At the Drive-In
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At the Drive-in was a post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas from 1993 until 2001. The band is named after a lyric from the song "Talk Dirty To Me" by Poison.
Influenced primarily by the likes of Fugazi and Drive Like Jehu, ATDI crafted epic, post-hardcore and sometimes almost stadium rock-like songs with complex time signatures and cryptic lyrics. ATDI's first studio recording was Hell Paso (Western Breed), an EP issued in 1994. They quickly developed a following as intense in loyalty as the band was in on stage. At the Drive-In's reputation of impressive live performances outlived the band's career. It was this reputation and the release of what is surely their best-known album, Relationship of Command (Virgin Records), that contributed largely to the attention they received in the rock press towards the end of their career as ATDI. According to sources, At the Drive-In struggled to recreate their intense live experience in the studio; although, they certainly tried to with their second full-length, In/Casino/Out (Fearless Records), which was a live studio album).
At the Drive-In was also noted by the music press for the afros of Cedric Bixler Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. As a result, the fro became synonymous with the pair's image.
At the peak of their ever-growing popularity and following their epic world tour, the band managed to cultivate a dedicated cult-like following. At the Drive-In split up in 2001, initially referring to the split as an "indefinite hiatus." Though the reasons for their breakup have not been made clear, Bixler Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez have stated that they wanted their next album to sound like Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn, while the other members of the band wanted it to sound more like Weezer. All five former members continued to make music, Cedric and Omar with The Mars Volta, and Jim, Paul and Tony in Sparta. By comparing the musical styles of these two bands, the nature of any creative differences that may have led to the split become evident. In 2005 Paul Hinojos left Sparta to join the Mars Volta as "sound manipulator," a spot previously held by Jim Ward's late cousin, Jeremy Ward.
Group Members
- Cedric Bixler - Vocals
- Jim Ward - Guitar,Vocals
- Omar Rodriguez - Guitar
- Paul Hinojos - Bass
- Tony Hajjar - Drums
Discography
- Hell Paso (Western Breed, 1994) - EP
- Alfaro Vive, Carajo! (Headquarter, 1995) - EP
- Acrobatic Tenement (Flipside, 1996, re-release 2004) - LP
- El Gran Orgo (One Foot, 1997) - EP
- In/Casino/Out (Fearless, 1998, re-release 2004) - LP
- Vaya (Fearless, 1999, re-release 2004) - EP
- Relationship of Command (Virgin, 2000, re-release 2004) - LP
- This Station Is Non-Operational (Fearless, 2005) - Compilation