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N.M.E. : Omar Rodriguez-Lopez unveils new band Bosnian Rainbows’ first song - listen
At The Drive-In and The Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez has unveiled the first track from his new band Bosnian Rainbows. The track is titled ’Torn Maps’ and you can hear it below
Rodriguez-Lopez, who announced in late 2012 that he and At The Drive-In frontman Cedric Bixler had placed The Mars Volta on hiatus, is joined in the new outfit by drummer Deantoni Parks, keyboardist Nicci Kasper and singer Teri Gender-Bender, who is also a member of noise experimentalists Le Butcherettes.
Speaking to NME about his new band, the axeman revealed that the band’s debut album was recorded in Germany in late 2012 and will be released later this year. He said: “We recorded the record over in Europe, we did a tour across Europe and we recorded the album in Hamburg, Germany. It’s been done for a while and we’ve decided to put it out this year. We’re really happy with it.”
Rodriguez-Lopez has previously collaborated with Gender-Bender on his 2012 solo album ‘Octopus Kool Aid’ and has also recorded extensively with Kasper. Speaking about this, he said: “I’ve collaborated with all three of these artists before. I worked with Teri from Le Butcherettes on a solo record of mine, maybe a year or two ago. I also worked with her on the second Butcherettes record, I realized just how wonderful a musician she is.”
He continued: “I invited Deantoni Parks into The Mars Volta as our drummer, as a hired musician. But, as I got to know him, I realised ‘Wow, this guy is a brilliant composer’. He works as hard as me and he’s got thousands of songs in his catalogue. We must have made six records together over the years. It’s the same thing with Nicci Kasper, we all love writing music. It’s really something else.”
The guitarist also spoke about the different approach he has taken when it comes to writing material with his new band, compared to his days in The Mars Volta, adding: “It’s the classic thing, you stick with one way of doing things for so long that you start to crave a different way of working.”
He continued: “I did eight years in At The Drive-In being in a collective, so after that I wanted something where I was in charge and no one asked me any questions. After 11 years then in The Mars Volta of doing that, I found myself feeling very lonely and I felt like I abandoned my friendships, so I’ve decided to focus on this band.”
Rodriguez-Lopez also spoke about Bixler and revealed that the singer is currently working on his debut solo album, which will mainly consist of acoustic. Asked if he was missing working with Bixler, who he has worked with for almost 20 years, the guitarist said: “It’s been very strange being without Cedric. It’s one of those bittersweet moments, it’s great for both of us because he’s making this great solo record, which is more of an acoustic thing. I’m really excited to hear another side of him and to work on music without me. He’s composing all the music, playing all the instruments, literally doing everything himself, rather than just singing over the top of my songs.”
Bosnian Rainbow’s as yet untitled debut album is due for release later this year. The band are set to tour extensively in support of the record.
SEE ALL TOUR DATES HERE
Billboard: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez on Bosnian Rainbows, Lessons from At The Drive-In, The Mars Volta
Even as he gets his latest band, Bosnian Rainbows, up and running, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez says he’s not closing the door on any of his other endeavors – including the now on-ice Mars Volta and even At the Drive-In, which reunited briefly last year for a handful of high-profile festival shows.
“I’m open to anything as long as there’s positivity involved,” Rodriguez-Lopez tells Billboard. “I love music, and it’s not like this is politics or something where lives are at stake. It’s so much fun, and we’re lucky we get to do this for a living. I’m open to collaborate with anyone that’ll have me. It’s so much fun.”
He is, however, keenly aware of onetime bandmate Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s angry online comments about the end of the Mars Volta.
“I heard about it at the time,” Rodriguez-Lopez says. “I was making a film and heard about it hours later; people were like, ‘Are you OK?’ I understand where he’s coming from; I’ve known the guy for 22 years. I’ll always respect and support any decision he makes. If that’s how he wants it, I totally get it and I support it.”
Q Magazine’s Q&A With Omar Rodriguez Lopez about Bosnian Rainbows and never closing any doors
With At The Drive-In’s reunion tour now a passing memory and the recent acrimonious split of his mind-bending prog crew, The Mars Volta, prolific noodler Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is currently putting most of his energy into new post-punk-influenced outfit Bosnian Rainbows, who release their self-titled debut next month. Whereas he called all the shots for a decade in Mars Volta, he’s now happy to be sharing the creative load with his new band mates. Q sat down with him ahead of the band’s recent appearance at London’s 100 Club to discuss self-expression, his relationship with Cedric Bixler-Zavala and what really happened during the At The Drive-In reunion shows…
How does it feel to be part of a collaboration again?
