At the Drive-In Artistfacts

1993-2001
Cedric Bixler-ZavalaVocals
Jim WardGuitar, vocals
Omar Rodriguez-LopezGuitar, vocals
Paul HinojosBass1997-2001
Tony HajjarDrums1997-2001
At the Drive-In got their name by combining Bad Brains and Poison, two of their musical influences. "At the Movies" is the name of a Bad Brains song and "At the Drive-In" is a lyric from the Poison song "Talk Dirty To Me." Guitarist Jim Ward suggested using the Poison lyric as a name so At the Drive-In stuck.
At the Drive-In guitarist Jim Ward wanted to be in a band so bad that he spent his college savings to record ATDI's debut EP Hell Paso. Following the EP's release in 1994, the band bought a beat up 1981 Ford Econoline van and toured the country, playing in small clubs and basements while building an underground following.
In the summer of 1994, At the Drive-In was so desperate to play shows that they pretended to be a church polka band just to get gigs. The band even created a fake religious show called "Let's Get Real" that aired in their hometown of El Paso, Texas.
At the Drive-In were opposed to moshing and slam dancing during their live shows. At the Big Day Out Festival in Sydney, Australia, the band walked off the stage ten minutes into their set because the slam dancing and crowd surfing was getting out of hand. Singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala said "You're a robot! You're a sheep!" to the crowd, swore into the microphone, and finally walked offstage.
The Stooges' singer Iggy Pop appears on two At the Drive-In songs, "Rolodex Propaganda" and "Enfilade," which appear on the band's final album Relationship of Command. The record was recorded in California by Korn producer Ross Robinson.
Although At the Drive-in's final album Relationship of Command was mixed by the infamous engineer Andy Wallace, guitarist Omar Rodriguez claims he's not happy with the way the album was mixed. In an interview with Alternative Press, Rodriguez called Wallace "a wonderful person" and "a very talented engineer" but the also said the record was "ruined by the mix" because it was more raw and energetic before the final production was completed.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

In the MeantimeSpacehog

The Spacehog song "In The Meantime" samples an obscure recording of telephone noise, which is used at the beginning of the song.

She's A RainbowThe Rolling Stones

It was never a big hit, but "She's A Rainbow" became one of the most popular Rolling Stones songs in the digital age when it started showing up in commercials (iMac, Photoshop), and TV shows (American Horror Story: Coven, Ted Lasso).

Crazy TrainOzzy Osbourne

"Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne is about the Cold War concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (M.A.D.) should any nuclear missile be fired.

Don't Tell MeMadonna

Madonna's hit "Don't Tell Me" was written by her brother-in-law, Joe Henry, who has produced albums by Hugh Laurie and Bonnie Raitt.

No More I Love You'sAnnie Lennox

The Annie Lennox hit "No More I Love You's" is a cover, originally sung by a man.

Do You Want To DanceBobby Freeman

Bobby Freeman's '50s hit "Do You Want To Dance" was also a Hot 100 hit for Del Shannon, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, Bette Midler and the Ramones.