SARGENT HOUSE

Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez is usually known for playing percussion or keyboards in bands The Mars Volta or Zechs Marquise. As a child, his mother encouraged him to pursue the piano as an addition to the drums that he preferred, so he would always have the opportunity to perform as a solo act. While on tour with his other bands, Rodriguez-Lopez concocted with the synthesizer-driven sounds of Eureka the Butcher, his alter ego. Those works have been collected in the album Music for Mothers, set for release May 28. The full album stream for Music for Mothers is available today. Check out how he chops up alien synth lines and stuttering rhythms to create otherworldly electronica worthy of any momma’s praise. - Alexis Stephens

Eureka The Butcher’s Album Release show is on May 28 in El Paso

Eureka the Butcher, solo pseudonym of Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez (also of Zechs Marquise and The Mars Volta) announces the forthcoming release of his debut album. The recording, Music For Mothers is dedicated to the multi-instrumentalist’s mother Frances Sarah Rodriguez-Lopez who passed away last year. The album will be released via Rodriguez Lopez Productions on May 28, 2013 - stream “Here Comes Eureka B” below:



Regarding the album, Marcel writes:
“This record is for my mom because she is the reason why I started playing the piano. She told me that it was great that I wanted to play drums, but if I played the piano, I could create music and play to a room full of people by myself. I didn’t start playing drums for another 4 years, and I wouldn’t start playing piano for another 7 or so. That’s when i started making electronic music. Making music under the Eureka name gives me that ability: to make music and perform by myself. I, however, do not perform alone. Sadah Luna performs with me because of my love for her dance and her love for my music. She completes the live show.

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Eureka The Butcher aka Marcel Rodriguez Lopez ( Zechs Marquise, The Mars Volta)  will be releasing his debut solo album via Rodriguez Lopez Productions/ SH later this Spring early Summer. He will also be performing with Sadah Luna two Free shows in Los Angeles. March 21st at Three of Clubs and March 22nd at High Fidelity Records with C-Gak. (All Ages)

Marcel Rodriguez Lopez is a Grammy Award winning multi-instrumentalist best known for his percussion and keyboard playing with the progressive rock group The Mars Volta, though this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as his musical accomplishments are concerned.

He is also the drummer and recording engineer for the group Zechs Marquise, which features two of his brothers, Marfred and Riko, as well as Marcos Smith and Matt Wilkson. Their most recent album entitled Getting Paid is out now on Sargent House/RLP. In addition to this Marcel records electronic music under the name Eureka the Butcher and has played on around eighteen releases by his brother Omar Rodriguez Lopez since 2006. The dude is prolific.

SIGHT/SOUND/RHYTHM caught up with Marcel before a Zechs Marquise show in Leeds, UK to talk about musical development, studio recording and technology within his music.

I think this is the first time you’ve been here with Zechs Marquise. How’s the European tour going so far?

It’s been great so far. It’s not at all like touring in the States. In the states it’s a lot harder. Over here the promoters are nicer and more hospitable and the venues are nicer. We’ve had places to stay every night and food, whereas in the states you’re basically on your own, you know. You get to the next place and they pretty much act like you’re doing them a favor by being there. Whereas over here they’re a lot more grateful and realize that it’s a two way street. That it takes both parties to make a great show and for people to have a good time.

Back home, when we do come across nice promoters we always make it a point to go up to them and say thank you for making it a good night for us, because it’s really easy for it to just go bad, basically.

Absolutely. I’ve been at venues before where promoters have just disappeared, or sometimes haven’t bothered to show up at all.

Yeah, we’ve had promoters straight out tell us that they have other shows going on that night and that they’re going to those other shows. So they just stop by to show face and then they leave and we don’t see them for the rest of the night, then we end up getting paid from somebody else who they’ve delegated that responsibility to.

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A few weeks ago, we introduced you to El Paso-based Low Ends mixer Eureka The Butcher, Marcel Rodríguez-López’s new solo project, also a member of Zechs Marquise, and keyboardist of The Mars Volta. He played a handful of shows in southern California that same week with his girlfriend, and apparently now a new member of his latest project, belly dancer Sadah Luna. I got the chance to talk to both of them about their work together, El Paso’s beat scene, and of course, how sparks few between these two lover kids.

