of Lennon's assassination).​Celebrity homes will always be a source of fascination, offering a glimpse at the intimate, private side of those who live their lives in the public eye. And it' ... More >>

Prog-Rock Bassist Enters Stupid Criminal Hall Of Fame

GroovehouseCoheed's Claudio Sanchez: Now auditioning bassists.​Sometimes when Rocks Off interviews this musician or that one, we'll ask them what they do to kill time on the road. Some of them read, others take in the local sights if they have time, obviously a lot of them listen to music. The ... More >>

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez

The Dead Revolt: Howling, Lizard-Free Indie Rock

​Rocks Off loves four things: The Dead: Zombies rock tits, there are no two ways about it. Revolts: As long as they are not aimed at the Rocks Off contingent, a revolt is just about the most interesting that can happen on any given day. People who collect ceramic cows. Genuine indie r ... More >>

Reduxion

Reduxion Returns Next Wednesday With Tax The Wolf

Michelle Tovar/ Tax the Wolf on Facebook​We're baaaaaaack! After a couple of months off - hey, things happen - Reduxion, Rocks Off's monthly series of local bands covering their biggest influences, returns just in time to get you nice and hung over for Thanksgiving dinner. (Kidding... we thin ... More >>

Like A Movie, HPMA Showcase Afternoon Over Far Too Quickly

Jim BrickerHell City Kings: Not afraid to get salty.​This was the first year and no doubt the first of many for the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase to converge on Washington Avenue like a sweet-sounding pestilence made up of drums, mikes, a few steel guitars and a tanker truck full of musi ... More >>

SXSW As It Happens: Surfer Blood Makes Waves at the Village Voice Media Party

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt​A series of texts from Brandon K. Hernsberger starting at 12:41 p.m.: I'm in line at Village Voice. Shit is CRAZY long. Most people here to see The xx. 5 in 5 out. Surfer Blood up next. Dudes are effing HUGE. I see people eating inside and I'm jealous. Next door ... More >>

A Brief Guide To Super Happy Fun Land's SXSW Overflow Fest

www.myspace.com/jodyseabodyandthewhirlsHouston psych-rockers and Overflow artist Jody Seabody & the Whirls​Thursday marks the beginning of Super Happy Fun Land's SXSW Overflow Fest, two weeks of performers stopping by the East End art space/music venue/sock-monkey emporium on their way to and ... More >>

Aftermath: The Mars Volta Gets All Violently Cosmic At Verizon Wireless Theater

Photos by Eric Sauseda​ There are simply no other bands doing what the Mars Volta do today and everyday. Plenty of second-rate bands have taken a look at the Volta's template and taken a foolhardy crack at it, but they have all failed miserably, leaving wakes of hackneyed concept albums and ill-in ... More >>

Life on Mars

Grammy-winning prog-punks The Mars Volta mellow out on Octahedron.

MP3 of the Day: Giant Battle Monster

If you plan on seeing Houston's Giant Battle Monster live, tonight at the Alvin Bowling Alley is your last chance until Christmastime. The psych-rock band, whose spacey, expansive jams bear a striking resemblance to the Mars Volta, is going on hiatus to record and generally recharge the proverbial b ... More >>

Sunday Sunday Sunday: Zechs Marquise at the Mink

A natural talent for psychedelia must be as common as Y chromosomes in the Rodriguez-Lopez family DNA. That gene pool has produced a trio of rockers - Omar, Marcel and Marfred - that has proved its mastery of the genre in more than one incarnation. The most notable, of course, is Omar, co-masterm ... More >>

Texans Score 30 Grammy Nominations

Allison Krauss, Robert Plant and T-Bone Burnett (far right) Texas artists landed 30 nominations in 20 categories when the contenders for the 51st annual Grammy Awards were announced today, including all five nominees for Best Tejano Album and four of the five Best Norteno Album contenders. All of ... More >>

ACL Notebook Dump, Pt. 2: Measuring Time Mars Volta-Style, Led Zeppelin Rumors and More

ACL Notebook Dump, Pt. 5: Playlist for the Drive Home

Has ACL Festival Jumped the Shark?

Last Night: Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige at Toyota Center

Wednesday Night SXSW plans: Saul Williams and Lick Lick

The Mars Volta take Manhattan

Bedlam at Terminal 5

Drenched in Blog: Nick Cave Digs Lazarus

Battles

The group's genre-defying music

No Sleep for Brooklyn

Indie-rap fireplug El-P returns...bombastically bleak as ever

El-P

I'll Sleep When You're Dead

Phat Promises for 2007

New Year's resolutions of the stars

Wonder Twin Powers, Activate!

A scientific study of the two-piece indie-rock boom

The Mars Volta

Frances the Mute

Stay Young and Stupid

Dear Lord, please stop the Stingification of Beck

On the Down-Low

Shovel away all that Usher, Prince and Lil Jon you've been jamming, and dig this year's buried black-music treasures

On the Down-Low

Shovel away all that Usher, Prince and Lil Jon you've been jamming and dig this year's buried black-music treasures

Music Awards Survey

A rundown of every act on this year's bill

Spoken Like a Champion

Saul Williams -- poetry's only rock star -- aims for the lizard brain

The Mars Volta, with Saul Williams

Saturday, October 4

The Mars Volta

De-Loused in the Comatorium (Gold Standard Labs/Strummer Recordings/ Universal )

Aged Peppers

Flea and company prove they can keep it together