At the Drive-In
Jim Ward Doesn’t Care If You Only Like Him in At the Drive-In or Sparta, He’ll Keep Rocking For Himself
It’s hard to form a band that’s going to stand the test of time. Having a big hit is one thing, but launching an act that’s going to remain influential and draw crowds of devoted fans for decades is generally a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience. Unless that lifetime belongs to Jim Ward. Ward (the revered guitarist, not the voice actor of the same name who apparently has better SEO) co-founded a little band called At the Drive-In before his 18th birthday, and then when that stopped being a thing (the first time around), he spun off into Sparta. And that’s not even including the success he’s seen with the country-tinged Sleepercar and acoustic solo work. Long story short, the 44-year-old El Paso native knows a thing or two about writing, singing, and strumming some of rock’s most influen...
Gone Is Gone Is No Mere ‘Supergroup’ on If Everything Happens For A Reason… Then Nothing Really Matters At All
Gone Is Gone may be billed as a “supergroup” of sorts, but the Los Angeles-based quartet sure doesn’t want the negative connotations that go along with the title. For bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders (Mastodon), drummer Tony Hajjar (At the Drive-In), guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens of the Stone Age) and multi-instrumentalist Mike Zarin (composer and founder of Sencit Music), the almost-cinematic rock group is just another project they get to work on when their dayjobs don’t monopolize their time. After announcing themselves with a self-titled EP in July 2016 and a debut full-length not too long after, it would’ve been understandable if the group decided their schedules would never allow for a second album. But four years later, they reunited for If Everything Happens For A Reason… Then Not...
The 50 Best Songs of the Year 2000
The year 2000 looms large in pop culture history: the Y2k non-scare, the Seinfeld “Newmannium” episode, the “In the Year 2000″ sketch from Conan O’Brien’s original late-night show, the Hulu series PEN15. And just like, say, the grunge-defined 1991, the year immediately conjures specific sounds: gleaming teen-pop, earnest radio rock, the Neptunes and Timbaland. There’s never a bad time to revisit this music. But in the middle of a pandemic, with America on the verge of collapse, it feels extra comforting — a blast of nostalgia for a time when you could safely exit your home, visit your local mall’s Sam Goody and buy Mystikal’s “Shake Ya Ass” CD single. For this list, our only criteria was that the songs appear on albums or soundtracks released in 2000. Here we go. 50. Papa Roach, “Last Reso...
Omar Rodríguez-López Talks New Three-LP Box Set and Working With Erykah Badu
Over the past 25 years, Omar Rodríguez-López has been one of the most visionary and diverse musicians, producers, and artists on the planet. Fusing the post-hardcore and punk sounds that originally brought him to fame with At the Drive-In alongside the psychedelic, electronic, ambient and Latin influences that have contributed to his solo work and other projects (the Mars Volta, Bosnian Rainbows, Antemasque, a tangential yet integral role in Le Butcherettes, and much more), Rodríguez-López hasn’t just developed a style that’s all his own, but an evolving catalog of sounds that are distinctly his. Part of what makes Rodríguez-López so unique — whether he’s performing, producing, or directing films — is his complete lack of formal training in music. While others may be concerned about music ...
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez to Release The Clouds Hill Tapes
Omar Rodríguez-López will release his first physical solo album since 2012. The At the Drive-In and Mars Volta guitarist will release The Clouds Hill Tapes, in July. The 3 LP collection features 20 songs produced by Johann Scheerer and performed by Rodríguez-López and a range of guest musicians. Some of the songs were recorded as far back as 2011-2012. The set comes with 10 monochrome photographic prints takes during the recording session at Clouds Hill Studio in 2019. The Clouds Hills Tapes will be on July 24 via Clouds Hill Records. You can preorder the album here. Check out the tracklisting below: The Clouds Hill Tapes Part I Roman LipsFishtankBitter TearsHouses Full Of HurtScience UrgesFool So BleakArcos Del AmorTo Kill A Chi Chi The Clouds Hill Tapes Part II Diamond Tee...
