Just at the beginning of the new millennium, At the Drive-In's third studio album showed a band that went through a long road in order to achieve their studio masterpiece, a project where all the creative ideas, influences, and performances blended together on one great recording that had a lot to offer. However, after that point, two different points of view born out of creative differences and the feelings of the members regarding the project were formed within the band, leading to an eventual breakup. The first group was lead by Jim Ward's vision of moving towards a much more conventional and alternative branch of rock, where he was joined by Hajjar and Hinojos forming Sparta. And the second one was formed by Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Cedric Bixler, and Jeremy Michael Ward, who wanted to make something much more unconventional, psychedelic, and experimental, so they separated and, after teaming up with keyboardist Isaiah Owens, formed the Dub jam band De Facto. Despite the fact that the run of that band was mostly made up by live jams, it marked an important part of the next step that the band would take in the future. The members managed to find their chemistry onstage and on studio, with an experimental focus on their sound, blending their many influences into one unique form of heavy psychedelic/atmospheric Dub. Not only were they starting to find their comfortable spot in their compositions, but one could slowly feel the ambition to achieve something much more accomplished and "complete". All of this lead to the incorporation of Eva Gardner on bass on De Facto, making Omar switch to guitar, and then Jon Theodore on drums, with Cedric shifting to main vocals. And that is how, in 2001, the first lineup of The Mars Volta was born.
One thing that characterized The Mars Volta in comparison to any of the previous projects that any of the members were involved with was the fact that there was a much more bigger focus on writing and elaboration of the track. However, it wasn't an entirely collaborative effort. It has been stated that one of the reasons why Omar got tired of At the Drive-In was the fact that the song-writing and compositions required a reunion between all the members, and he felt very limited that that sort of creative process. The direction that Omar wanted to take could be felt on De Facto, but much more clear on The Mars Volta. He wrote all the music and Cedric helped in the process with the lyrics and some parts of the songwriting, while the rest of the band followed the tone and compositions that were already established, expanding on these parts on their own unique way. And what made all of that work, and what lead to members staying consistently on the lineup for years, was the chemistry that was felt when they all played onstage, something that was being built ever since the De Facto days, but that found its proper execution and notoriety on The Mars Volta. Omar and Cedric wanted to take their previous post-hardcore project to a place where they made their own version of Pink Floyd's "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", one of the main impacts in their songwriting. Tackle music on a psychedelic, technical, precise way, with music that blended all their influences, all their careers, on one coherent sound, where the performances were energetic and the music was organized lunacy, where every single instrument had a reason to be. And the slow process of coming up with ideas for songs and working on them until finding their final form can be tracked down to the very early live shows from the band, and one example of that is their 2001 performance in Dallas.
De Facto already found some moderate success mainly due to the fact that it had the reputation of having members from "El Paso's At the Drive-In", but they still had to play in small gigs and concerts in order to build a name for themselves. Same thing happened with The Mars Volta, starting from the ground up, playing in small venues, where they were free to start showing their true colors with their heavy drug use (another reason for Omar and Cedric's departure from their early band) and their intense performances. That can be felt in many ways during this show, where the band plays a lot of early versions of their songs, showing that they already had very basic ideas on how their music would sound like and how it would be structured. The overall compositions and performances convey a big attitude carried from "At the Drive-In", but expanded into a much more technical, energetic, and psychedelic place, were everything is calculated while still letting space for improvisation and demonstration of skill. Theodore's intense drumming, managing to stay at the pace of Omar's frenzy attitude on the guitar, being very dynamic and pedal heavy, with Gardner's talent on the bass, showing a big ability with the instrument, Owen's subtle and atmospheric keyboards, offering some immersive passages and almost background playing to complete the tracks, Ward's almost unnoticeable sound manipulation, and Cedric's energetic vocals, very varied and potent. At this very early stage, it is evident that the music was still finding an identity of its own, but it still felt as a big breath of fresh air coming from a band of the early 2000's.
