Mars Volta guitar player and musical mastermind Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's tells Spinner that the next two Mars Volta records are already recorded and waiting for a release date -- this on the heels of a Grammy nomination for 'Wax Simulcra,' off last year's 'The Bedlam in Goliath.' Of course, the first of these won't see the light of day until at least this spring, as vocals need to be recorded and additional tweaking may be necessary. And Rodriguez-Lopez isn't giving any possible titles away.

"I gave the band a six-month break," he says. "I'm not trying to force my pace. I'll just be here doing what I'm doing, recording more albums. When the time comes, the time comes."

Right now, the time is ripe for collaboration with L.A. underground hip-hop label Stones Throw in the form of a solo album, titled 'Old Money.' Rodriguez-Lopez and label head Peanut Butter Wolf have been friends for some time, and releasing a wildly progressive rock album didn't seem like such a crazy idea, considering Stones Throw's eclectic roster.

'Old Money' deals with the entrenched political power structure of the United States, although Rodriguez-Lopez views the Obama administration as a breath of fresh air. "All [Mars Volta's] political views have always been shrouded in metaphor and veiled on our other records," he explains. "For some reason, I had the urge to do something a little more obvious."

As for that Grammy nod, Rodriguez-Lopez isn't playing it entirely cool. "I'm not gonna pretend like, 'Yeah, man, that doesn't mean s---,'" he says. "It's not validating me or putting me down. It's like if someone invites you over to their house for dinner. It's nice of them if they invite you into their home, so you accept it and go over and see whether it's awkward or not." Our advice? Bring a nice bottle of wine.