At the Drive-In

Biography by Mike DaRonco

Combining emotional melodies and an upbeat rhythm moving at an unpredictable rate, At the Drive-In definitely stuck out in their hometown El Paso, TX. Formed in early 1994, the group debuted soon after with their first EP, Hell Paso, followed by a brief tour across the Lone Star state. With a line-up secured around Cedric Bixler (vocals), Omar Rodriguez and Jim Ward (guitar), Paul Hinojos (bass) and Tony Hajjar (drums), At the Drive-In continued on with a second EP (Alfaro Vive, Carajo) and toured mostly empty houses and clubs across the western United States. A small gig in Los Angeles — with an audience consisting of only nine people — somehow got the attention of Flipside Records, who released the band's first full-length Acrobatic Tenement in 1996. With constant energy and a stubborn enthuasism to continue, At the Drive-In began to develop an audience, helped out by constant touring and word-of-mouth hype. Their 1997 follow-up EP El Gran Orgo had more of a melodic bite, but their musical depth and originality still remained. In Casino Out followed in 1998, and 2000 saw the release of Relationship of Command. After the band went on indefinite hiatus in 2001, Bixler and Rodriguez formed the Mars Volta, while Ward, Hajjar, and Hinojos moved on to Sparta.