page_title: Cedric Bixler-Zavala
section_title: Artistry
hierarchical_section_title: Cedric Bixler-Zavala / Artistry
caption_attribution_description: English: Cedric Bixler-Zavala, lead vocalist for the Mars Volta, performing at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, MN.
context_page_description: Cedric Bixler-Zavala is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta and the only constant member of the post-hardcore group At the Drive-In, for which he is the lead singer and occasional guitarist. He is also the lead singer of the band Antemasque, and sings and plays guitar in his band Zavalaz.
context_section_description: Bixler-Zavala has a tenor voice type, with a range spanning from D2 to C7. His vocal work spans many different styles, ranging from consistent rhythmic shouts (common in his singing with At The Drive-In) to controlled falsetto and head voice singing (a familiar trademark of his singing with The Mars Volta). In 2016, it was also revealed that Bixler-Zavala developed vocal nodules, causing shows to be canceled while on tour.
  Bixler-Zavala is fond of Frank Zappaesque humor and writes in English, Spanish, and Latin. His lyrics have a wide vocabulary and often feature complicated wordplay. Bixler-Zavala also uses portmanteaus: combining existing words, or parts of words, to create a new word. The song "Noctourniquet," for example, combines "nocturnal" (active at night) and "tourniquet" (a medical device to stop bleeding). He has stated: "I love to take common sayings, pervert them, mutate them a little. So you think I am singing one thing, but when you read it, it is different." He has described Mark E. Smith of The Fall as "one of the pillars of influence for me as lyricist".
  When performing with At the Drive-in and The Mars Volta, Bixler-Zavala is known for his eccentric on-stage behavior. He frequently does somersaults on stage, swings his microphone (once unintentionally hitting bandmate Ikey Owens in the head), throws objects such as cymbals, microphone stands, and trash cans into the audience, salsa dances, adjusts Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's effects pedals and occasionally plays the maracas.
caption: Cedric Bixler-Zavala in 2008
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