The first incarnation of ATDI emerged from its El Paso, Texas breeding ground in the alternative nation heyday of 1994, and steadily amassed a loyal following through (you guessed it) non-stop touring and early releases such as In/Casino/Out (1998) and Vaya (1999) on Southern Californian indie Fearless. As the band's following expanded, so proportionately did its musical scope, pushing beyond the confines and conventions of emo, punk or any number of genres. In keeping with this musical progression, life would ultimately imitate art, and AT THE DRIVE-IN would leave El Paso.
"Our records still have a lot of El Paso in it," Bixler explains. "We definitely moved out of there for a reason; it was always a love/hate relationship but I really tried for a long time. We put a lot of effort into trying to build a community there, gained and lost a lot, helped promoters out... We all tried our best. We just needed to get away for a while, but the hometown is still in the music, this desolate area that still drives us to fight for a fair honest chance which we never got until now."
It is additionally ironic that the recent fin de siecle musical malaise--the polar opposite of the era in which they started--would be the point at which ATDI's identity and potential were fully realized. Indeed, today's numbing backdrop of pop culture, mediocrity and straight-up greed renders ATDI's music that much more fierce, its lyrical themes all the more vivid.
"It's always been an uphill battle," Bixler comments. "Now that we've gotten a little more recognition, we're fighting the snootiness of the punk scene, scenester seniority... Sometimes you just want to be given a fair chance at playing rock 'n' roll and just overlook all the regulations. You can do things on your own or you can do things with the help of a label. Either way, it's just one big struggle"
At The Drive In disbanded in 2001.