Kicking off, as it would become a tradition on that period for them, with Inertiatic, early version of Inertiatic ESP, where the track starts off with a fast paced drum intro instead of building atmosphere with Son et Lumiere. It is still a very early version of a track, even for a live performance. The instrumental pace and basic structure is there, but there are spaces that feel incomplete, specially on the last section, but it all still managed to be effective. The incredibly charismatic and intense stage presence from the band is something that characterized them from the very beginning, and even in such a small space like this one they let themselves dominate every inch of the podium. The performance is as energetic as ever, very anxious, rushed, precise, with every member interacting in a great way, even starting show their heavy FX use onstage, with the already iconic drops and unusual song structures, and Cedric being one charismatic vocalist, almost frantic on the way he moves around the stage. It all leads into a small atmospheric section, just to transition into the early version of Cicatriz ESP, Cicatrix, where the very bare bones of the track can be felt, being a hint of what would eventually one of the most extended songs by the band on studio and on their shows, with the choruses and the verses being present very early on. The important thing here is the fact that the live jam qualities that the members had built on De Facto were expanded here, showing a lot of segments for improvisation on their shows. The main difference relied on the fact that Volta's improvisation was very technical and coherent, despite it being a jam section, there were lyrics, melody, groove, rhythm, being extended for an uncertain amount of time, and one of the early examples of that is the extended jam at the end of Cicatrix, named by fans "Caught in the Sun". Very relaxed, energetic, and a sign of what would be elaborated in the future.
Then it all leads to the two songs that feel the more accomplished and completed from the bunch, Cut That City and Concertina. These wouldn't be very different from their studio counterparts instrumentally, but the performances are the thing that sell these as something to behold. Much more lively, intense, frantic on their execution, almost like what the finished versions of the songs should have been. Both of these are the ones that fall more into the "short" structure of At the Drive-In, carrying a similar energy to what Omar and Cedric would have done on that era, its much more layered of course, and it shows a lot of the future things to come. Cut That City has the rushed tone, presenting more complex writing, and Concertina has the energetic dynamic between soft segments and chorus bursting in sound, incrementing as the song progresses. The focus on effects, the cryptic vocals, the keys and the bass adapting to every tone, the intense guitar playing, and the bombastic drums; they all find their place on a memorable performance. And finally, it all leads to Roulette Dares, the final song, and the one that shines above the rest of the early versions being performed. It feels very similar to what would be found on De-Loused, taking the concepts from the two previous songs and expanding them to a longer track, with different segments that have their own tone and mood, while still feeling part of the same experience, presenting the soft section transitioning into an incomplete final segment, that slowly dies down on a calm way, ending such a concert on a very high note.
Even so early in their career, The Mars Volta presented itself as a very creative and unique band, with their own sound and presence onstage. Despite the early versions of the tracks, they all make up for a very memorable experience, very enjoyable and chaotic, despite it all being calculated and written in order for the band to carry the songs forward. Despite the fact that Omar even got to call himself as a "dictator" within the long run fo the band, it is evident that he managed to pick musicians that had a lot to offer when it came to the performances as one group of different members. The chemistry is very evident, and it shows the potential from every single member before it was further pushed to its limits in the following years (and showing that Gardner was a more than talented bassist that could have moved forward with the band). A must listen for all fans, thankfully being available on its entirety on youtube, and one interesting look at the early stages of a band that would continue to expand their identity with each new show and compositions performed on such vibrant and intense ways.
Overall Rating: 8/10
Favorite Track: Concertina / Roulette Dares
One thing that characterized The Mars Volta in comparison to any of the previous projects that any of the members were involved with was the fact that there was a much more bigger focus on writing and elaboration of the track. However, it wasn't an entirely collaborative effort. It has been stated that one of the reasons why Omar got tired of At the Drive-In was the fact that the song-writing and compositions required a reunion between all the members, and he felt very limited that that sort of creative process. The direction that Omar wanted to take could be felt on De Facto, but much more clear on The Mars Volta. He wrote all the music and Cedric helped in the process with the lyrics and some parts of the songwriting, while the rest of the band followed the tone and compositions that were already established, expanding on these parts on their own unique way. And what made all of that work, and what lead to members staying consistently on the lineup for years, was the chemistry that was felt when they all played onstage, something that was being built ever since the De Facto days, but that found its proper execution and notoriety on The Mars Volta. Omar and Cedric wanted to take their previous post-hardcore project to a place where they made their own version of Pink Floyd's "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", one of the main impacts in their songwriting. Tackle music on a psychedelic, technical, precise way, with music that blended all their influences, all their careers, on one coherent sound, where the performances were energetic and the music was organized lunacy, where every single instrument had a reason to be. And the slow process of coming up with ideas for songs and working on them until finding their final form can be tracked down to the very early live shows from the band, and one example of that is their 2001 performance in Dallas.
