The Mars Volta

VS talks EDM and improv

Lexigram

Lexigram
Self-released

Mile Highlights: Denver/Boulder area concert news, local radio playlists and top album sales

Here's what's hot this week in music on the Front Range: On the concert front, new shows featuring Wilco, 311, Slightly Stoopid, Dukes of September and more were announced; Overcasters, Lumineers, Churchill and the Jekylls got spins on local radio; and recent albums from the Shins, E-40, Fun. and th ... More >>

Review: Soundgarden at Red Rocks, 7/18/11

Aaron ThackeraySoundgarden last night at Red Rocks with the Mars Volta​SOUNDGARDEN at RED ROCKS | 07/18/11With turrets of light bathing the stage in purple, the opening strains of "Searching With My Good Eye Closed" set the stage perfectly for the entrance of Soundgarden. It certainly felt lik ... More >>

Soundgarden's Matt Cameron on the reunion and singing on Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

​In 1984, Soundgarden (due at Red Rocks tonight with The Mars Volta) started out as a three piece with Chris Cornell on drums and vocals, Kim Thayil on guitar and Hiro Yamamoto on bass. Within a year, the trio recruited Scott Sundquist to play drums, so that Cornell could cultivate his skills ... More >>

If you could rewind the clock, which shows that you missed would you make sure to see?

​I've seen probably upwards of seven million shows in my lifetime, give or take five or six. In all that time, there's been a ton that I'm grateful for having the chance to have seen -- Mars Volta at Tulagi, the Killers at the Larimer Lounge, an unreal triple bill at the Coliseum featuring Pea ... More >>

Tonight: The Memorials at the Walnut Room

Evil VinceBay Area quintet The Memorials (playing tonight at the Walnut Room with Yerkish and the Orchid Set) are definitely definable as a hard-rock band, but underneath ex-Mars Volta drummer Thomas Pridgen's brutal rhythms, there is a progressive, funk-influenced smoothness. Much can be attributed ... More >>

Q&A with Thomas Pridgen of the Memorials

​ Former Mars Volta drummer Thomas Pridgen does not have a lot to say. All the time spent behind a drum set, in the studio and on the road must impede on his ability to take time out for an interview. Nonetheless, in advance of his show tonight's at the Marquis with his new project, The Memor ... More >>

The Say So

Something Like Wild
Self-released

Free Moral Agents

Monday, May 24, Gothic Theatre, 303-830-8497.

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of April 5, 2010

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" So whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

Backbeat writers weigh in on the year's best national releases

The 10 most popular concert reviews of 2009

​It's about damn time this year ended. But before it does, we're taking a look back at your favorite stories of 2009. Here, the ten most popular concert reviews from the Backbeat blog.

The 10 most popular Backbeat stories of 2009

​It's about damn time this year ended. But before it does, we're taking a look back at your favorite stories of 2009. Here, the ten most popular stories from the Backbeat blog.

Neil Young Top Seller at Wax Trax

​Neil Young's Dreamin' Man Live '92, which includes a complete live performance of Harvest Moon before the studio album was released, grabbed the top spot at Wax Trax this week, while Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez claimed the second slot with his latest effort, Xenophanes. Tom Waits, meanwhile ... More >>

Breaking: Monolith Festival on the ropes

​Just received word from Josh Baker, co-curator of Monolith, that the future of the indie-centric festival is uncertain. (Read Baker's full statement after the jump.) Although the turnout for this year's festival seemed to increase slightly from year's past and the lineup itself seemed more solid ... More >>

Q&A w/ Isaiah Owens of Free Moral Agents

​Isaiah "Ikey" Owens is better know these days as the keyboardist of the Mars Volta. His versatile and creative musicianship, though, was honed in the '90s when he played with Sublime and later Long Beach Dub Allstars. Ikey first played with Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala in the ... More >>

