The Mars Volta Thomas Pridgen Drum Solo Orlando

[NickB33]

Wow cedric's voice is awesome here

[ImaFez]

did u record this with a cam corder, or was it an i phone or something?

[eonblueeulogy]

his hair is akin to darth helmet's helmet

[BHWR]

goosebumps, everytime

[TheAldoSays]

alright about that effect. It's my favorite pedal in my board. It's a MXR Phase 90. Really sick pedal. Look it up.

[FollowersofDamu]

Would love to take some acid with Omar and Cedric and then jam. And then grow my hair out for a few years and make a windmill out of it. Fuck yea.

[TheMinusBlindfold]

Zach hill will be a nice replace

[winnerbaby44]

they'll never find another drummer like this..

NEVER

[bmpsound4]

unless they got jon theodore back.... personally i think jon was a better drummer because he didn't try to play every note possible throughout every song.

[bahl97365]

bmpsound4 - "because he didn't try to play every note possible throughout every song." This doesn't make a lot of sense. as a musician you want to play ever possible note on a cd, that suppose to be the feel. in concert you want to elaborate and change it in ways to make it better. kind of like just jamming with friends.

[bmpsound4]

actually what you just said was so painfully incorrect, i can't even come up with any more of a response.

[bahl97365]

thats what you just think because you obviously don't embrace change. he is a way better drummer than John Theodore. It doesn't make any sense to say, 'because he doesn't try to play every note." wtf is that suppose to mean?

[bahl97365]

and its not Thomas' music. Omar creates all the music. Kind of have to do what the guy says to be in the band when making a cd.

[Vulnus777]

thats what you think....gary novak is all i have to say.

[computerhacksaw]

@Vulnus777 gary novak was the shit with allan holdsworth - theres a vid with them on youtube playing WARSAW. It's quite good.

[computerhacksaw]

@winnerbaby44 thomas pridgen is definitely one of the best... totally advancing the art form.

[psychedelicbrian]

...how is omar getting that wah effect on his guitar?

[bahl97365]

through a wah pedal...

[psychedelicbrian]

@bahl97365 but he's clearly not working a pedal, and it doesn't look like he's messing with tone knobs... so is it an auto-wah or what?

[blackmageneo]

@psychedelicbrian

I think marcel controls the wah-wah. I received a setlist st the last show i went to and it shows which pedals to hit. If not marcel then some faceless techie in back.

[pat353]

@psychedelicbrian Yea its probably a auto-wah from his fm4. Thats got a a couple of auto-wahs in it that could make that noise.

[seamoretube]

i don't get this sh@@@t

[67rhd]

fuck you THE MARS VOLTA is the best band ever. you just dont know music MARICON

[BurntTreeProduct]

Everyone has different taste, just like in visual arts, different people like the different philosophies and periods of art...

[ravenofnihil]

you realise TMV is just cedric and omar? they write all the music, and the band performs it as written (jams aside).

[BurntToast355]

well that sucks. Maybe they should FIRE cedric and omar for writing shitty music

[timmunn1]

see them live youd change your mind. and dont see them in a arena go to like a club or local state theater

[peterbill12]

wow this is way faster then on the record!!

[1000445555555]

cedric?

[stratocastermaster2]

hispanic :)

[KingCheez]

whew thank god for that, i hate whities

[kfizzle441]

does that tell you anything haha?

[cocteautwinsfan]

You've got to be kidding me. Black bands have been overlooked since 1982. It's not like they disappeared; they are overlooked. Do you think black men just rap? Spin records? Most of us don't even like it. The media hides that fact. We CREATE music. It's our history. It's amazing how you can't like a band if no white people are in it. Say that to The Beatles, Clapton, Led Zep The Stones, etc. See what they think about it. I can't blame you after all the rap. I know how you feel... but GEEZ...

[stratocastermaster2]

nooooooooo

you got me all wrong, i love tmv.

i was replying to that guy that said this band was for whiteys and full of em.

[peaceandamrit]

@cocteautwinsfan

race really not import for this band

[vegadomis32988]

@cocteautwinsfan yeah man the blues, jazz and even rock n roll roots was made from black people

[1S0AR]

@cocteautwinsfan it's not about the color of a band member, it's about how good the music is. It just so happends that more black people are good at rapping than playing this kind of music

[keaton223]

@cocteautwinsfan all those bands you listed were heavily influenced by black artists! lol

[soranaru]

Funny how they aren't indie.

