Free Moral Agents

Free Moral Agents
Free Moral Agents performing at Low End Theory
Background information
OriginLong Beach, California
GenresJazz, hip hop, psychedelic, dub
Years active2003–2014
LabelGold Standard Labs
Past members

Free Moral Agents were a collective of musicians brought together by Isaiah "Ikey" Owens, then-keyboardist of 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.[1][2] Free Moral Agents combine elements of jazz, trip-hop, psychedelia, and improvisational rock.[3][4]

History

Ikey Owens formed Free Moral Agents after he was fired from The Mars Volta in 2002. With his newfound free time, he started a home recording project which eventually became said band.[5] Owens states,

"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.[6]

In April 2009, Owens released two live tracks for free.[7] 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)
  • Chaine Infinie Plus (February 12, 2014)

EPs

  • Lay Down (2003)
  • Subtitle / Free Moral Agents – Leave Home / Instinctively Intact (2004)
  • Free Moral Agents (2008)
  • Self Titled 7-inch EP - Free Moral Agents (September 9, 2008, on clear red vinyl, Broken Tape Publishing [300 copies])
  • Free Moral Agents / Mainey Wilson – Aravand / Veiled Visions (2011)
  • Chaine Infinie (2014)

Live Albums

  • Live At The Prospector (2010)
  • Majestic Soundsystem (Live At Low End Theory) (2013)

Singles

  • The Special 12 Singles Series - Free Moral Agents (2005 as 7-inch 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-inch vinyl single - Chocolate Industries (2009)

Other Recordings

  • Looking For Lauryn Hill in Lakewood - Free Moral Agents (May 2007 as download on AlphaPup)

References

  1. ^ "Free Moral Agents, 2Mex, Sons of the San Joaquin, Mayer Hawthorne, Alo..." City Weekly. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  2. ^ "Meet Free Moral Agents: A Mini Documentary on YouTube – OC Weekly". November 23, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  3. ^ "The Mars Volta's Ikey Owens stretches his wings in Free Moral Agents". Denver Westword. November 12, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  4. ^ "A Truly Memorable Swan Song: Free Moral Agents' Chaine Infinie is a Showcase to Ikey Owens' Talents". Ovrld. October 23, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  5. ^ "Orange Pop: Experimenting with Free Moral Agents". Orange County Register. February 5, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  6. ^ Interview: Free Moral Agents | Modernfix.com Archived September 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "The Mars Volta's Ikey Owens releases free live tracks | stereokill.net". Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
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