Isaiah Ikey Owens
Encyclopedia
Isaiah Randolph "Ikey" Owens (born December 1, 1975) is an American
keyboardist
known for his work with The Mars Volta
and an array of other bands from the Long Beach
music scene.
, but in 1998 it was an encounter with Cedric Bixler-Zavala
and Omar Rodríguez-López
of At the Drive-In
at a concert in Irvine
which proved fateful. In 1999 Owens lost his job at a financial-management firm in Huntington Beach
that "helped handle billion-dollar accounts for Disney and the Catholic Church", but he eventually received an invitation to join the dub
reggae
band De Facto
and found himself touring Europe with Omar, Cedric, and Jeremy Ward
. Not long after that he was once again invited to join their new project, The Mars Volta
. Since then Owens was notable for being the longest tenured member of the Mars Volta outside of Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez, having continually recorded and performed with the band since their 2001 inception, although this came to an end in 2011 when he was not asked by Roriguez-Lopez to accompany The Mars Volta on their summer tour. The reasons for this decision are currently unknown, although on July 2 Mars Volta bassist Juan Alderete
claimed that Owens was currently "producing bands these days."
Owens has also been very active outside of the Mars Volta. Since 2002, Owens has been writing and recording solo material under the moniker Free Moral Agents
, releasing a vinyl
-only EP
on Pete Records, as well as the recent GSL
split 12" with Subtitle. They released their full-length "Everybody's Favorite Weapon" in 2004. He has also played with Pocket Lent, Teen Heroes and has done session and work and live shows with El-P, Dave Sitek from Tv On The Radio, Shuggie Otis
, The Aquabats
, Blowfly
, Barrington Levy
, Mastodon
, Gravy Train!!!, Born Jamericans
, Wailing Souls, Radioinactive
, Heavens
, Prefuse 73, Bob Forrest
, and poet/spoken word artist Saul Williams
. Owens has also joined up with 2Mex to form the hip hop duo the Look Daggers. In 2007, Ikey produced First You Live by Orange County progressive-folk band Dusty Rhodes & the River Band
.
Owens has also been seen playing with the Long Beach experimental band Crystal Antlers
. Free Moral Agents released their second full length album Control This in the fall of 2010 (9/28), the first album with the band's newly expanded line-up.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
known for his work with The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
and an array of other bands from the Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
music scene.
Biography
He notably performed as a member of Long Beach Dub AllstarsLong Beach Dub Allstars
The Long Beach Dub Allstars were a dub reggae/ska/rock band formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2002.-History:Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh met in childhood and later started their first garage punk band, consisting of drums, bass and vocals. They later formed Sublime with Brad Nowell...
, but in 1998 it was an encounter with Cedric Bixler-Zavala
Cedric Bixler-Zavala
Cedric Bixler-Zavala is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American musician known for his work as frontman and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta, and previously as frontman and occasional guitarist of the post-hardcore punk group At the Drive-In...
and Omar Rodríguez-López
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...
of At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In was an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, considered part of the post-hardcore genre and active from 1993 to 2001. They were known for their extremely energetic stage shows which hearkened back to the 1980s hardcore scene...
at a concert in Irvine
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
which proved fateful. In 1999 Owens lost his job at a financial-management firm in Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
that "helped handle billion-dollar accounts for Disney and the Catholic Church", but he eventually received an invitation to join the dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band De Facto
De Facto (band)
De Facto was a dub reggae band which included Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Omar Rodríguez-López, Isaiah "Ikey" Owens and Jeremy Michael Ward.- Biography :...
and found himself touring Europe with Omar, Cedric, and Jeremy Ward
Jeremy Michael Ward
Jeremy Michael Ward was the sound technician and vocal operator for The Mars Volta and for the dub outfit De Facto. He created many of the soundscapes heard on The Mars Volta's album De-Loused in the Comatorium...
. Not long after that he was once again invited to join their new project, The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
. Since then Owens was notable for being the longest tenured member of the Mars Volta outside of Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez, having continually recorded and performed with the band since their 2001 inception, although this came to an end in 2011 when he was not asked by Roriguez-Lopez to accompany The Mars Volta on their summer tour. The reasons for this decision are currently unknown, although on July 2 Mars Volta bassist Juan Alderete
Juan Alderete
Juan Alderete is an American bassist known for his work with the band The Mars Volta. Prior to his work with that band, he was known for playing in Racer X, where he received credit as John Alderete.-Biography:...
claimed that Owens was currently "producing bands these days."
Owens has also been very active outside of the Mars Volta. Since 2002, Owens has been writing and recording solo material under the moniker Free Moral Agents
Free Moral Agents
Free Moral Agents is a collective of musicians brought together by Isaiah "Ikey" Owens as a means to expand the sounds of what started as a solo recording project...
