Free Moral Agents is the brainchild of Isaiah Ikey Owens, Grammy Award-winning keyboardist for The Mars Volta & De Facto.
The Long Beach, CA-based Owens initially started Free Moral Agents as a solo project. It has since expanded into a group effort, a result of Isaiah's decade-long career of collaborations with artists as diverse as El-P, Mastodon, Sublime, Saul Williams, and Z-Trip.
Free Moral Agents released their debut Everybody's Favorite Weapon on GSL Records in late 2004. With freestyle moments layered over vibrant melodies, heavy beats, and jazzy interludes, Everybody's Favorite Weapon was just the beginning of something that was no longer considered just a side-project.
While out on the road with the Mars Volta, Isaiah kept thinking of ways to expand Free Moral Agents. In 2006, FMA went from a solo effort to full six-member group and started improvising new material. With the lineup of Mendee Ichikawa (vocals), Reid Kinnet (Rhodes), Jesse Carzello (guitar), Dennis Owens (bass), Ryan Reiff (drums) and Isaiah jumping from keyboard to keyboard, FMA quickly came up with much new music and was in and out of the studio several times in 2007 and 2008.
Free Moral Agents is now gearing up to release their new album Honey In The Carcass Of The Lion, an EP titled Control This and a 10" vinyl collaboration with legendary Fela Kuti's drummer and Afro Beat co-founder Tony Allen titled North Is Red.
Free Moral Agents on Facebook
Comprising three skilled musicians, (Jason Craig, (bass and samples), Sarah Wilson, (drums), and Parker Newell (guitar)) determined to make its mark on the Prog rock scene, Odist has been a growing force to be reckoned with. They performed their first show together and blew the audience away eliciting rave reviews noting their "flawless transitions" and "banging breaks" which has come to be a signature mark of theirs over the years. Following their first performance, they began an aggressive tour schedule bringing their sounds to the east and west coast, breaking records for most views on dirtysouth.tv along the way. A couple of years later, word of mouth landed them an inspiring show with Free Moral Agents(which features Grammy award winning keyboardist Ikey Owens of The Mars Volta) and they blew him away. Soon after, Owens offered to produce their 2nd album, and invited them on tour for the spring of 2011. Odist is sure to wow audiences and take them on their journey of experimentation of the Prog rock sound and beyond.
--revised by Kristin Thomas
ODIST on Facebook
Jungol, comprised of two brothers and one long-time friend, has created a sound that is a clear standout in the realm of experimental rock. Sometimes moody and ethereal, sometimes loud and complex, Jungol's music stretches across a landscape of emotions, while simultaneously focusing on well-crafted songs that feature engaging vocals.
“Much of the respect for Jungol by the Atlanta music community comes from the sheer originality of their songwriting, as well as their impressive technically skilled experimental style.” Performer Magazine 2010
Founding members Josh and Graham Yoder have inhabited Atlanta's rock scene with various ensembles since their high school years. Multi-instrumentalist, Zack Varner, joined the group from 2005 to 2009. Drummer Jason Monseur, the formidable force behind Jungol's expansive beats, joined the brothers in 2003 and together, they have spread Jungol's unique brand of rock across the U.S. They've toured the southeast multiples times since forming as a group, and have since expanded nationally with tours up the east coast as well as out west.
In the spring of 2007, Jungol released their first full-length album Tiny Heaven, of which Music-Reviewer.com stated "...it is this experimentation that characterizes Jungol's attempt to create a sound that pushes the envelope. You can never predict what the next song will sound like because they all contain different structures, sounds, instruments, harmonies..."
After their debut LP received glowing reviews, the band released Places, a 6 song EP unveiled in February 2009, which showcased Jungol's renewed vision of more concise songs with prominent vocals. Places also demonstrated their passion for creating new sounds through the use of samplers, synths, glockenspiel, field recordings and string arrangements. Local blog Ohm Park listed Places as one of the top 10 Atlanta albums released in 2009.
Jungol hasn't merely captured the attention of critics - on April 30, the band performed before to a sold-out crowd at the Earl for the release of their latest full-length album, Over the Sun and Under the Radar. The album marks Jungol’s first effort as a 3-piece and has been lauded by fans and critics alike. The use of unconventional synth sounds and strong vocal melodies drive the songs on OTSAUTR, but at its core, rock still lives. Jungol followed up the release with a tour up the eastern seaboard before heading back to Atlanta to begin work on new material.
“Over the Sun and Under the Radar presents the refined sound resulting from the immense growth and exploding creativity of a band that has been relentless on Atlanta’s music scene.” The Silver Tongue
Jungol will continue touring in the fall of 2010 as well as finishing work on some music videos that will be released in the fall. Material for the next Jungol album has begun to take shape and you can expect to see some of those tunes making their debut at shows this fall.
Jungol on Facebook
$7, 18+
Doors @ 9 pm
Advance tickets available @ Ticket Alternative, Criminal Records,
Decatur CD, Fantasyland Records and the following CD Warehouse locations: Buford, Duluth, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville and Roswell.
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