Ben Rodriguez

[b]Ben Rodriguez[/b] (b. 13 July 1974, El Paso, Texas) is an American guitarist and founding member of [a=Tü Edge] band. In December 1996, he joined [a=At The Drive-In] during one of the line-up changes (briefly replacing [a=Jim Ward] on guitar) alongside the drummer [a=Tony Hajjar], who also played with Tü Edge, and veteran metal bassist [a=Paul Hinojos]. After recording on the [i][r=1332686][/i] EP, Rodriguez suddenly got fired from the band and sent home just two weeks after ATDI embarked on their ambitious "[i]100 Days Tour[/i]." With the exact circumstances of this rapid fallout never explicitly disclosed, most sources indicate that Ben Rodriguez had sociopathic tendencies, bullying and tormenting fellow musician and local El Paso artist [a=Julio Venegas] (1972—1996), a close friend of [a=Cedric Bixler-Zavala] and [a=Omar Rodriguez-Lopez] until he committed suicide. One of the songs on the debut [i][m=9308][/i] by Omar's and Cedric's band [a=The Mars Volta], "Concertina," revolved around the tragic events and indirectly condemned Ben Rodriguez for his role in Julio's untimely demise.