Cerebral, hypnotic, theatrical, ambitious, and intense... all words that have at one time or another been used describe The Mars Volta. In 2003, they were the opening-opening band for Queens of the Stone Age and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. They were lucky to fill a couple of rows at MSG – and those were just the fans that were hoping to get an early glance of Anthony Kiedis or Flea. Fast-forward to 2005... the musical powerhouse that is The Mars Volta has sold out every show on their U.S. headlining tour, including two packed-house nights at New York’s Roseland ballroom. A feat not accomplished by many – especially crazy-haired, prog-rockers from California!
According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of a Volt is the standard international unit of electric potential or electromotive force. And Mars is, obviously, a planet. So, can we derive that The Mars Volta are an electric force from another planet? To the unknowing or unimaginative this may be the case. To those willing to open their minds and take in The Mars Volta’s aura (and it is just that!) it is quite an electrifying experience. Isaiah Owens, or ‘Ikey’, as he’s been affectionately dubbed since his early years, recently took some time to discuss his role as keyboardist for The Mars Volta, and how it’s been quite a rewarding experience so far.
Formed after the split of their previous band, At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta quickly took a new approach to their music. They explored a more artistic avenue and more experimental techniques. The result is music that is anything but ordinary. Critics have described them as having elements of hardcore, progressive/psychedelic rock and free jazz. Anyone who’s seen them live can tell you that the strength of their live performance has created legions of fans and sell-out crowds in every new city that they play. Each song draws the crowd up and down on an emotional rollercoaster as the on-stage antics of the band members provide enough visual stimulation to keep the audience enthralled.
Ikey Owens, who now enlists the Korg CX-3 on stage, creates a wonderfully warm atmosphere with his organ skills. He has come a long way since his musical journey began as a tuba and bass-trombone player in the 7th grade. His main influences along the pathway to success have varied from such bands as Sly and the Family Stone, Fishbone, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers to Benchmont Tench (the keyboardist from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers), among many others.
Ikey can also be credited for his keyboard-playing tenure with The Long Beach Dub All-Stars. In fact, it was that role that gave him the credibility to start jamming with current band mates Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala. Ikey explains, “I was a big Sublime fan and played with The Long Beach Dub All-Stars from 1994-1996. I met Omar and Cedric through a mutual friend at a De La Soul concert. We started playing together after that.” Since their initial meeting, Ikey has performed on both Mars Volta releases, Deloused in the Comatorium and the new, highly-touted, Frances the Mute.
Frances the Mute garnered an impressive 4-star rating from Rolling Stone upon its release in May 2005 and scored the band’s personal high on the Billboard Top 200 at #4. Like their first album, which was inspired by the death of a surrealistic painter, Francis the Mute pays homage to their late friend and band mate, Jeremy Ward. The subject matter was derived from an anonymous diary found in the back of a car by Ward. Frances is a five-song, 77-minute semi-concept record about death, rebirth, emptiness and longing. Its release stunned many in the music industry by selling more than 123,000 copies the first week. True fans knew The Mars Volta’s success was inevitable.
In 2003 The Mars Volta had landed an opening gig on the Red Hot Chili Peppers tour. The relationship formed on that tour was apparently more than a fling. The bands’ mutual respect for one another resulted in an appearance by Flea and John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Frances the Mute – John with a guitar solo and Flea on horns.
The writing process on this past album was a little more eye-opening than their past efforts, as Ikey recounts, “Omar writes all of the songs and I write my own keyboard parts. He generates all of the music and then it’s just a matter of each band member adding his own ‘thing’ on top. On the last record, everyone was kept in the dark as to what everyone else had recorded. I was the last to record; almost a year after the drums had been done! So on that record, I was kind of playing blindly. This time I had a better grasp on what was going on.”
Live gigs are always an amazing experience for Mars Volta fans. They are one of the band’s best attributes according to the man behind the organ, “We are able to be musical and to improvise without being too ‘noodly’ or ‘musiciany’ to the point where people can’t relate to it. We play our best when we’re playing hard and improvising, but also listening and complimenting each other.” Ikey depicts, “Playing live, all of the band’s songs are pretty organ-heavy. The Korg CX-3 is kind of like the second guitar. Whenever there’s a heavy part, I’m playing the organ. A feature I especially like about the CX-3 compared to other organ modules is that I have the ability to switch the drawbar settings quickly. Once I set up my favorite sounds it’s like having another version of them immediately available. For instance, on the song ‘Cygnus…’ I want a specific sound for the choruses that I don’t play normally. I have my drawbars set up so I can just switch over and get a much brighter tone than just leaving it by itself. For the rest of the song I use my main organ setting, which I love, but for that chorus I don’t have to switch to another sound and switch back – it’s ‘boom,’ I hit the drawbars and I’m right there.” If you want to hear Ikey scream on his CX-3, check out a live Mars Volta show and listen up for his CX3-laden riffs on “Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)!” Wow!
Aside from his already busy schedule with The Mars Volta, Owens has his hand in a few other projects. One in particular is his side-project, Free Moral Agents. The first album, Everybody’s Favorite Weapon, was released in June 2004. Ikey says, “It’s got a hip-hop vibe a-la The Roots, but weirder.” He did a lot of the writing and played all of the keyboards on Z-Trip’s last record, Shifting Gears. And, as if that’s not enough, Ikey is also collaborating on a couple of projects with super artist/producer Danger Mouse.
The Mars Volta have just returned from their European tour and will embark on an autumn run of the United States supporting fellow idiosyncratic musicians, System of a Down. The tour is being dubbed the ‘must see’ show of the year. Be sure to check
www.themarsvolta.com often for up-to-the-minute news and new tour dates because tickets WILL go quickly...