“It’s amazing, it’s liberating and it’s invigorating. It all sounds so dumb. There’s nothing like the feeling of getting schooled by the band. That’s the main thing; that’s the only way you get better.”
MTV HIVE Interview with Omar Rodriguez Lopez about Bosnian Rainbows and his emotional last year
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’s former bands the Mars Volta and At the Drive-In are the sort of acts that fans get tattoos of. But unlike the permanent nature of inking yourself, he’s moved on to another project with his new four-piece Bosnian Rainbows. On the band’s debut (out next month), we find Rodriguez-Lopez exploring a punchy goth sound with Le Butcherettes frontwoman Teri Gender-Bender, drummer Deantoni Parks and keyboardist Nicci Kasper of Dark Angels. Hive recently caught up with Rodriguez-Lopez before the release of their debut album to talk about the “virgin” experience of playing with a new band, why the At the Drive-In reunion was emotionally tough and the Mars Volta breaking up over Twitter.
The Mars Volta and At the Drive-In are bands that people are really passionate about. Is it a different experience for you touring with a band that nobody’s ever heard?
Totally. You can’t pay for the specialness of what it is when you just go play music when nobody knows anything about it. It’s that initial experience. I hate to use the word “virgin” — it’s so dumb — but it is like doing it for the first time. Just like when At the Drive-In went out for the first time, or the Mars Volta. People have no clue what to expect, and there’s that excitement about it. You’re just playing music, and there is no expectation, really.
CLASH Foundations: Omar Rodriguez Lopez discusses 5 of his most inspirational LPS
Formerly a member of At The Drive-In, De Facto and The Mars Volta, and currently playing in alt-rock foursome Bosnian Rainbows, Omar Rodríguez-López is a musician who needs no introduction to anyone even vaguely into rock music since the turn of the millennium.
Bosnian Rainbows – ‘Turtle Neck’, from the album ‘Bosnian Rainbows’
Below, the guitarist talks Clash through five albums of absolute importance to his musical development – five truly foundational records.
Louder Than War Interview with Omar Rodriguez Lopez & Live Review of Bosnian Rainbows in London
Omar Rodriguez Lopez’s genre-defying sixteen-year career has resulted in more than 40 albums and Rolling Stone have deemed him one of the “Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” You’ll know him from both The Mars Volta & At the Drive-In of course, but his latest project, Bosnian Rainbows, is just beginning to take shape. The band recently came over to the UK to play a few shows & Louder Than War caught up with him in London both for a chat & to see his live show.
“I’m not interested in genre, I’m not interested in bands, I’m not interested in music scenes- I’m just interested in expression, and expression is constantly changing. You’re learning new things, new influences, language changes, body language changes over the years, we completely shed our skin every seven years as human beings, I’m more interested in that, the human thing”
- Omar Rodriguez-Lopez describes his stance and position as a music maker and composer.
Bosnian Rainbows gave a breathtaking performance at Londons The Garage on Oct 3rd, marking their 30th gig as a new band with the notoriously ‘tough’ UK crowd.
The risk in a new band featuring Omar Rodriguez Lopez is that the followers of both his previous two bands, At The Drive In and The Mars Volta, will have expectations based on those lengthy & much loved endeavors. However, the Bosnian Rainbows set was received with rapturous applause by fans of both those previous bands. Although this in reality is merely a bonus as the music is the focus of our attention tonight as opposed to the musical history of the musician, a man who owes nothing to a field to which he consistently gives so much. Thus, this is not an Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group, this is Bosnian Rainbows.
Omar Rodriguez Lopez’s New Group Bosnian Rainbows Tour Australia, New Zealand & Japan starts Nov 23
Don’t miss the new Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group EVERYONE is raving about now called Bosnian Rainbows featuring Teri Gender Bender of Le Butcherettes on Vocals and Deantoni Parks (The Mars Volta) and Nicci Kasper.
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
Nov 23, 2012 - Adelaide, AU @ Fowler’s Live
Nov 24, 2012 - Perth, AU @ The Rosemont
Nov 25, 2012 - Melbourne, AU @ Cherry Rock Festival
Nov 27, 2012 - Wellington, NZ @ San Francisco Bathhouse
Nov 28, 2012 - Auckland, NZ @ The Kings Arm Tavern
Nov 29, 2012 - Brisbane, AU @ The Zoo
Nov 30, 2012 - Byron Bay, AU @ Great Northern
Dec 01, 2012 - Sydney, AU @ Hi Fi Bar
Dec 02, 2012 - Melbourne, AU @ Corner Hotel
JAPAN
Dec 07, 2012 - Osaka, @Akaso
Dec 08, 2012 - Tokyo @ Liquid Room
SEE ALL TOUR DATES AND DETAILS HERE
LA WEEKLY Interview Part II: The Mars Volta and At the Drive-In’s Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
See the first part of the interview: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Is a Real Bastard
Our music feature this week focuses on Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, a giant of the progressive rock and post-hardcore scenes who seemingly wants nothing to do with them.
