Cedric Bixler-Zavala

Cedric Bixler-Zavala (born November 4, 1974 in Redwood City, California) is a Grammy Award-winning American musician known for his work as frontman and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta, and as frontman and occasional guitarist of the post-hardcore group At the Drive-In. Currently he is a singer in the band Antemasque, and also sings and plays guitar in his band Zavalaz. He has also played drums for a number of acts, including the dub act De Facto and more recently Big Sir and Anywhere.

Bixler-Zavala has 1/4 German and 3/4 Mexican-Spanish heritage. Most of his Spanish ancestry can be traced to Galicia and Navarre in Spain. His Spanish maternal surname Zavala, is a Spanish version of Zabala, a surname of ancient Basque origin. His earliest paternal ancestors on his mother's side were fishermen and traders from the Basque region of Gipuzkoa and were employed by the Spanish government as colonists to the New World. Their names were Antonio-Joaquin de Zabala and Francesca Maria de Navarro.