De Facto (band)
Encyclopedia
De Facto was a dub reggae
band which included Cedric Bixler-Zavala
, Omar Rodríguez-López
, Isaiah "Ikey" Owens and Jeremy Michael Ward
.
shows. The original band consisted of Omar, Cedric, and Jeremy playing local shows around their home town, El Paso, Texas
. Cedric says, "Yeah actually we used to be called the Sphinktators, that was early De Facto, just more rock." Omar was actually the singer of the Sphinktators and remembers, "We used psychedelic sounds, Cedric played the bass, Jeremy played guitar, and Ralph Jasso played drums." After their first recording they brainstormed the name 'De Facto Cadre Dub', which was later shortened to De Facto. That recording became How Do You Dub? You Fight for Dub. You Plug Dub In., which they released on Headquarter Records, now known as Restart Records. Omar met Ikey at a hip hop
show. They exchanged numbers and then Ikey met up with them during one of their shows and joined De Facto as their keyboard player midshow.
After the first album the lineup was switched around. Cedric began to play drums as he had before in his earlier band Foss. Omar played bass, and Jeremy, At the Drive-In's sound manager and cousin of guitarist Jim Ward, ran samples, sang and did the sparse guitar work. After relocating to the west coast, Ikey Owens joined the band on keyboards.
Their next album, Megaton Shotblast! was released on the Gold Standard Laboratories
label, and received instant success, probably in part due to the popularity of At the Drive-In
. The group's general style was instrumental
dub, but they also dabbled in electronica
, Latin
and salsa music
, and jazz
. These new ideas led to what would become their next band, The Mars Volta
.
broke up, Omar Rodriguez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala spent more time touring with De Facto. In 2001, the members of the band teamed up with bassist Eva Gardner
and drummer Jon Theodore
to form the Mars Volta. In the following years, prior to the death of Jeremy Ward, De Facto played numerous shows, some featuring John Frusciante
as a special guest on guitar, but did not release new material. Any future re-groupings of De Facto appeared highly unlikely due to the death of Jeremy Ward in May 2003, although the band was featured on the GSL Lab Results Vol. 1 Live DVD in 2007. However, in a radio interview conducted by Radionica Colombia
on 28 October 2008, Cedric Bixler-Zavala revealed that after returning from the South American leg of the current Mars Volta tour, they will return to the United States and record new material for a future De Facto release. In the same interview, Bixler-Zavala also stated that he will be returning to the drums for the production.
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
band which included Cedric Bixler-Zavala
Cedric Bixler-Zavala
Cedric Bixler-Zavala is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American musician known for his work as frontman and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta, and previously as frontman and occasional guitarist of the post-hardcore punk group At the Drive-In...
, Omar Rodríguez-López
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...
, Isaiah "Ikey" Owens and Jeremy Michael Ward
Jeremy Michael Ward
Jeremy Michael Ward was the sound technician and vocal operator for The Mars Volta and for the dub outfit De Facto. He created many of the soundscapes heard on The Mars Volta's album De-Loused in the Comatorium...
.
Biography
The band began as small jam sessions after At the Drive-InAt the Drive-In
At the Drive-In was an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, considered part of the post-hardcore genre and active from 1993 to 2001. They were known for their extremely energetic stage shows which hearkened back to the 1980s hardcore scene...
shows. The original band consisted of Omar, Cedric, and Jeremy playing local shows around their home town, El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. Cedric says, "Yeah actually we used to be called the Sphinktators, that was early De Facto, just more rock." Omar was actually the singer of the Sphinktators and remembers, "We used psychedelic sounds, Cedric played the bass, Jeremy played guitar, and Ralph Jasso played drums." After their first recording they brainstormed the name 'De Facto Cadre Dub', which was later shortened to De Facto. That recording became How Do You Dub? You Fight for Dub. You Plug Dub In., which they released on Headquarter Records, now known as Restart Records. Omar met Ikey at a hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
show. They exchanged numbers and then Ikey met up with them during one of their shows and joined De Facto as their keyboard player midshow.
After the first album the lineup was switched around. Cedric began to play drums as he had before in his earlier band Foss. Omar played bass, and Jeremy, At the Drive-In's sound manager and cousin of guitarist Jim Ward, ran samples, sang and did the sparse guitar work. After relocating to the west coast, Ikey Owens joined the band on keyboards.