How did you come up with the name Eureka The Butcher?

Marcel Rodríguez-López: Before I was actually making beats seriously, a friend of mine was throwing a show and asked me if I wanted to DJ. I played soul records, salsa records, that type of shit. He asked me what name I wanted and it just hit me, ‘put Eureka The Butcher on the flyer.’ I didn’t even end up DJ’ing so that name just kind of went away. Once I started getting into making more electronic music, I thought it fitting because of the Butcher part when you’re editing. It’s like you’re chopping things up and the Eureka part is when you finally nail that idea.

So you’re drumming for Zechs Marquise, playing keys for The Mars Volta and now producing your own beats. Let’s talk about what you can’t do musically.

M: [Laughs] I wish I could play guitar and bass. I can’t play any string instruments. I used to have a bass years ago and it was an awesome Fender P bass. It has this weird pick arc. I picked it up at a pawn shop for $80. I ended up giving it to a friend of mine in this band I was in right before I joined [The Mars] Volta. Our guitar player had pawned his stuff so I gave him my bass so he could pawn it and pull out his stuff, then we could practice. Once I join the Volta, I was in Australia and I saw the exact same bass going for sale for about $2500. I let my friend pawn the bass for $200 because we needed to rehearse so we could play shows.

So this new thing you’re doing is like Low End Theory-type shit?

M: It’s certainly where I draw the inspiration from because I love everything that comes out of there. It’s my take on the L.A. beat scene. I wish that I could be more a part of that type of shit because, in El Paso, I have two friends, one friend, who really makes beats, and another, Zeque, who does our artwork. My other friend Aaron is systematic, and he’s the one that drives me to make music. Zeque turns me on to a lot of that stuff and I wish that there was more of a community there the way that Low End and all those guys are pushing each other.

Marfred [Rodriguez-Lopez] definitely gets it but he doesn’t make beats. Marcos [Smith] just started getting into it. I think Matt [Wilkinson] is now getting into it so that’s cool to see. Hopefully, in a year or so, we’ll all be in a van on tour just passing shit back and forth.

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Née: Marcel Rodríguez-Lopez
Raíces: El Paso, TX
Sounds Like: Is psychedelic desert-dub a genre?
You should listen to Eureka The Butcher because: There aren’t enough sick beats in your life.
By Ivan Fernandez

I’m pretty sure that you, dear readers, are familiar with the Rodriguez-Lopez family of musicians so, when I inform you that Eureka The Butcher is Marcel’s production moniker, you already know that I’m talking about the Rodriguez-Lopez sibling who drums for Zechs Marquise (recall this RMX?) and plays keys for The Mars Volta.

Eureka A.K.A. Marcel has been working on beats for some time now under the guidance of the Low End Theory’s group of producers/DJs such as DJ Nobody (Elvin Estela). Fans should recognize Nobody from Omar’s Low End Theory-ish solo record, Tychozorente.

Eureka’s already released a few tracks of his psychedelic desert-dub, including a remix of Death Grips’ “Guillotine,” on the band’s soundcloud. The tracks blend some of the funk found in his work with Zechs Marquise with the ambience, sample, and beat-work of guys like Samiyam and Flying Lotus.

Check out the teaser for his debut album below, which will hopefully be out later this year.

Eureka The Butcher the electronica project of Marcel Rodriguez Lopez (Zechs Marquise, The Mars Volta) is in Los Angeles and he’s about to bring it live featuring Sadah Luna.  Don’t miss the west coast shows.

EUREKA THE BUTCHER feat Sadah Luna
Feb 20 - Hollywood, CA @ Harvard & Stone - FREE SHOW 21+
w/ Big Sir, Gregory Rogove & Devendra Banhart DJ’ing.  Doors 9pm
Feb 22 - Los Angeles, CA @ Low End Theory at the Airliner
Feb 24 - Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas

Marcel Rodriguez Lopez of The Mars Volta and Zechs Marquise presents his solo project  Eureka The Butcher + Sadah Luna’s new video for the track Sarah Monster.

