Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Reunites With The Mars Volta Members on Upcoming Solo Album

If you've followed the career of At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, you're aware that he's quite prolific. In fact, in 2016 alone, he's releasing 12 solo albums. But what makes one of those upcoming albums special is that he managed to pull in the members of his supposedly defunct band The Mars Volta on a song.

According to Billboard, Rodriguez-Lopez recorded with drummer Jon Theodore, late keyboardist Ikey Owens and bassist Eva Gardner, who were all part of the original lineup of the band, for a contribution on the Aranas en La Sombra album. The disc will also feature a guest turn from frequent Rodriguez-Lopez collaborator John Frusciante, who also did a stint with The Mars Volta. Aranas en La Sombra is reportedly the oldest of the the musician's upcoming albums, dating back to 2012 when it was recorded.

Aranas en La Sombra will be the fourth of the 12 2016 discs to arrive, currently on schedule for an Aug. 26 street date. He recently issued the first album, Sworn Virgins, and will follow with Corazones on July 29 and Blind Worms Pious Swine on Aug. 12 before Aranas en La Sombra drops. The albums will continue with two issued a month wrapping up with the Some Need It Lonely album on Dec. 16.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Rodriguez-Lopez also discussed a potential revival for The Mars Volta, but added, "There are only four surviving members of the real Mars Volta, which is Eva Gardner, the original bass player who gave us all our soul, but unfortunately had to leave the band because her father died on the second tour; Ikey Owens, who, of course isn't with us anymore; Jeremy Ward, who isn't with us anymore; and Jon Theodore. Jon and Eva are still alive and we're so grateful for that. And any true fan of the band knows that's the real chemistry right there."

He continued, "Whenever we get to that time, we hope that it all lines up with whatever Jon's doing and whatever Eva's doing, because she's been touring with Gwen Stefani. I just have a feeling it will. Life has a funny way of working out." The fourth living member alongside Rodriguez-Lopez, Gardner and Theodore is Rodriguez-Lopez's At the Drive-In bandmate and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, who was with the group all the way through its tenure, which ended in 2012.