De Facto already found some moderate success mainly due to the fact that it had the reputation of having members from "El Paso's At the Drive-In", but they still had to play in small gigs and concerts in order to build a name for themselves. Same thing happened with The Mars Volta, starting from the ground up, playing in small venues, where they were free to start showing their true colors with their heavy drug use (another reason for Omar and Cedric's departure from their early band) and their intense performances. That can be felt in many ways during this show, where the band plays a lot of early versions of their songs, showing that they already had very basic ideas on how their music would sound like and how it would be structured. The overall compositions and performances convey a big attitude carried from "At the Drive-In", but expanded into a much more technical, energetic, and psychedelic place, were everything is calculated while still letting space for improvisation and demonstration of skill. Theodore's intense drumming, managing to stay at the pace of Omar's frenzy attitude on the guitar, being very dynamic and pedal heavy, with Gardner's talent on the bass, showing a big ability with the instrument, Owen's subtle and atmospheric keyboards, offering some immersive passages and almost background playing to complete the tracks, Ward's almost unnoticeable sound manipulation, and Cedric's energetic vocals, very varied and potent. At this very early stage, it is evident that the music was still finding an identity of its own, but it still felt as a big breath of fresh air coming from a band of the early 2000's.
Kicking off, as it would become a tradition on that period for them, with Inertiatic, early version of Inertiatic ESP, where the track starts off with a fast paced drum intro instead of building atmosphere with Son et Lumiere. It is still a very early version of a track, even for a live performance. The instrumental pace and basic structure is there, but there are spaces that feel incomplete, specially on the last section, but it all still managed to be effective. The incredibly charismatic and intense stage presence from the band is something that characterized them from the very beginning, and even in such a small space like this one they let themselves dominate every inch of the podium. The performance is as energetic as ever, very anxious, rushed, precise, with every member interacting in a great way, even starting show their heavy FX use onstage, with the already iconic drops and unusual song structures, and Cedric being one charismatic vocalist, almost frantic on the way he moves around the stage. It all leads into a small atmospheric section, just to transition into the early version of Cicatriz ESP, Cicatrix, where the very bare bones of the track can be felt, being a hint of what would eventually one of the most extended songs by the band on studio and on their shows, with the choruses and the verses being present very early on. The important thing here is the fact that the live jam qualities that the members had built on De Facto were expanded here, showing a lot of segments for improvisation on their shows. The main difference relied on the fact that Volta's improvisation was very technical and coherent, despite it being a jam section, there were lyrics, melody, groove, rhythm, being extended for an uncertain amount of time, and one of the early examples of that is the extended jam at the end of Cicatrix, named by fans "Caught in the Sun". Very relaxed, energetic, and a sign of what would be elaborated in the future.
Then it all leads to the two songs that feel the more accomplished and completed from the bunch, Cut That City and Concertina. These wouldn't be very different from their studio counterparts instrumentally, but the performances are the thing that sell these as something to behold. Much more lively, intense, frantic on their execution, almost like what the finished versions of the songs should have been. Both of these are the ones that fall more into the "short" structure of At the Drive-In, carrying a similar energy to what Omar and Cedric would have done on that era, its much more layered of course, and it shows a lot of the future things to come. Cut That City has the rushed tone, presenting more complex writing, and Concertina has the energetic dynamic between soft segments and chorus bursting in sound, incrementing as the song progresses. The focus on effects, the cryptic vocals, the keys and the bass adapting to every tone, the intense guitar playing, and the bombastic drums; they all find their place on a memorable performance. And finally, it all leads to Roulette Dares, the final song, and the one that shines above the rest of the early versions being performed. It feels very similar to what would be found on De-Loused, taking the concepts from the two previous songs and expanding them to a longer track, with different segments that have their own tone and mood, while still feeling part of the same experience, presenting the soft section transitioning into an incomplete final segment, that slowly dies down on a calm way, ending such a concert on a very high note.
Even so early in their career, The Mars Volta presented itself as a very creative and unique band, with their own sound and presence onstage. Despite the early versions of the tracks, they all make up for a very memorable experience, very enjoyable and chaotic, despite it all being calculated and written in order for the band to carry the songs forward. Despite the fact that Omar even got to call himself as a "dictator" within the long run fo the band, it is evident that he managed to pick musicians that had a lot to offer when it came to the performances as one group of different members. The chemistry is very evident, and it shows the potential from every single member before it was further pushed to its limits in the following years (and showing that Gardner was a more than talented bassist that could have moved forward with the band). A must listen for all fans, thankfully being available on its entirety on youtube, and one interesting look at the early stages of a band that would continue to expand their identity with each new show and compositions performed on such vibrant and intense ways.
Overall Rating: 8/10
Favorite Track: Concertina / Roulette Dares
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