'No At The Drive-In'

The Mars Volta dimiss rumours over their previous El Paso guise

14 July 2009 - The Mars Volta have dismissed rumours that they're planning to reform their old band At The Drive-In.

The duo said they have finally put their differences behind them after splitting in 2001 but they have no plans to get back together.

Former guitarist Omar Alfredo Rodriguez-López told Bruce Dickinson's Rock Show: "We basically buried the hatchet and it's been blown way out of proportion.

"We're in our 30s now, we broke up years ago and we don't want to carry around bad energy anymore.

"Whatever we had between us I just invited everybody around our house and we all got together and said, 'You hurt my feelings' and they said, 'You did too', 'OK great we're in our 30s now and we're over it'."

Rodriguez-López, who now makes up one half of The Mars Volta with ex-frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala, believes speculation about his previous EL Paso guise started because the pair started talking with old bandmates Jim Ward, Paul Hinojos and Tony Hajjar.

"I think it's just the general change in attitude that makes people think there's going to be a reunion."  Omar Rodríguez-López, The Mars Volta

"I think it's just the general change of attitude that makes people think there's going to be a reunion," he explained.

"Maybe it's because we don't mind talking about it now, you're not getting a stand offishness from either us or those guys anymore because it's a closed book."

At The Drive-In formed in 1993 before splitting eight years later after staging their last show in Holland.

They released three albums - Acrobatic Tenement, In/Casino/Out and Relationship Of Command.
 
Following their split Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-López formed The Mars Volta and the remaining members became Sparta.

Listen to the full interview on Bruce Dickinson's Rock Show this Friday (17 July) at 9pm.

Damian Jones