Omar Rodríguez-López
30 Signature Guitars for Modern Artists
For decades, having a signature guitar was reserved for classic rock legends — the Claptons, the Hendrixes, the Pages, the SRVs and EVHs. But that’s no longer the case. From pop-punk to heavy metal, alt-country to neo-soul, modern artists of all genres and backgrounds are getting signature guitars from companies big and small. Among the titans of the industry, that intentional shift came with a new generation being put into decision-making positions. “When I started, it was largely classic rock and very much a pantheonic Hall of Fame,” Fender’s Executive VP for Products Justin Norvell says of the early 2000s. “It was an end-of-an-iconic-career kind of thing. But it was my feeling that it should be something that people can use to reflect back upon themselves. A Telecaster can mean James Bu...
The Mars Volta’s Landscape Tantrums Deepens Mysteries of Debut LP
Remember when albums were marketed on TV commercials? (For that matter, remember commercials?) Back in 2003, flipping through channels during a vacation with friends, I was physically startled by the sound of “Inertiatic ESP” — flailing distortion, glass-shatteringly high vocals, drums as mammoth as the Smoky Mountains outside the rec room window of our rental cabin. Who the fuck is this band? The very next day, I casually suggested that we — a trio of small-town Bible Belt teenagers without easy access to a music store — make a detour on our drive home to the nearest Best Buy. I scanned the racks and, to my disbelief, found the CD: the Mars Volta’s De-Loused in the Comatorium. Whoa. The glorious Storm Thorgerson artwork (a golden, egg-like head beaming light from inside some ki...
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...
