At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In (ATDI) were an indie/hard rock/alternative rock 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 on stage. At the Drive-In's reputation for impressive live performances outlived the band's career. It was this reputation and the release of perhaps their best-known album, Relationship of Command (2000), that contributed largely to the attention they received in the rock press towards the end of their career as ATDI. According to some sources, At the Drive-In struggled to recreate their intense live experience in the studio, at one point trying to circumvent this problem by recording their second full-length, In/Casino/Out (1998), as a live studio album.
At the Drive-In were also noted by the music press for the afros of Cedric Bixler Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. The hairstyle became synonymous with the pair's image.
In 2001, at the peak of their popularity and following a world tour, At the Drive-In split up, initially referring to the split as an "indefinite hiatus." Though the reasons for their breakup have not been made clear, Bixler 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 were intent on progressing in a more typical rock direction.
After the breakup, Bixler and Rodriguez continued working together in The Mars Volta. This project was a departure from their previous work, as it pursued the prog-rock sound that they had been interested in.
In addition, the other members of ATDI, Jim Ward, Paul Hinojos, and Tony Hajjar, reunited in Sparta, which produced more conventional rock music.
Group members
Core Members
- Cedric Bixler - vocals
- Jim Ward - guitar, vocals
- Omar Rodriguez - guitar on all, bass guitar on Acrobatic Tenement
- Paul Hinojos - bass
- Tony Hajjar - drums
Previous
- Ryan Sawyer - drums on Acrobatic Tenement
- Justin A. Monarez - guitar on Acrobatic Tenement and El Gran Orgo
Discography
Studio Albums
- Acrobatic Tenement (1996) (Flipside)
- In/Casino/Out (1998) (Fearless)
- Relationship of Command (2000) (Grand Royal)
EPs
- Hell Paso (1994) (Western Breed)
- Alfaro Vive, Carajo! (1995) (Western Breed/Headquarter/Restart)
- El Gran Orgo (1997) (Offtime)
- Vaya (1999) (Fearless)
Singles
- "Rolodex Propaganda" (2000)
- "One Armed Scissor" (2000)
- "Invalid Litter Dept." (2001)
Compilations
- This Station Is Non-Operational (2005) (Fearless)
Splits
- ATDI / Sunshine (2000)
- ATDI / Aasee Lake (1998)
- ATDI / Burning Airlines (2000)
- ATDI / Murder City Devils (2000)