, releasing a vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
-only EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
on Pete Records, as well as the recent GSL
Gold Standard Laboratories
Gold Standard Laboratories or GSL was an independent record label which was founded in 1993 in Boulder, Colorado by Sonny Kay. In 2000, it was relocated to San Diego, California, USA, and two years later, to Los Angeles. It was headquartered in L.A...
split 12" with Subtitle. They released their full-length "Everybody's Favorite Weapon" in 2004. He has also played with Pocket Lent, Teen Heroes and has done session and work and live shows with El-P, Dave Sitek from Tv On The Radio, Shuggie Otis
Shuggie Otis
Shuggie Otis is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist....
, The Aquabats
The Aquabats
The Aquabats are an American rock band formed in 1994 in Orange County, California. They have released five full-length studio albums and have toured internationally. They are best known for their mythology, in which they claim to be superheroes on a quest to save the world from evil through music...
, Blowfly
Blowfly (artist)
Blowfly is the stage name and alternate persona of Clarence Reid , who was a songwriter for many hit R&B acts in the 1960s and 1970s. As Blowfly, he has recorded numerous albums, mostly of sex-based parodies of other songs, as well as original raps themed around sex...
, Barrington Levy
Barrington Levy
Barrington Levy is a reggae and dancehall artist from Jamaica.-Career:In 1976, Levy formed a band with his cousin, Everton Dacres, called the Mighty Multitude; the pair released "My Black Girl" in 1977...
, Mastodon
Mastodon (band)
Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. The band is composed of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor...
, Gravy Train!!!, Born Jamericans
Born Jamericans
Born Jamericans was a reggae/hip hop duo formed in Washington, D.C., popular in the 1990s.The group comprised Norman "Notch" Howell and Edley "Shine" Payne. Notch's voice is smooth and melodic, while Shine's is rougher and tends more toward rapping...
, Wailing Souls, Radioinactive
Radioinactive
Radioinactive is an underground hip hop artist from Los Angeles. He has released a number of solo albums, as well as collaborating with artists such as Busdriver, Daedelus and Antimc. He is currently signed to Stranger Touch Records, from which Soundtrack to a Book was released in 2006...
, Heavens
Heavens
Heavens was an independent rock band featuring Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio and Josiah Steinbrick. The duo signed to Epitaph Records and released their debut album, Patent Pending, on September 12, 2006....
, Prefuse 73, Bob Forrest
Bob Forrest
Bob Forrest is the lead vocalist and lyricist for Los Angeles bands Thelonious Monster and The Bicycle Thief. In September 2006 he released his first solo album, Modern Folk And Blues Wednesday. He is also a drug counselor, appearing alongside Dr...
, and poet/spoken word artist Saul Williams
Saul Williams
Saul Stacey Williams is an American poet, writer, actor and musician known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop and for his leading role in the 1998 independent film Slam.-Biography:...
. Owens has also joined up with 2Mex to form the hip hop duo the Look Daggers. In 2007, Ikey produced First You Live by Orange County progressive-folk band Dusty Rhodes & the River Band
Dusty Rhodes and the River Band
Dusty Rhodes and the River Band were a six piece indie rock group from Anaheim, California. They were heavily influenced by the folk rock sounds of The Band, the orchestration and production techniques of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, and the progressive rock energy of groups like Yes.In late...
.
Owens has also been seen playing with the Long Beach experimental band Crystal Antlers
Crystal Antlers
-History:Early HistoryThe band started as a 3 piece, Kevin Stuart , Errol Davis and Jonny Bell in late 2006 in Long Beach, California. Stuart, Davis, and Bell met while attending a music class in High School...
. Free Moral Agents released their second full length album Control This in the fall of 2010 (9/28), the first album with the band's newly expanded line-up.
With Free Moral Agents
- LP 1: Everybody's Favorite Weapon (2004)
- The Special 12 Singles SeriesThe Special 12 Singles SeriesThe Special 12 Singles Series is a series of twelve 7 inch singles released by Gold Standard Laboratories in 2005, one for each month. Subscriptions were available for either January through June, July through December, or all 12 singles...
(2005 as 7" vinyl) (October 3, 2006 as download on iTunes [Special Twelve Singles Series]) - Momma's Gun Club Vol. 1 (2006 as download on AlphaPup) (February 27, 2007 as download on iTunes)
- Looking For Lauryn Hill in Lakewood (May 2007 as download on AlphaPup)
- Free Moral Agents 7" EP (September 9, 2008 on clear red vinyl, limited to 300 copies)
- "Free Moral Agents 10" single "North Is Red" b/w Tony Allen remix
- LP 2: Control This (2010)
With Look Daggers
- That Look - EP (2006)
- The Patience - EP (2007)
- Suffer in Style - LP (2008)
With De Facto
- How Do You Dub? You Fight For Dub, You Plug Dub InHow Do You Dub? You Fight for Dub, You Plug Dub InHow Do You Dub? You Fight for Dub. You Plug Dub In. is an album by De Facto, a side-project of At the Drive-In's Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López...