Their next album, Megaton Shotblast! was released on the Gold Standard Laboratories
Gold Standard Laboratories
Gold Standard Laboratories or GSL was an independent record label which was founded in 1993 in Boulder, Colorado by Sonny Kay. In 2000, it was relocated to San Diego, California, USA, and two years later, to Los Angeles. It was headquartered in L.A...
label, and received instant success, probably in part due to the popularity of At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In was an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, considered part of the post-hardcore genre and active from 1993 to 2001. They were known for their extremely energetic stage shows which hearkened back to the 1980s hardcore scene...
. The group's general style was instrumental
Instrumental rock
Instrumental rock is a type of rock music which emphasizes musical instruments, and which features very little or no singing.Examples of instrumental rock can be found in practically every subgenre of rock, often from musicians who specialize in the style, most notably Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Link...
dub, but they also dabbled in electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, Latin
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
and salsa music
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
, and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. These new ideas led to what would become their next band, The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
.
Influences and genres
De Facto specializes in kooky, whimsical, and very eclectic instrumental grooves, the heady dub sounds of King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry just one of the many influences vying for primacy in the strange soup of their music. The others include lounge, tropicalia, straight reggae, abstract electronic, and jazz fusion. The group's writing process, not surprisingly, is improvisational, based on a fluid exchange of ideas using drum and bass rhythms as the songs' spines.Break-up and rebirth
When At the Drive-InAt the Drive-In
At the Drive-In was an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, considered part of the post-hardcore genre and active from 1993 to 2001. They were known for their extremely energetic stage shows which hearkened back to the 1980s hardcore scene...
broke up, Omar Rodriguez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala spent more time touring with De Facto. In 2001, the members of the band teamed up with bassist Eva Gardner
Eva Gardner
Eva Gardner is an electric bassist from Los Angeles, California. She is a graduate of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where she studied under trumpet player Bobby Rodriguez. She holds a degree in ethnomusicology from UCLA . Her professional credits include teaching stints at...
and drummer Jon Theodore
Jon Theodore
Jon Philip Theodore is a drummer, formerly a member of The Mars Volta. He has become best known for his explosive, multi-textural and dynamic playing style.-History:...
to form the Mars Volta. In the following years, prior to the death of Jeremy Ward, De Facto played numerous shows, some featuring John Frusciante
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
as a special guest on guitar, but did not release new material. Any future re-groupings of De Facto appeared highly unlikely due to the death of Jeremy Ward in May 2003, although the band was featured on the GSL Lab Results Vol. 1 Live DVD in 2007. However, in a radio interview conducted by Radionica Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
on 28 October 2008, Cedric Bixler-Zavala revealed that after returning from the South American leg of the current Mars Volta tour, they will return to the United States and record new material for a future De Facto release. In the same interview, Bixler-Zavala also stated that he will be returning to the drums for the production.
Band members
- Omar Rodríguez-LópezOmar Rodriguez-LopezOmar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Cedric Bixler-ZavalaCedric Bixler-ZavalaCedric Bixler-Zavala is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American musician known for his work as frontman and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta, and previously as frontman and occasional guitarist of the post-hardcore punk group At the Drive-In...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Isaiah "Ikey" Owens - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Jeremy Michael WardJeremy Michael WardJeremy Michael Ward was the sound technician and vocal operator for The Mars Volta and for the dub outfit De Facto. He created many of the soundscapes heard on The Mars Volta's album De-Loused in the Comatorium...
– sound manipulationAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, vocals, melodicaMelodicaThe melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
Albums
- ¡Megaton Shotblast!Megaton Shotblast¡Megaton Shotblast! is the debut album by De Facto. Largely instrumental, the album pulls influence from various genres, including electronica, dub, reggae, and jazz.-Track listing:#"Manual Dexterity" – 2:21#"Cordova" – 10:17...
(2001) - How Do You Dub? You Fight For Dub. You Plug Dub In.How Do You Dub? You Fight for Dub, You Plug Dub InHow Do You Dub? You Fight for Dub. You Plug Dub In. is an album by De Facto, a side-project of At the Drive-In's Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López...
(2001) - Légende du Scorpion à Quatre QueuesLegende du Scorpion a Quatre QueuesLégende du Scorpion à Quatre Queues is the last album by the experimental dub group, De Facto.-Track listing:#"Legend of the Four-Tailed Scorpion" – 3:02#"Mattilious Creed" – 0:17#"AMKHZ" – 3:16...
(2001)