Zechs Marquise

"Zechs Marquise is an American rock act from El Paso, Texas. They are generally considered a progressive rock band. It consists of Marfred Rodriguez-Lopez, Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez, Marcos Smith, and Matthew Wilkson. The band's name comes from the character Zechs Merquise of the anime Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez is also a member of The Mars Volta."

[reproduced or excerpted from the Wikipedia article "Zechs Marquise (band)" and its use is thus licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License]

Bandega Interview with Marfred Rodriguez-Lopez of Zechs Marquise (November 2009)

It's loud. It's aggressive. It's Zechs Marquise.

Q: How have your shows changed over the years? Has your perspective on performing live changed?
A: The band is definitely a lot tighter now. After playing with each other for so long we've learned to read the signs better. Before our sets were improvised for the most part, but over time we found out that an entire set like that can go nowhere and that leads to the music being boring. Not only for us but the crowd as well. Dynamics and melodies are things we started utilizing more, but we never completely got rid of the improvising aspect to keep things interesting. We care more about the presentation then we use to.

Q: Describe the most memorable live show you've played.
A: This summer when we were on tour with RX Bandits and Dredg we played the Recher Theatre in Baltimore and it was awesome. It was as if the band was communicating telepathically. Marcel and I were in the pocket matching up on just about everything. Marcos and Matt played off each other so well you'd swear it was the same guy with four arms rocking two different tones. The crowd was totally into it and we just fed off that energy. In fact, after the show Matt Embree from RX told us we came together like Voltron. We even had Steve Choi, also from RX, join us for a song on the keys. It was a wonderful night.

Q: What venue do you consider to be your "home", where you feel most comfortable, with the crowd and the place itself?
A: It would have to be Low End Theory at the Airliner in Los Angeles. Its a weekly night hosted by a group of DJ's that include Nobody, Gaslamp Killer, and Daddy Kev among others. It has a nice atmosphere those nights and the crowd is always great. Even though its more of a hip hop night they welcome us with open arms and hearts. Friends come out, everybody is in a good mood and out to have a good time. Its almost like a party. Not to mention the staff is always friendly.

Q: Describe the most enjoyable show you've ever experienced as a fan.
A: I saw Talib Kweli play in Albuquerque several years back. It was just him, a DJ and two, maybe three, back up singers. Heads were nodding, arms were in the air, everybody was really into it and he had all their attention. The guy has a way with words and he killed it that night. I can't remember the last time I sweat so much watching a show.

Q: After the epic saga that was the eventual nationwide release of "Our Delicate Stranded NightMare", are you planning on doing anything differently with its follow-up (which you have mentioned you hope to have released by the end of 2009)?
A: Its completely different from Our Delicate. Its more soul, more funk but still us. With ODSN we wanted to make an ambient record, something with space, something not so heavy, let the music breathe. Kind of like a soundtrack to a dramatic film. ODSN is very dark as far as the overall sound of the record. We knew that the next one should be different and that led us to do something more along the lines of our live shows. Lots of energy, loud, aggressive. I can't wait to put it out.

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