Zechs Marquise Interview (2010): At The Drive-In Influence & Early Shows | Ryan Minic

In a 2010 interview with Ryan Minic of Ryan’s Rock Show, Marfred Rodriguez-Lopez, Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez, Marcos Smith, and Matthew Wilkson of Zechs Marquise share their experiences navigating the DIY music scene, their early days in El Paso’s underground venues, and the hard realities of life on the road.

The band reflects on the vibrant but now-faded El Paso music scene, reminiscing about garage shows, DIY venues in storage units, and even junkyard gigs. They talk about the impact of At The Drive-In, not just as an influence but as a firsthand example of what it takes to succeed, watching them go from chaotic garage performances to worldwide recognition.

Diving into their own journey as a band, they share road stories from their earliest tours, including playing a 52-year-old’s birthday party without realizing it and sleeping in a broken-down van on the side of I-10 after a brutal tire blowout. They laugh about booking tours with no real strategy, taking any gig they could find, even if it meant driving back and forth across the same cities just to play.

The interview also highlights their relentless work ethic, with the band emphasizing that the key to success isn’t a secret—it’s non-stop touring. They discuss the struggles of independent bands in a digital age, where some groups blow up overnight on social media, but without real, dedicated fans, those bands disappear just as quickly.

They also touch on DIY merch-making in the early years, from hand-spray-painted t-shirts to self-burned CDs that were sold at shows. They acknowledge that the grind has never been glamorous—sleeping in vans, playing empty rooms, and dealing with awful venues—but it’s all part of the bigger picture of building something real.