Cedric Bixler-Zavala Biography

Childhood & Early Life

Cedric Bixler-Zavala was born on November 4, 1974, in the United States of America, to the Mexican couple, Antonio-Joaquin de Zabala and Francesca Maria de Navarro. Even though his parents could speak both English and Spanish, his Spanish can, at its best, be termed “Spanglish.” The surname “Zaval” is the Castilian version of “Zabala,” his Spanish maternal surname that originated in the Basque region of Gipuzkoa.

His Association with Bands

In the early 1990s, Cedric played drums and sang for a band named ‘Foss.’ Beto O’Rourke played bass for the band and later became a Texas congressman, a senatorial candidate, and a presidential candidate.

At the Drive-In

Along with guitarist Jim Ward, Cedric established the post-hardcore band in 1994 and performed at the band’s first live show on October 14, 1994, at ‘The Attic’ in El Paso, Texas. They released the band’s first EP, ‘Hell Paso,’ in November 1994. The band’s second EP, ‘Alfaro Vive, Carajo!,’ was released in June 1995. Their 21-day tour of the Southwest ended in Los Angeles, where Cedric and Ward recorded their first full-length album, ‘Acrobatic Tenement.’ The album hit the shelves on August 18, 1996. The second full-length studio album of ‘At the Drive-In,’ titled ‘In/Casino/Out,’ released on August 18, 1998. Their fourth EP, ‘Vaya,’ released on July 13, 1999. They released a split EP in collaboration with the Czech band ‘Sunshine’ in April 2000. On January 17, 2000, the two began recording their third and final full-length album, ‘Relationship of Command,’ at the ‘Indigo Ranch Studios’ in Malibu, California. As the band’s members, Cedric and Ward’s first performance on national TV was on the show ‘Farmclub’ on the ‘USA Network.’ On November 12, 2000, Cedric and the band’s drummer, Tony Hajjar, were hospitalized after members of ‘At the Drive-In’ met with a road accident. Even though none of the band members was seriously injured, the accident had a profound impact on them. In March 2001, less than a month before their U.S. tours, ‘At the Drive-In’ disbanded. The members, however, referred to the break-up as an “indefinite hiatus.” The band’s final performance was at Groningen’s ‘Vera,’ on February 21, 2001.

The Mars Volta and Other Projects

‘At the Drive-In’ finally disbanded due to a combination of reasons, such as creative differences, Cedric and guitarist Rodríguez-López’s drug addiction, the excessive hype surrounding them, and their hectic tour schedules. Cedric, however, held himself responsible for the disbandment. He said that the band and their schedule were restricting his creative pursuits, as he wanted to explore other genres, apart from punk and hardcore. Such creative differences led Cedric and López to establish their dub band, ‘De Facto.’ They also formed the progressive rock band ‘The Mars Volta’ in 2001. ‘The Mars Volta’ disbanded in 2013. Cedric also wrote the short novel ‘De-Loused in the Comatorium.’ In 2013, Cedric founded a band called ‘Zavalaz,’ featuring guitarist Dan Elkan, bassist Juan Alderete, and drummer Gregory Rogove. López and Cedric later reunited and formed the supergroup ‘Antemasque’ in 2014. ‘Antemasque’ released its debut album in 2014. ‘At the Drive-In’ officially reunited on January 9, 2012, and performed their live show on April 9 that year, at ‘Red 7’ in Austin. After ‘The Mars Volta’ disbanded in 2013, Cedric and López broke all connections with each other. In 2016, Cedric had to cancel the North American tour of ‘At the Drive-In,’ as he had developed vocal nodules. On December 8 that year, the band released the song ‘Governed by Contagions,’ under the label of ‘Rise Records.’ Their next album, ‘in•ter a•li•a,’ was released on May 5, 2017, followed by the single ‘Incurably Innocent.’ The EP ‘Diamanté’ was released on November 24 that year.

Solo and Collaborative Projects

In December 2005, Cedric contributed a two-song single under his new pseudonym, “Alavaz Relxib Cirdec,” which was his name spelled backward. In late 2011, he released his first 7-inch record from his new collaborative psychedelic rock/folk music project, ‘Anywhere,’ with Christian Eric Beaulieu of ‘Triclops!’ and Mike Watt of ‘The Stooges’/’Firehose’/’Minutemen.’ Cedric once announced that he had been working on an album with ‘The Mars Volta’ drummer Deantoni Parks, but the album is yet to be released. In 2011, he started working on another album, inspired by soft ballads. The solo project eventually became the band ‘Zavalaz,’ with Cedric as the lead vocalist, Dan Elkan on guitar, Juan Alderete on bass, and Gregory Rogove on drums. On June 3, 2013, they released a snippet of the song ‘Blue Rose of Grand Street’ from their upcoming album, ‘All the Nights We Never Met,’ on ‘YouTube.’

Songwriting Style and Stage Presence

Cedric writes in English, Spanish, and Latin. His lyrics display his exceptional vocabulary and witty wordplay. He is highly inspired by American multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, and bandleader Frank Zappa and his humor. Cedric’s lyrics also show the extensive use of portmanteaus: combining words, or parts of them, to create a new word. While performing with ‘At the Drive-In’ and ‘The Mars Volta,’ Cedric was known for his eccentric stage presence. He would perform somersaults on stage, throw objects into the audience, adjust Lopez’s effects pedals, play the maracas, and swing his microphone.

Family & Personal Life

Cedric married actor and model Chrissie Carnell in 2009. They welcomed twin boys, Ulysses and Xanthus, in 2013. In November 2017, he ”tweeted” that actor Danny Masterson had raped Carnell and that the song ‘Incurably Innocent’ by ‘At the Drive-In’ was about the alleged assault. He was in a long-term association with the ‘Church of Scientology’ but later criticized the institution. Cedric has been involved in various philanthropic activities and has supported underprivileged children. He has also expressed his political views and supported Bernie Sanders in his 2020 presidential campaign.