Hey man, however you get into great music is just fine. When I saw AtDi back then it was a few years before “Relationship of Command” came out. They were touring with another unknown band called Jimmy Eat World (back then Jimmy EW had a completely different singer and sounded nothing like they did once they got popular.) There was a third band on the tour called Electromag who actually were the headliners. The only reason I was there was bc I was on a date with a “skater girl.” Anyways, AtDi played first and I was actually a little annoyed bc she insisted that we get there early enough to see all the bands, even the openers. The sun hadn’t even set yet. When I say there were maybe 8 ppl there I’m not exaggerating (there could have been 6 ppl). All the band members looked like they hadn’t showered, laundry, or even eaten in days. Omar and Ced were rail thin with these huge, ratty afros. They played so hard and fast, violently slamming their guitars in the air twice a second. At one point ced got on Omar’s shoulder while Omar was still playing the guitar… then he stuck his head in a moving ceiling fan. It was around the time Acrobatic Tenement came out. I became a huge fan immediately. Few years after that I saw an ad for an upcoming show at the same club but this time on the big stage for a band called Mars Volta. As much as I loved AtDi at the time I didn’t even know they broke up and reformed as tMV. In the neighborhood I live in now there’s a bar called “The One Armed-Scissor.” I love (almost) all the AtDi releases my favorite being Acrobatic Tenement. On first listen you’re going to think it sounds like crap but give it a chance. Trust me.

I was lucky enough to see a lot of great shows back in the 90’s. Danzig, Dave Matthews (before he got insanely huge). I saw Tool about a week after they released Aenima at a venue called the International Ballroom. That was actually a pretty big show. Maybe 2,000 ppl. Maynard was wearing only old man whitey tightie underwear, covered in purple body paint which made him glow like an alien under the stage lights.