LP (1999/2001) - 456132015456132015-Personnel:*Omar Rodríguez-López – Bass*Cedric Bixler-Zavala – Drums*Isaiah Ikey Owens – Keyboards*Jeremy Michael Ward – Vocals, Sound Manipulation, Melodica, Guitar...
EP (2001) - Megaton ShotblastMegaton Shotblast¡Megaton Shotblast! is the debut album by De Facto. Largely instrumental, the album pulls influence from various genres, including electronica, dub, reggae, and jazz.-Track listing:#"Manual Dexterity" – 2:21#"Cordova" – 10:17...
LP (2001) - Légende du Scorpion à Quatre QueuesLegende du Scorpion a Quatre QueuesLégende du Scorpion à Quatre Queues is the last album by the experimental dub group, De Facto.-Track listing:#"Legend of the Four-Tailed Scorpion" – 3:02#"Mattilious Creed" – 0:17#"AMKHZ" – 3:16...
LP (2001)
With The Mars Volta
- Tremulant - EP (2002)
- De-Loused in the ComatoriumDe-Loused in the ComatoriumDe-Loused in the Comatorium is the debut studio album of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta. Released on June 24, 2003 on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records, De-loused is based on a short story written by lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and sound manipulation artist Jeremy...
- LP (2003) - Live - EP (2003)
- Frances the MuteFrances the MuteFrances the Mute is the second studio album by progressive rock band The Mars Volta released in the US on March 1, 2005. Though not as commercially successful as De-Loused in the Comatorium, it received considerable critical praise...
- LP (2005) - ScabdatesScabdates-CD pressing:-Source of recordings:05/12/2004 – Wiltern Theatre – Los Angeles, CA* "Haruspex"* "Cicatriz"05/13/2004 – Wiltern Theatre – Los Angeles, CA* "Caviglia"05/05/2005 – Roseland Ballroom – New York City, NY* "Abrasions Mount the Timpani"...
- LP (2005) - AmputechtureAmputechture-Notes:#"Vicarious Atonement" is the theory that the atonement of Jesus Christ was legal in God's eyes and that Jesus died in the place of the humans that sinned....
- LP (2006) - The Bedlam in GoliathThe Bedlam in GoliathThe Bedlam in Goliath is the fourth full-length studio album by American progressive rock band The Mars Volta. It was released on January 29, 2008, and January 26, 2008 in Australia through Universal Motown Records...
- LP (2008) - OctahedronOctahedron (album)Octahedron is the fifth full-length studio album by American progressive rock band The Mars Volta, released on June 23, 2009. The album was released by Warner Bros. Records in North America and Mercury Records worldwide...
- LP (2009)
Guest appearances
- Turn the Radio OffTurn the Radio OffTurn the Radio Off is the second full-length album by ska punk band Reel Big Fish. It was released in the U.S. in 1996 on Mojo Records.The single "Sell Out" received radio airplay and was a minor success during that year. "Sell Out" also appeared on the soundtrack to the video games FIFA 2000,...
- Reel Big FishReel Big FishReel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band...
(1996) - Forget the WorldForget the WorldForget the World is the debut album by the Los Angeles, California ska band The Hippos, released in 1997 by Vagrant Records and Fueled by Ramen Records. It was the band's first full-length album and established their presence in the prolific southern California music scene of the mid-1990s...
- The HipposThe HipposThe Hippos were an American rock band formed in 1995 in Los Angeles, California, and disbanded in 2000. During the band's lifetime they released 3 full-length albums...
(1997) - Second-hand Smoke - SublimeSublime (band)Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
(1997) - "Audio Satellite" - Teen Heroes (1998)
- A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Volume 1 - Omar Rodríguez-LópezOmar Rodriguez-LopezOmar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...
(2004) - Saul WilliamsSaul Williams (album)"List of Demands " was featured on a 2008 Nike Sparq Training commercial, and the video game NBA 2K10...
- Saul WilliamsSaul WilliamsSaul Stacey Williams is an American poet, writer, actor and musician known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop and for his leading role in the 1998 independent film Slam.-Biography:...
(2004) - Shifting GearsShifting Gears (DJ Z-Trip album)Shifting Gears is the major label debut of Z-Trip, and the only release on Hollywood Records. It features guest artists such as Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, Soup of Jurassic 5 and Chuck D of Public Enemy...
