My music playlist for today (July 18, 2012 edition)

Now comes the part in the playlist’s “Latino week” where it gets the toughest. I know there are or have been Latino progressive rock bands out there — just from Spain alone, there are bands like Atila, Haizea, Itoiz, Mezquita, and Triana — that, like so many other progressive groups regardless of nationality, have found problems crossing borders to a larger audience.

The Mars Volta on stage at the Vegoose Festival. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Then there’s The Mars Volta. They’re from America — specifically from El Paso, Texas — but there’s a definite Latin American connection there. You’ll know it when you hear lead singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala belt out a tune in Spanish, as in “L’Via L’Viaquez.” Guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Texas, as with his younger brother, keyboardist Marcel.

They have definitely made a name for themselves. Rolling Stone magazine named The Mars Volta best prog rock band in 2008, and they took home a Grammy Award in 2009 for best hard rock performance for the song “Wax Simulacra.”

There is everything here that makes a rock group “progressive,” right down to a kind of “math rock” flavoring — time signatures galore, experimentation, songs that go on seemingly forever (over 32 minutes in the odd case), a bit of psychedelia and jazz.

It’s all there, brought to you in a way that slaps you across the face a few times and says, “WAKE UP!!!”

Smooth, easy listening it is not. Complex, in-your-face … definitely.

My music playlist for today (July 17, 2012 edition) (viewfrommiddleclass.wordpress.com)
My music playlist for today (July 16, 2012 edition) (viewfrommiddleclass.wordpress.com)
My music playlist for today (July 15, 2012 edition) (viewfrommiddleclass.wordpress.com)

About A View From The Middle (Class)

Hi, my name's John. I've thought about this blogging stuff for a number of years now. I got into it for real on November 10, 2011, after suddenly losing my job in late October. I've been blogging ever since, and I kept it up over a period of a year and four months of being unemployed or under-employed, to try and paint a picture of what being jobless with a family to support can be like. Finally, on February 28, 2013, I got a better job that puts us back into the "middle class." I won't stop blogging, though. Who knows, maybe I can actually turn this blogging stuff into a way to earn a living someday! If you go to my blog at http://viewfrommiddleclass.wordpress.com/ and click on my About page, it'll tell you a lot about me -- maybe more than you ever wanted to know. I'm just your average, laid-back guy who's GOING TO MAKE IT IN THIS WORLD, despite all the roadblocks thrown in the way. I also launched a "niche" blog on music at http://thecrossovermusicchannel.blogspot.com/ that I'm very excited about because of the popularity of music playlist articles here. Also, check out and "Like" this blog's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/daddysangbassdude2 for instant updates. Look forward to seeing y'all around!

View all posts by A View From The Middle (Class) →

2 Responses to My music playlist for today (July 18, 2012 edition)

Eric says:

July 18, 2012 at 6:38 pm

Fantastic band and great clips! I absolutely love the Tetragammaton live video. For any of your readers who don’t know The Mars Volta, check them out. Serious chops, energy, talent and just all around great music.

A View From The Middle (Class) says:

July 18, 2012 at 7:16 pm

Thanks for the comment Eric! I agree, very serious chops worth checking out.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Jun				Aug »
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31