Unknown Mortal Orchestra is an American and New Zealand rock band composed of singer, guitarist and songwriter Ruban Nielson, bassist Jake Portrait and drummer Riley Geare. The band was started by Nielson (formerly of The Mint Chicks).
Singer and guitarist Ruban Nielson released the track &Ffunny Ffrends& on his Bandcamp profile in the spring of 2010. It was paired with no further information, notably no mention of who created it. Soon, popular bloggers got hold of the track. Through their reposting and relentless attempts to hunt down the creator, Nielson finally claimed the track as Unknown Mortal Orchestra's.
Origin: Portland, Oregon, United States, Auckland, New Zealand
Genres: Indie rock, psychedelic rock, garage rock, lo-fi
Years active: 2010–present
Labels: Fat Possum Records, Jagjaguwar
Members:
※ Ruban Nielson
※ Jake Portrait
※ Riley Geare
Past members:
※ Julien Ehrlich
※ Gregory Rogove
(wiki)
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by Jason Lymangrover
After disbanding New Zealand’s the Mint Chicks, Portland, Oregon’s Ruban Nielson planned to quit music and take on a day job. For a hobby, he started making psychedelic demos in his basement, using samples. Soon, music took over as a career again, and his fun brand of experimental pop ended up in the hands of Fat Possum Records, who released Unknown Mortal Orchestra's self-titled debut in the early summer of 2011.