Omar Rodríguez-López
Ultra-prolific composer, guitarist, and producer Omar Rodriguez-Lopez was born in
Bayamón, Puerto Rico, in 1975. He spent his formative years in South Carolina and El Paso,
Texas, setting up camp in the latter and forming the hardcore band Startled Calf at the age of
15. He joined post-hardcore outfit At the Drive-In in 1993, a gig that lasted until the band
broke up at the peak of its popularity in 2001.
Rodriguez-Lopez formed the Mars Volta the following year, as well as an instrumental side
project called the Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Quintet. He composed the soundtrack to Jorge
Hernandez Aldana's El Búfalo de la Noche in 2005 and has released four solo albums --
2004's Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack, Vol. 1, the eponymous Omar Rodriguez in 2006, and
Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo and The Apocalypse Inside of an Orange, both in 2007.
Rodriguez-Lopez would continue his double releases in 2008 with Calibration and Omar
Rodriguez-Lopez and Jeremy Michael Ward, a collaborative effort that was recorded prior to
the formation of Mars Volta. Old Money, Megaritual, Despair, and Xenophanes (which was
sung completely in Spanish by Rodriguez-Lopez and his duet partner, the Mexican
singer/songwriter Ximena Sariñana) all followed in 2009.
The guitarist and composer continued his brisk release pace in 2010 with Solar Gambling,
Cizaña de los Amores and Tychozorente, and the following year saw even more new material
come to light. In 2012, after the death of his mother, Rodriguez-Lopez decided to put thebrakes on his busy solo career and begin collaborating again. He founded experimental art-
rockers Bosnian Rainbows with ex-Mars Volta member Deantoni Parks, Le Butcherettesvocalist Teri Gender Bender, and keyboardist Nicci Kasper, and released an eponymous
album with the group in 2013. He also started the more rock-oriented Antemasque alongside
longtime collaborator Cedric Bixler-Zavala and a rotating cast of players that included Flea,
Travis Barker, Marfred Rodriguez-Lopez, and Dave Elitch. Antemasque issued their
eponymous debut album in 2014.
Omar Rodríguez-López Group is a long term friend of our studio. Our series "...Live at
Clouds Hill" started in 2011 with an improvised “Krautrock” performance of extraordinaire:
Faust & Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. Jean-Hervé Perón fell backwards with a running chainsaw
and slit Rodriguez-Lopez' jeans and only with luck not his leg open. Since that night he played
other showcases with Bosnian Rainbows and the Omar Rodríguez-López Group and recorded
with At the Drive-In.