[hazzpwnage]

They're prog rock how are they indie? Besides who gives a fuck about genres concerning a band as experimental as The Mars Volta,

STUPID DICK ASS FUCKING CUNT FUCKER FUCK YOU FOR YOUR DAD FUCKIN DICK SMOKER COCK CLEANER BLOWHOLE OWNER! ^  !

Always wanted to be a youtube dick :P

[matt5sickesteva]

your calling the mars volta indie . your an idiot.

[teamhowdy]

they were on an indie label for every cd except the last one so they are indie

[matt5sickesteva]

dude that dont make them indie and last time i checked the mars volta were sighned to universal records, which isnt a indie record label.

[v11drummer]

You're fucking stupid.

[revolversand]

the mars volta fuck your mom

[shesnotdead]

Just my opinion, Goliath justifies why Thomas is in the band. Jon and Thomas although played in the same band, for me they have a widly different way of playing the drums. I prefer Thomas but that's becuase I find the stuff he plays harder to copy than Jon's. Just my opinion.

[pablobostero1280]

@shesnotdead harder to copy doesnt mean better. jon had a better feel

[ThesisOfRock]

De-loused was neat and all, but Frances the Mute definitely has it beat. I mean, Frances and Bedlam both really show what the Mars Volta can do. If you were a real fan, you would realize this, instead of groping about how much Theodore is supposedly better than Pridgen and begging for another album like De-loused. If you ask me, I don't want another De-loused, because I already know they can do it. I want them to surprise me, like Octahedron. That's what defines a good band like the Mars Volta.

[embermage13]

very well said!

at least there are still people who truly understands mars volta's way of being a "band"

[pablobostero1280]

@ThesisOfRock no offence to pridgen, but their best 3 albums were deloused,frances the mute and amputechture. which jon played on all of them. as soon as pridgen came they definatly changed their style. thier mind fuck, psychedelic music vanished.

[ThePigeonDetective2]

I respect your opinion but disagree. The 'best' is just your opinion. I rate TBIG just under De-Loused. It is only under your own opinion that your thesis is correct

[pablobostero1280]

could be... but they just transformed into another band after thoedore, n who cant agree wit dat, i honestly liked their older stylen stuff better. just 1 guys opinion though.

[pablobostero1280]

exactly y, metal?? i hate metal n its not wat im lookin 4 when listenin to TMV. n octahedron well its just not them.

[bahl97365]

cedric and omar dont want to be creating the same thing over and over again. one of the reasons why they broke up at the drive-in. If you watch some interviews the question is brought up and he answers it. Its about doing everything that they can, not being stuck on one type of genre. ya know? have you listened to any of the solo shit omar has put out? you would like that. its spacey and out there. And plus its the music they want to make. its about no one but them.

[MetrashaStoner2010]

best fucking drummer alive!!!!

[kaptainpimp6]

wuh Thomas is ill... yo i saw them a few days before u did in UCirvine california and just saw them like a week and a half in ventura california ... kooo start on their 2009 tour

[SeanithanEgan]

Lets all stop comparing things and just listen to them.

I saw this show, live.

It was quite good.

[ScreamxBloodyxGore]

Really? It was live when you saw it in concert? Oh my god!

[SeanithanEgan]

No need to be a dick, really.

[markeesdeath]

uhh.... he "lacks the jon theodore signature" because he's... not jon theodore... i love voltas old albums....but the drums were nothing TOO special(exept De Loused)... if you ask me AFTER de loused, it sounded like jon had lost some fire, when i hear bedlam, lol i can almost hear Thomas having fun... and thomas' version of Tetragramaton KILLS what Jon played every time... im sorry... ill say it again, Theodore.. is an Upgraded Jon Bohnam(i cant spell) sorry i said it...hes like Bohnam on speed

[pablobostero1280]

wat?? wat about cygnus or cassandra. great drum songs man. thomas is just too choppy for THEIR MUSIC. not gonna lie thomas is great n maybe even better than jon. but jon was more fot the mars volta than thomas.

[leggie123]

Yes, I would be kicking myself if I were you. lol

Nahhh, thanks for uploading this.

Love Thomas!

