At the Drive-In, Les Butcherettes
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Before forming nu-prog band the Mars Volta at the turn of the millennium, vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez were the creative force behind At the Drive-In, one of the best and most influential rock bands of the last 25 years. At the Drive-In broke up just as their swan song LP, Relationship of Command, entered popular consciousness, an act that inadvertently secured their cult-band status. And any cult band embarking on a reunion tour is a delicate scenario. At the Drive-In was an iconoclastic, fringe-mainstream group who extolled punk virtues, fucked around on national television, and probably did intend to die before they got old—so a massively publicized reunion tour feels antithetical to everything they once stood for. Still, it'll be hard to deny the thrill of seeing amphetamine-fueled Relationship showstoppers "One Armed Scissor" and "Invalid Litter Dept." live—just try not to think about the fact that these guys really are 40 years old. MORGAN TROPER