In this week's print edition of the Observer, Craig Hlavaty talks up Omar Rodriguez-Lopez in advance of the Mars Volta and former At The Drive-In guitarist's show at South Side Music Hall tonight.
Writes Hlavaty of Rodriguez-Lopez's solo material:
Since 2004, Rodriguez-Lopez has been at work on solo stuff in countless permutations, and at a prodigious rate (when he isn't co-fronting Volta with Cedric Bixler-Zavala) and reserving the more challenging high-art work for his personal releases. You can hear influences from Miles Davis, Can, Kluster and the seamier, less commercial side of Jimi Hendrix here, expanding the palettes of curious fans drawn in by his better-known band's name. Continue reading...Here's something of note, though, that Hlavaty didn't mention in his write-up: At every stop on Rodriguez-Lopez's tour thus far, he's been joined on stage by his Mars Volta partner-in-crime, Bixler-Zavala, and the two have played new, as-yet-unreleased material that their group is readying.
So, indeed, tonight's show at the South Side Music Hall should be quite the treat. And, thanks to the fine folks over at the venue, we've got five free pairs of tickets to hand out to a couple of DC9 readers interested in maybe hearing some new Volta jams. Want to win? Hit the jump for the details.
Want a free pair of tickets to tonight's show? OK. Just be among the first five people to email me, starting right now, with the words "Men are from Mars" in the subject line, and you're in. Good luck!
Update: Contest is over. Congrats to our winners!