AT THE DRIVE IN Headline Coachella Music Fest TONIGHT!

AT THE DRIVE IN, completed a Texas city mini tour starting in Austin, then on to Dallas and Marfa, and ending in El Paso, selling out the Austin show in 11 minutes and every other show within an hour (that is cool rock-n-roll kind of stuff).  Their show in El Paso, at Tricky Falls was jammed packed, predominately a 20-30 something crowd (yes, those of us in my age bracket were either music junkies, in the El Paso music scene, just curious, or parents taking their teenage kids), and the fire department's quick venue check, didn't put out the fire burning return of ATDI.

After cautiously deciding to stay near the back where the merchandise was being sold, when ATDI took stage, I took a brave step going toward the middle and found myself skirted through the crowd by the force of a mob like crowd, with my feet moving without my control so that I wouldn't be trampled (no one was trampled) but that experience and all the shoes and boots that stepped on my ANKLES, was enough to voluntarily send me to the back of the bus again.

ATDI is the El Paso great American story, music story. how a local garage band of boys from El Paso High make it big in the music industry. On the premier of Border Talk's radio program (that will focus on the arts, music, film, creative arts on Fridays), I learned from Joe Dorgan how the band used to horse around at the KXCR studio while Joe did his live "Stepping Out" radio show. Joe was genuinely proud of the band's early days and anxious for the concert, explaining how back-in-the-day, even in the recent 90's, there was no twitter, or Facebook to immediately get out the word of a band performance like what was done for this mini tour which sold out the Austin show in 11 minutes.  Social media has impacted the music industry in a big way too!

I have to admit, I never saw AT THE DRIVE IN (ATDI) in the 90's but I remember a good friend Casey Monahan (Texas Music Office Director who I know from back in the Austin music scene days - mid 80's) telling me about the great music that El Paso was busting out and how this band "At the Drive In" was breaking records and was the big buz around town.  I've always known the name, but I too was mesmerized by the hype, and having met Omar Rodriguez Lopez in Austin and co-producing the "Los Chidos" movie premier after party with Frontera Bugalu, I am now a middle aged Omar fan and wanted to see the roots of this young El Paso creative arts genius.

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is not just a founding member of ATDI and their spin off Mars Volta, (two very successful bands in a "difficult to make it" music industry), he's a proud Puerto Rican born El Pasoan, with family roots here, and he is a multi-instrumental musician, recognized guitarist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director. Rolling Stone Magazine (10/6/09) listed Rodriguez-Lopez as one of the "Greatest Guitarist of all time".

From what I witnessed, lead vocalist Cedrix Bixler Zavala blasted out song after song with ease and a solid band performance.  Loved the sing-alongs by hard core fans (and they were everywhere), but some of the reviews I have read about the bands return after an 11 year sit out, was that the band was more sedate? Nothing sedate to me, it was a pretty rowdy but contained crowd relating to a pretty high energy band from El Paso. They are no longer in their 20's they are in their 30's and musically maturing.  I personally loved the energy of the audience and the band.  I wish I were a fly on the PA system,  where they will blast out their official 11 year reunion on stage to 65,000 people (read that somewhere) at the Cochella Valley Music and Arts Festival tonight and next Sunday.

The Rodriguez-Lopez musician influence was heard in the band opener, Zechs Marquise with Marcel, Marfred and Riko Rodriguez-Lopez playing. The improv musical rock band is pretty good, I enjoyed it.  I kept an eye on their merchandise table (which they maned themselves), until they finished their set, when they returned to happily great fans and friends and sell their "Getting Paid" CD, cool t-shirts and silk screen collector poster.  Good karma!

From their debut album "Hell Paso", to their successful home band "making it big" in the music industry, to their 11 year break up, to their other successful musical ventures, to coming home to play "El Paso", to their return as a band at the Coachella Music Fest, AT THE DRIVE IN has come full circle. They have done it their way. Played their hearts desire. Been successful. How many people can say that?  And their only in their 30's!

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