Free Moral Agents | |
|---|---|
) Free Moral Agents performing at Low End Theory | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Long Beach, California, USA |
| Genres | Jazz, hip hop, psychedelic, dub |
| Years active | 2003 – 2014 |
| Labels | Gold Standard Labs |
| Associated acts | The Mars Volta, Look Daggers |
| Past members |
|
Free Moral Agents were a collective of musicians brought together by Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (keyboardist from The Mars Volta) as a means to expand the sounds of what started as a solo recording project. In the spring of 2006 the band started playing shows around Long Beach and Los Angeles.
There was a time, before I put the record out, that I wasn't playing in Mars Volta anymore, and I had just bought a bunch of recording instruments. I'd always wanted to record my own record but never did, so [Free Moral Agents] really started with just me. I knew J, who was actually my girlfriend at the time's brother-in-law, who did poetry and sang and stuff, so I got together with him. This is before the vinyl. I was working at this record store and started talking to my friend Jeff Harris, who it turns out, was really good with Pro Tools, so I added him to the group. He's really a producer and doesn't really play with us live, but he's very much responsible for the sound of the record. I knew Mendee [Ichikawa] for several years, and we had worked on and off, but I knew we needed a female element to the group, so that's basically what Free Moral Agents is right there. As far as the music goes, it started as my project, but these people who I know I can trust, really bring it together.[1]
In April 2009, Owens released two live tracks for free.[2] In 2010, the group released its 2nd full-length album entitled Control This for Gold Standard Laboratories.
Members
- Isaiah "Ikey" Owens - keyboards, producer, concepts
- Mendee Ichikawa - vocals, echo, words, melodies
- Dennis Owens - bass, falsetto
- Ryan Reiff - drums, beats
- Reid Kinnett - rhodes, effects
- Jesse Carzello - guitar, noise
Discography
Studio albums
- Everybody's Favorite Weapon (2004)
- Momma's Gun Club Vol. 1 (2006 as download on AlphaPup) (February 27, 2007 as download on iTunes)
- Control This formerly The Honey in the Carcass of the Lion (September 28, 2010)
EPs
- Self Titled 7" EP - Free Moral Agents (September 9, 2008 on clear red vinyl, Broken Tape Publishing [300 copies])
- Chaine Infinie (2014)
Live Albums
- "Live At The Prospector" (2010)
Singles
- The Special 12 Singles Series - Free Moral Agents (2005 as 7" vinyl, 500 copies) (October 3, 2006 as download on iTunes [Special Twelve Singles Series])
- "North Is Red" (b/w North is Red remix by Tony Allen) 10" vinyl single - Chocolate Industries (2009)
Other Recordings
- Looking For Lauryn Hill in Lakewood - Free Moral Agents (May 2007 as download on AlphaPup)
References
- ^ Interview: Free Moral Agents | Modernfix.com Archived September 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-05-26. Retrieved 2009-04-12.