Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Unknown Mortal Orchestra (also known as UMO) are a New Zealand psychedelic rock band formed in Auckland, primarily composed of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Ruban Nielson, and bassist Jacob Portrait. The band is based in Portland, Oregon. Nielson started the band in 2009, initially as a solo project. The band's first album was released in 2011 on Fat Possum Records; four subsequent studio albums have been released on Jagjaguwar, the most recent being V (2023).
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
2009–present
- Ruban Nielson
- Jacob Portrait
- Kody Nielson
- Julien Ehrlich
- Greg Rogove
- Riley Geare
- Amber Baker
- Thomas Mabus
History[edit]
Inception[edit]
After some success in his native New Zealand with the band The Mint Chicks, Ruban Nielson moved to Portland in 2007. The singer and guitarist released the track "Ffunny Ffriends" on his anonymous Bandcamp profile on 17 May 2010.[1] No further information was provided and no mention of who created it. Within a day, the song had received significant coverage from independent music blogs such as Pitchfork.[2][3] Through their reposting and attempts to hunt down the creator,[4] Nielson eventually claimed the track as Unknown Mortal Orchestra's.[5]
Current
Current touring musicians
Former
Former touring musicians