[Tremulant55]

The Mars Volta is a very progressive band, and I never expect them to create anything like they've done in the past. Omar is always wanting to come up with something different, so I feel like saying Jon was better or Thomas is better is so hard to judge. I think both are amazing and I'm just glad and open to accept a new idea.

[slavetothestix2]

I thought the new album was the best thing they've ever done. They completely replaced their progressive punk sound with a zappa-like funk influence. It's great shit.

[nickjohnson55]

Jon was way better, thier music was better all around but jon's drums are what made their first two albums classic.

[DaMarsVoltaFan]

bad for the thumbs down... I'm with you dude... Thomas is an Excellent drummer, but it was Theodore the one who MADE the Voltas be what they were... a mindblowing trance

[swmuzik]

What the John Brown?

[eskimoflo13]

Pridgen has got the chops for sure, however, he lacks that signature Theodore groove that made the Mars Volta so great on previous albums.

[Shalebot]

Jon's one of the greatest drummers in rock. Pridgen's technicality is astounding, but he doesn't have the sexiness or sensibility that Jon brought to the table.

[pigpen712]

frances, deloused and amputechture were all dope. bedlam lacks the psychedellic, experimental trip sound that i love so much. its like theyre trying to recreate atdi all over again. but idk...

[keyrarocks]

that whole recreate ATDI statement makes no sense.. i love ATDI but the reason that cedric and omar left is because they felt they were unable to progress that band and style of music any further.. now if this was true would they really want back track 8 years?

[MPrint666]

Exactly right, i'm glad they matured instead of playing to a fanbase. the guys in Sparta were lucky to be in a band with Omar and Cedric really and we all found that out quickly when they went out on their own.

[pablobostero1280]

im wit u man

[Beeftaco3]

I don't think Pridgen has had an opportunity with Volta to show a lot of dynamic contrast, this past album was very high energy and meant to be loud/chaotic I suppose as a way to grab attention instead doing "the same ole stuff" so to speak.

[broyalwithcheese]

if theres one thing thomas pridgen lacks that jon theodore didn't, its his ability to work with dynamics. jon theodore was so good at controlling his volume while playing in beast mode the whole time.

[MPrint666]

Are you kidding? Prigden has the sickest ghost strokes of any drummer. Theodore was not as good in any aspect and i'm sick of people saying he was. De-Loused was their worst album, NOT best by any means. It was the most user friendly album due to Rick Rubin over-producing, and certainly their least creative effort(still awesome though). I'm sick of supposed fans asking for another De-loused, THEY MATURED, get over it!!!

[broyalwithcheese]

im not doubting his technical ability as a drummer, in fact i think hes much more conditioned as a rock drummer. jon just fitted the beats perfectly into the music. for example, soothsayer is an amazing track on bedlam but its aesthetic sound is hindered by pridgens excessive drum fuckery the moment he comes in. my favorite album is frances but i dont see how deloused was user friendly, considering the amount of white noise thrown into cicatriz. ps they matured in atdi: relationship of command.

[MPrint666]

White noise in a couple songs doesn't mean the cd isn't a watered down version of their newer material because it really is. Sure me being a drummer might make me a little biased toward Prigden, maybe understand his complex rhythms and timing a bit more. The fact is however that Omar wanted Thomas to play the intricate stuff because Omar controls the music. And if you listen to the new album you will notice his ability to lay back. PS- ATDI hit a wall, Cedric and Omar have said it multiple times

[broyalwithcheese]

all im saying is that i heard a little bit of mars volta coming out of relationship of command. i understand complex rhythms and timing because im also a drummer. like i said i would challenge anyone to cover the drums on the track goliath because i know that technically, pridgen is better than theodore. going back to my original post you should know what dynamics is being a drummer and should realize that everything in bedlam is at volume 11 97% of the time which is just obnoxious.

[broyalwithcheese]

and deloused probably is the most creative concept albums considering its all just assumptions of what the hell jeremy ward was going through in his coma

[teamhowdy]

deloused isn't about jeremy ward he played on the album and then died a week or so before the album came out. the albums about Julio Venegas

[zacholden08]

arghhh hes so much better than there old drummeer

[Saidso17]

Sometimes I think Cedric is losing his voice then I hear that and get mad at myself for doubting.

[Drewb18c1]

I think the reason he doesn't always sound so great live is because he's singing those ridiculous lines night after night for an epic tour. He never half-asses the writing for his vocals haha. He'll sometimes have honey on stage and chug some during an instrumental section to keep his voice going.