The mastermind behind The Mars Volta and At the Drive-In tries to tell us he’s not a musician, for all kinds of deep and philosophical reasons. He might start out talking about how many hours of sleep he gets nightly, and end up describing the principles of some ancient religious text. In other words, he’s one deep human being. Below are excerpts from our meandering interview.
On doing interviews:
People get bummed out or consider it arrogant when they ask me what are my influences and they want me to talk about records. I could care less about records. I’d rather talk about how my influences were my mother, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, Roberto Clemente’s life. Those are the real things. Because that’s music.
On his own “music theory”
People who go and they buy the same amp Jimi Hendrix had or they play the guitar upside down – you ain’t never gonna sound like him because that’s not his music. His music was the fact that had a tumultuous relationship with his father that he never got figured out. His music was the fact that had a brother that he absolutely loved and wanted to be with all the time but he was in and out of jail. His music was the fact that he wanted to be accepted by the black community but he wasn’t until the very end of his life. That’s his music. The other stuff is just a vehicle.
Passion’s the only thing that’s going to make you good at anything. You can learn the technical aspects of anything but that ain’t going to make you necessarily good or tasteful. Look at how many awful musicians come out of Berklee and all these music schools – just faceless, mindless musicians that are being churned out under the concept of, like, ‘Well, you know all the theory so there you go, you’re good to go. You excel at theory.’ Like, big deal.
On why he doesn’t think of himself as a musician:
Musicians definitely get stuck in this pitfall of having to think about things in terms of theory and how theory fits together and why that can work or why it doesn’t work. I have absolutely no interest in any of that. I’m only interested in the simple element of does it move me or not. Because at the end of the day all I’m here to do is to express myself. I have to stay true to that. Any deviation from that path is treated like a dagger pointed at my heart.
I’m basically in most peoples’ eyes just a product, they know me as the At the Drive-In guitarist, The Mars Volta whatever. It’s funny to be diminished to just a guitarist, which I don’t even consider myself. It’s just one of many vehicles.
I had very informal music training. I had true music training, which is the fact that I come from a culture that is enveloped and surrounded by music. Everyone in my family plays music, none of them are musicians. When my ancestors were slaves, when they were conquered by the Spanish – I’m Puerto Rican, a lot of people think I’m Mexican – in any culture music and laughter is what gets you through any kind of trauma, you know?
Golden Plec: Bosnian Rainbows Live Review & Pictures - Dublin
Bosnian Rainbows @ The Button Factory, Dublin on October 2nd 2012
Omar Rodriguez Lopez doesn’t sleep much. At least that is the impression one must get looking at the massive amount of work he gets through. This year alone, the prodigious and prolific guitarist has released a new album with prog-rock The Mars Volta, toured with the reformed punk band At The Drive-In, and here he is on another tour with the instrumental post-rock The Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group (where do they come up with these inventive names?). At least, that’s the impression we’re given. That’s what the posters say; that’s what the gig listings say; that’s what I was sent to review.
What it turns out to be is Mr Rodriguez Lopez’s latest musical venture Bosnian Rainbows. I think it’s fair to say that no one really knew what to expect. They strolled out on stage at 9.45. Three of the band huddle around the instruments – a two-piece drum set, guitar and lots of keyboards – as lead singer Teri Gender Bender (Teresa Suarez to her mother) took the spotlight at the front of the stage.
What followed was just over an hour of music, which none in the audience had ever heard before. Bosnian Rainbows didn’t once venture into any of Rodriguez Lopez’s back catalogue, instead reeling out song after song from this unknown new band; one which “hope to make a record next year”. Nobody complained however, as what they were giving the audience was something quite exceptional and very different. Imagine St Vincent recording with King Crimson, with the occasional input of some 80s’ electro keys.
Teri’s vocals were powerful, yet vulnerable as she jumped around the stage like Kate Bush on a bad acid trip. This was when she wasn’t giving audience members a scary smile or speaking in Spanish as she did between most songs. Rodriguez Lopez stood out of the spotlight tearing away at his guitar; very much the leader of the group still. The highlight of the show was the epic Turtle Neck (at least that’s what I’m calling it). Rodriguez Lopez provided some backing vocals at the start of what seemed a slow, sensitive piece. It gathered pace before eventually breaking into an instrumental piece; allowing Rodriguez Lopez his first opportunity to really show his prodigious guitar ability. It was one of the few times of the night in which he let himself off the leash.