- Z-Trip (2005) - Blood MountainBlood Mountain (album)-Story notes:* The main character is in search of the Crystal Skull which he hopes to place at the top of Blood Mountain. In the making of DVD, the Crystal Skull is supposed to remove "the reptile brain" causing its owner the ability to achieve the next step of human evolution.* In an interview...
- MastodonMastodon (band)Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. The band is composed of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor...
(2006) - Revisions Revisions: The Remixes 2000–2005 - DJ Nobody (2006)
- Wednesday: Modern Folk and Blues - Bob ForrestBob ForrestBob Forrest is the lead vocalist and lyricist for Los Angeles bands Thelonious Monster and The Bicycle Thief. In September 2006 he released his first solo album, Modern Folk And Blues Wednesday. He is also a drug counselor, appearing alongside Dr...
(2006) - Patent PendingPatent Pending (album)Patent Pending is the debut album by Heavens, a side project formed by Matt Skiba, vocalist and guitarist for Alkaline Trio, and Josiah Steinbrick....
- HeavensHeavensHeavens was an independent rock band featuring Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio and Josiah Steinbrick. The duo signed to Epitaph Records and released their debut album, Patent Pending, on September 12, 2006....
(2006) - Flight Of The Bass Delegate - The Jai-Alai Savant (2007)
- RoadKillOvercoatRoadKillOvercoatRoadKillOvercoat is an abstract rap and alternative hip hop album by Busdriver. It was released on 30 January 2007 by Epitaph Records.-Track listing:...
- BusdriverBusdriverBusdriver is a rapper from Los Angeles currently signed to Epitaph Records and Fake Four Inc-History:...
(2007) - I'll Sleep When You're DeadI'll Sleep When You're Dead-Credits:*Executive Producers: El-P and Amaechi Uzoigwe*Mastering: Michael Sarsfield*Mixing, engineering: Joey Raia*Layout and design: Brad Smith*Photography: Timothy Saccenti*Project Manager: Jesse Ferguson-External links:***...
- El-PEl-ProductoEl-P is an American hip hop artist and entrepreneur from Brooklyn, New York City. Originally a member of Company Flow, El-P has been a major driving force in alternative hip hop for over a decade. He is the co-founder, owner and CEO of the Definitive Jux record label...
(2007) - The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! is the third album by Saul Williams, released on November 1, 2007. Williams worked closely with Trent Reznor on the album. The title of the album is a reference to David Bowie's 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from...
- Saul WilliamsSaul WilliamsSaul Stacey Williams is an American poet, writer, actor and musician known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop and for his leading role in the 1998 independent film Slam.-Biography:...
(2007) - Imaginary Foe - Reason To Rebel (2009)
- Ctrl Alt Delete - Free The RobotsFree the RobotsFree the Robots of Santa Ana, CA is a music producer currently signed to Alpha Pup Records. His debut album Ctrl Alt Del, which features Ikey Owens, was released on March 30, 2010....
(2010)
As producer
- "Hello Doctor" - Gravy Train!!!
- First You LiveFirst You LiveFirst You Live is the title of Dusty Rhodes and the River Band's second album, released on October 19, 2007.-Track listing:* 1. Intro* 2. "First You Live"* 3. "Leaving Tennessee"* 4. "Ghost Trails"* 5. "Dear Honey"* 6. "Oh Icicle"* 7. "Strike"...
- Dusty Rhodes & The River BandDusty Rhodes and the River BandDusty Rhodes and the River Band were a six piece indie rock group from Anaheim, California. They were heavily influenced by the folk rock sounds of The Band, the orchestration and production techniques of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, and the progressive rock energy of groups like Yes.In late...
(2007) - Suffer in Style - Look Daggers (2008)
- "S/T ep" - Crystal AntlersCrystal Antlers-History:Early HistoryThe band started as a 3 piece, Kevin Stuart , Errol Davis and Jonny Bell in late 2006 in Long Beach, California. Stuart, Davis, and Bell met while attending a music class in High School...
- "Control This" - Free Moral AgentsFree Moral AgentsFree Moral Agents is a collective of musicians brought together by Isaiah "Ikey" Owens as a means to expand the sounds of what started as a solo recording project...
2010 - Family E.P' - Wolf Magic 2010
- Meladora - Meladora 2011
- Smile Trials - Chase FrankChase FrankChase Frank is a musician and songwriter who grew up in Long Beach, California. Early musical training included cello, piano and guitar. As an adult she has played in Long Beach rock groups Quiver, Kiwi 6, The Potato Eaters & Quiverfish In 2002 she renounced the band format and went solo...
2011 - Midnight Makeup - Melvoy 2011