So yeah, it's not that he's losing his voice...it's probably just the end of the tour if he's not sounding so great... Just listen to scab dates if you ever find yourself doubting him ;)

[AfroSappho]

I cannot believe Cedric can hit those notes live. I always thought distortion was used during that part on the album. Fucking amazing voice.

[redscarf]

yes yes hes come a long way since atdi.

Dont believe people who say he fucks up live, when I saw them his vocal performance was flawless.

[groovster00]

Was threre ..best concert of my life so far (:

[e22378]

fuck yeah!!!

[EnriquePage91]

man he doesn't want to replace theodore.. he's meant to be remembered as Thomas Pridgen, not Thomas Theodore.

he changes the whole TMV dynamics, and that just makes it awesome.

TMV isn't meant to stay the same forever.

[dtegg91]

Too true.

[thebossierkid0808]

Hahahahaha, for that, I spam you. Noone wants to hear your blabbering, fucker.

[tsvorvitaliy]

agreed

[Stroma2]

I don't think you could classify them as "indie rockers" since they have a recording contract with Universal, and they've been doing their distribution since De-Loused. They are a difficult band to categorize.

[mfgdrummer]

if their was a word that meant "badass" and "weird as shit", then TMV would be that

[ModulationCracks]

cedric at the end sings so fucking good. sometimes he really makes me cry

[ck4hssc]

I used to think theodore was volta material but then i saw pridgen play and realized that theodore couldnt keep up with what cedric and omar wanted to do.

[hopeinnewsnow]

who the fuck could?

[cellachris]

Hey, I'm in this video...right in front of the stage, dead center. Amazing show, almost died.

[jackpaice]

lucky you dude! :D

[wrokstar16]

He fits the Mars Volta style perfectly!

[Circa7]

thomas pridgen is a great drummer..

but im sorry man..

john theodore.. was mars volta material

-Bri

[jackpaice]

looool its kinda true. now a mars volta show is like a huge drum solo with some guys playing in the back ehehe

but i still loooove bedlem in goliath

[SuzakuFireborn]

holy shit, look at the size of that one secuirity guard. He's like a small whale

[davidians79]

like mr bungle...muy bueno.

[KanuZankoro]

Ohoho

Bunglefan?

I don't think anything that this band ever did sounds like Mr. Bungle

[davidians79]

jaja...Sorry.Iam a "Bunglefan" and everything for mi "like mr bungle"...Sorry for my spaninglish.

[KingPixelmouth]

mr bungle is great but completely unrelated to this

[davidians79]

aha...--

[SephProject]

They Aint Really Going Crazy in this Concert....

They Were all wild in the Houston Show...But still badass..

[111lb111]

is it me or in the beginning of the vid when thomas is choping it sounds like someone is saying hallelujah

[ROAHHHH]

yeah like hall-e-luuuh-jah hall-e-luuuh-jah

[goaliekidd1]

was there, amazing

[ecole]

their whole set is better then the average drum solo!

[jmka4l]

lol seriously true

[XHesterXPrynnX]

as much as i love the mars volta, their jew fros kill me XD

[Gettinghitonattheban]

I wish the vid quality was just a bit better, bet still it was great from what I heard.

[skuulofhardknox]

i was at this show! the sound bounced off all the walls so it sounded bad. amazing band tho...

[stunnaonflyrims]

NO WAY Cedric hit those notes live....is he human??

[zaorulesmetal]

It's easy doing falsetto.

[AirHendrix91]

Wow, those were the highest notes I have ever heard.

[capilarian]

Es la verga ese wey, se la come riendo...

He's a fuckin master, well all band!!

[black0tag]

it was cool till this bitch started dancin and singing like he might be on somethin

[stebe1985]

is that a picture of cedric on his bassdrum? lol

man pridgen is awesome

[drumsex]

no hahaha!!!that image its printed on the scab dates cd label

[sicpooch]

hella fast!

[firerobot]

couple of those cymbals ended up in the crowd that show ....

[winnerbaby44]

really?

im gonna see them in a few weeks.. maybe ill go home with a new cymbal played by mr. pridgen

[1987devo]

saw them last night in australia. he stole the show.

[Rocketfrogs]

I saw them in Brisbane on Saturday. He is a fucking animal. Fantastic drummer.

