If you’re a food delivery worker, it’s unlikely you’ll ever hand off grub to a revered musician. It’s even less likely that this person will be one of your musical “idols.” It’s even more of a long shot if you live in a small town. It’s even more absurd that they’d gift you an unreleased copy of their still-not-formally-announced new album.
But according to one lucky fan, that one-in-a-million dream scenario actually happened.
The artist (and supposed food recipient) in question is Cedric Bixler-Zavala, singer-lyricist of The Mars Volta, who have blended Latin, prog-rock, electronic, punk, jazz, and pop into a wildly unclassifiable sound since 2001 And the fan, who posts under the name LedZeppole10, documented their saga in the r/themarsvolta subreddit.
The OP says they were “biking toward the destination” in their hometown of Ashland, Oregon, when they started to wonder about the name of the customer: “Cedric B.” They knew The Mars Volta were in the area, having recently played the Pacific Northwest on tour opening for Deftones. (Their late February dates included stops in Seattle and Portland, Oregon.) Then they arrived at a hotel and noticed tour buses.
“I place a call to Mr. Cedric B. to let him know that his [oven-roasted turkey sandwich], 3 bags of [Lay’s] chips, and 1 chocolate chip cookie from Subway have arrived. I wait around outside the hotel for a moment. Soon—guess who strolls out in a black peacoat and blue trucker cap? Immediately I’m like, ’it IS you!’”
LedZeppole10 said they “kept it really cool, like ice-cold” during the interaction, shaking the musician’s hand and having a great conversation with one of their longtime “idols.” Bixler-Zavala was “very warm and approachable,” happily geeking out about music-and band-related topics. Then he supposedly took the interaction to a legendary level: gifting a burned-CD copy of The Mars Volta’s leaked but still-unannounced new album, reportedly titled Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacio, which they’ve been playing in full during the ongoing tour.
“[H]e asks me if I have a CD player,” they wrote. “I […] don’t currently but told him I would buy one on the way home if I need to. He says ‘Hang on, I got something for you.’ [He] goes inside for a few minutes and goes back up to his room to get something for me. I’m just waiting outside the hotel waiting for Cedric to return at this point. Truly a surreal moment. He comes outside again and says, ‘Here’s my personal copy of the new album. It leaked already, sooo.’”
LedZeppole10 wrote that their “mind was blown,” calling the interaction “legitimately the coolest thing that ever happened to me.” Now they just have to figure out a way to play this historic piece of Mars Volta fandom: “Needless to say I really have to buy a CD player now. Will probably listen to it once and never again. It’s my most cherished possession.”
LedZeppole10 came with some level of visual evidence: a phone screenshot of what appears to be a food-delivery order, images of a hotel with a tour bus outside, and, of course, photos of a Verbatim-brand CD-R labeled with in black Sharpie with “LUCRO.”
And the post, naturally, blew up—even making headlines outside of Reddit, including at Vice. Mars Volta diehards, meanwhile, reacted with a combination of disbelief and virtual high-fives: “This is truly, completely, and utterly the most incredible singular fan interaction you could possible have with this band,” someone wrote. “You are Charlie, and this is your golden ticket.”
GOOD reached out to LedZeppole10 and asked about the alleged encounter—and their history of loving The Mars Volta, which dates back to the mid-2000s when a classmate introduced them to the band’s acclaimed second LP, Frances the Mute. “Been a fan ever since, and they were actually the last live band I’ve seen,” they said. “Caught them in [San Francisco] two years ago.”
The story generating so much attention feels “really surreal,” says LedZeppole10, who has “mixed feelings” about the post going viral: “[I] kind of regret even posting it honestly, but it had to happen for the public historic record of the Volta, I guess.”
Hype aside, the memory—and the physical reminder—of that moment will remain cherished. “I kind of put the CD away for now,” they add. “I want the listen to happen at the right time, and many people have been pressuring me about it. I don’t feel like I need to share anything about it. It will just be a private listen, and I don’t think I will even comment on it until perhaps after the record actually comes out.”
The Mars Volta’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though a member of the band’s sound crew posted in a Facebook fan group that the interaction did take place. Not that anyone needed another excuse to check out the The Mars Volta, one of the most exciting and dynamic bands on the planet, but this sweet story offers one more reason.
In other food-delivery-meets-music news: In 2019, a Domino’s pizza delivery driver in Wisconsin was hailed as a hero after noticing a kidnapped woman signal for help and calling 911. In a televised interview about the ordeal, he was seen wearing a Taylor Swift hoodie, and the news eventually made its way to the pop star, who arranged to meet him backstage.