EUREKA THE BUTCHER + SADAH LUNA SHOWS
2/20 @ Harvard & Stone - Hollywood, CA w/ Big Sir, Gregory Rogove & Devendra Banhart DJ’ing - FREE SHOW / 21+

2/22 Low End Theory @ The Airliner in Los Angeles

2/24 @ Hotel Vegas in Austin, TX

We are very excited to announce a few west coast shows of Marcel Rodriguez Lopez of (Zechs Marquise & The Mars Volta) electronica project called Eureka the Butcher featuring Sadah Luna who will be playing two shows with our own Big Sir the band of Juan Alderete (The Mars Volta)  & Lisa Papineau don’t miss them if you are in the  area:

EUREKA THE BUTCHER feat Sadah Luna & BIG SIR
2/19 @ Hemingways Lounge - Hollywood, CA w/ Gregory Rogove
2/20 @ Harvellle’s - Long Beach, CA w/ The Vespertines

EUREKA THE BUTCHER feat Sadah Luna
2/21 Live Stream on Ham on Everything Radio
2/22 Low End Theory @ The Airliner - Los Angeles, CA
2/24 @ Hotel Vegas in Austin, TX  

and follow them all  @bigsirband , @eurekabutcher , @j_alderete , @lisapapineau

HEAR EUREKA THE BUTCHER
HEAR BIG SIR

Marcel Rodriguez Lopez aka Eureka The Butcher of Zechs Marquise and The Mars Volta has unleashed 4 new tracks of his solo electronic production project.

Hit Read More to stream:

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“Getting Paid was a learning process, just like everything else we’ve gone through. We basically recorded it twice to make it better.”

This issue, The Mars Volta’s Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez, drummer in El Paso instrumental outfit Zechs Marquise, fills us in on his band and their latest, sophomore album, Getting Paid.

“We wrote and recorded the songs, and then learned to play them live,” he tells us. “We started touring and used the opportunity to road-test the songs. We kept what we liked, scrapped or changed what we didn’t, and re-recorded the album. In the end, it came out exactly how we wanted it: our version of an early jazz fusion record, a blaxploitation record, a progressive rock record, a hip hop record, a salsa record, an electronic record.”

And he’s not exaggerating either. Getting Paid is all these things, and more – an eclectic set that comes across like a soundtrack to an unreleased ‘70s blaxploitation flick, while landing them in some very different territories to their 2009 debut.

Check out the full interview with Marcel in issue 35, in stores now or available to order HERE

Or you can download the digital edition of the latest issue right now! Visit Pocketmags.co.uk

Happy Birthday today to Chino, you incredibly talented thing you! I thank you for the beautiful gift you and your Zechs Marquise brothers made to help us all in Getting Paid. I hope you have a great one - we all love you so much over at the house. XO - CP

Live from Coachella April 15, 2011 6 Live Videos of - Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group

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No matter which psychedelic collective Omar Rodriguez-Lopez finds himself in, they all contain a few essential elements: blistering jams, howling Spanglish and spine-bending dance moves. It certainly seemed to be the case during their 45-minute sonic tirade at the Gobi Tent. Joined by vocalist Cedric Bixler Zavala, the founders of the Mars Volta ignited Coachella fans with a barrage of heart-pounding prog rock. The spindly, clean-cut Zavala went all theatrical on the crowd during jams like “Broken English.”

Reptilian poses and creepy jazz-hand gestures added a spark of eccentricity to the big rhythms and Lopez’s rapid-fire arpeggios. Whether he was attempting an ankle-breaking James Brown pose or attempting to swallow his microphone (hands-free), the nimble frontman made certain that his presence was broadcast load and clear.

Lopez’s strained facial expressions matched his bent guitar notes during sprawling solos. Bassist Juan Alderete looked permanently spaced out, and Lopez’s brother Marcel maintained a shaggy-haired zen as he plodded along on synth with stoic sound manipulator Lars Stalfors. Then there was drummer Deantoni Parks’ face, plastered with a gangsta grimace. If nothing else, those unable able to hear the sound too clearly from the back got the gist of their passion from the body language blaring on the big screens near the stage.

Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group on Tour,  New Orleans - House of Blues - March 22, 2011