[compcommie]

nothing against Thomas but when i saw him on NYE his Bass drum was the worst. it sounded like some one was holding a hand-clapper up to a mic. he needs to get someone to tune it

[northwarrior21]

u obviously havent listened to TBIG then.

[compcommie]

no i have, in fact i have both the cd and vinyl versions. his bass drum sounds fine on record, but you can even hear it on this live recording that his bass drum is tuned way differently. i don't know if it's because he's trying to cut through the mix, but it sounds horrible.

[northwarrior21]

when i saw them it sounded godly, and whenever u hear any bass drum just through a camera like this is makes it sound horrible, also its more likely its a mic eq problem then a tuning problem, getting eq right for bass drums is so hard...also i refuse to believe he can evar do anything wrong evar haha

[compcommie]

all i know is when i saw them his bass drum was horrible, but maybe is has gotten better.

i like pridgen a lot to, but there are times where he falters

[FIAhhhh]

i like the original bass part in the actual song, thats my opinion, thomas is a god at drumming though

[iheartmom]

is 1:07 thomas pridgens single bass pedal work or is that a maraca or some other exotic instrument?

[tfot34]

I just saw them in st louis a couple weeks ago and I still get the chills just thinking about it. Honestly I couldn't stop smiling until the show was over. Anyone who has seen them with thomas knows what im talking about. The endurance that he has playing the drums blows my mind.

[iceman10129]

I saw them in Miami, and it was 3 hours of playing with no break at all, not even to say hello. They played 3 hours and left, it was amazing. I have never seen such endurance

[protestx]

yeh i just saw them last nite in Sydney, and same thing - the whole time, i could hardly comprehend how freakin good he was. even now just thinking of it literally gives me goosebumps. he really needs to be seen to be believed

[TripwireAlarm]

He writes all the lyrics, vocal melodies, provides stage antics, and is one of the founders of the band. There would be no The Mars Volta if either he or Omar (guitarist) left. There would have been no At The Drive-In if either Cedric (singer) or Omar weren't in the band. Respect!

[Jackalz]

He also helps Omar write some songs. ie; concepts for songs, sounds etc.

[adfoqiewf]

that doesnt mean dude can sing. Thomas Pridgen is a beast though.

[stunnaonflyrims]

Cedric is noted for his vocal quality...they mix up most of the songs usually so that you will never get the same show twice. But if you catch him in any video's where he is singing the song normally...you will understand that his voice is rivaled by little other artist

[Thrahl]

Pridgen is NASTY

[stunnaonflyrims]

Most of Thomas beats are the biggest pain in the behind to learn...I was asked to learn Wax Simulacra for an audition and got teary eyed thinking about the hours I would have to sit on the kit to learn every rhythm...

[davrencho]

so, are you already learning how to play it?

[stunnaonflyrims]

I finished everything but the ending...I have a punk rock kit orientation and its quite difficult to keep time with the china/splash cymbals hits. I got caught up in learning Viscera Eyes that one is wicked fun to play...

[ignarukih]

can you post a video? the insane single kicking in the intro is what gets me.

[stunnaonflyrims]

If you look on my profile I have 2 videos...they are both rough tests...my kit has changed since then...the sound quality is terrible I need to mic my kit...even still my kit itself sucks...cymbals, snare, and everything else is pretty good quality tho

[santanahendrix]

I WAS THERE!!!

[ShadowsofBodom]

their drummer is one of the best, but their music makes me want to kill myself

[dontaskwhyplz]

that made me laugh, but too bad. The Volta is an aquired taste -.-

[ShadowsofBodom]

yeah, thx for not flaming me. Definitely aren't a band you can just start liking immediately...

[zildjianman14]

aquired taste is definitely the best way to put it. I aquired a taste for TMV last year and i love it, and the new drummer

[Defect8]

If you start with "De-Loused in The Comatorium" it's a perfect introduction to TMV. The production from Ric Reuben makes the cd almost sound like pop music compared to other TMV, and it's definitely the most polished of all their work. All cd's from then on get crazier, more experimental, and more orgasmic.

[redrumPole]

wow, man, your vids are sooo awesome :)

[Lethemeo]

I know dude, cedric throwing his cymbal stands into the crowd was sick. I would get pissed if I was Thomas though omg.

[papasmurf2378]

that night was amazing