The Mars Volta's Ikey Owens stretches his wings in Free Moral Agents

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of October 5, 2009

​​As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list ... More >>

Watch 3OH!3's set from the MTV VMAs

Okay, if you're like us and were up at Red Rocks for Monolith this past Sunday night watching the Mars Volta confound the audience with its spectacular over indulgence or -- depending upon your perspective -- dazzle the crowd with its awe-worthy musicianship, you missed 3OH!3's thirty second long, ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Experience the urban-outfitted neon-infested loveliness of Monolith

​ Westword's weekend was dominated by Monolith, the annual two-day hipsterfest at Red Rocks that this year featured the Mars Volta, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Phoenix, Chromeo and plenty of other bands. Our stage-to-stage coverage includes photos of the bands from Day One and Day Two, photos of the ... More >>

Monolith adds more than a dozen local DJs

DJ Vajra​Just received word from Monolith curator Matt Fecher that the annual fall festival, headlined this year by the Mars Volta and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, has just added more than a dozen local DJs to its lineup. Nationally renown turntablist DJ Vajra heads the roster, which also includes Mu$a, w ... More >>

The Mars Volta and Yeah Yeah Yeahs to headline Monolith

Update: Just in case you haven't been keeping tabs, this year's Monolith line-up has been shaping up rather nicely. On May 18, the masterminds of Monolith began revealing the line-up for the third annual two-day indie-centric music festival every two hours on Twitter and Facebook. Some folks found t ... More >>

The Westword.com blog shortcut, July 15 edition

Danielle Ate the Sandwich -- and then punched it, hard. Put up your dukes. Today in Backbeat Online: • Danielle Ate the Sandwich: Better than a bag of poop on fire! • Last Night: Paul Sprawl at the Laughing Goat in Boulder. • Hearsay bits: City Hall, Speakeasy Tiger, Torch the Wagon, Patrick ... More >>

Tangible Stereo

Live!
Self-released

Eminem keeps dominating charts at Independent Records

For the sixth week in a row, Eminem grabbed the top spot at Independent Records for the week ending June 28. Mars Volta's new album, Octahedron, and Mike E. Clark's Psychopathic Murder Mix V. 1 compilation came in second and third while four Michael Jackson albums, including the 25th Anniversary edi ... More >>

Regina Spektor top seller at Twist and Shout

Regina Spektor's latest release, Far, was the top seller at Twist & Shout for the week ending June 28. Local faves Paper Bird's new EP, Sky Underground, nabbed the number two slot and brand new albums from Dinosaur Jr. and Mars Volta also grabbed slots in the top five. See the full breakdown aft ... More >>

Vices I Admire on the hunt for new bassist

Angry, artsy rockers Vices I Admire has been banging around northern Colorado for a few years now, and has a fair amount of local acclaim, based on its live shows, an EP and the song "Monster," which has appeared on a couple of compilations. On its MySpace page, the band compares itself to Incubus, ... More >>

Over the Weekend...Mars Volta @ the Fillmore

The Mars Volta

Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez created a spirited affair with The Bedlam in Goliath.

Q&A With Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta

Rush

Wednesday, August 8, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, 303-830-8497.

El-P

I'll Sleep When You're Dead
Definitive Jux

Sparta

Threes
Hollywood

The Mars Volta

Amputechture (Universal)

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Friday, August 18, Pepsi Center, 303-830-8497.

Sparta

Wednesday, August 2, hi-dive, 720-570-4500.

Gospel

Thursday, March 30, 15th Street Tavern, 303-572-0822.

Subtitle

Tuesday, February 21, Larimer Lounge, 303-291-1007.

For the record

Since 2005 has hit the bricks, here's the final word on last year's finest discs.

Nobody

Thursday, September 8, Fox Theatre, Boulder, 303-443-3399.

Mars Volta

Frances the Mute (Gold Standard Labs/Universal)

On the Down-Low

Shovel away all that Usher, Prince and Lil Jon you've been jamming and dig this year's buried black-music treasures.

The Rise

Reclamation Process (Law of Inertia)

Best Concert (Since March 2003)

The Mars Volta

Critic's Choice

Ima Robot

The Mars Volta

De-loused in the Comatorium (Universal)

Mars Attacks

The Mars Volta isn't interested in your expectations.

Critic's Choice

Golden

Best Punk Club

Tulagi