Morgan Ågren

Morgan Ågren (born 1967) is a Swedish drummer who plays with the progressive rock band Kaipa.^[1]

A native of Umeå, Norrland, Morgan Ågren was spotted as an outstanding talent at a young age as he began performing publicly at age seven, and eventually joined forces with Mats Öberg in 1981.

They later formed "Zappsteetoot" together in 1984, a band internationally known for performing Frank Zappa's music.

In 1988, at the age of 20, Morgan Ågren was, along with Mats Öberg, invited by Frank Zappa to do a guest performance at Zappa's Stockholm concert. Impressed by Ågren's skills, Zappa invited Ågren to the States to partake in several projects, including the 1994 Grammy Award winning CD, Zappa's Universe, with Steve Vai as well as a sold out New York performance of Zappa's classical program at Lincoln Center's Great Performers Series in Avery Fisher Hall. Ågren also shares the drummer's seat with Terry Bozzio on Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa's band Z's album Shampoohorn. In 1996, Ågren has toured throughout Europe as a member of Glen Hughes band, and later to Japan in 1997. 1996 also saw the formation of Morgan Ågren's own record label, Ultimate Audio Entertainment, dedicated to the release of "new" music.

Ågren has recorded several albums as a member of Fleshquartet (Swedish: Fläskkvartetten), amongst them What's Your Pleasure? and the Grammy Award winning Goodbye Sweden in addition to his international performances with Zappa’s Universe and with Mats Öberg in Mats/Morgan Band.

In May 1997, Ågren was featured in a unique project of the Swedish Film Institute, making his debut in movie theaters and at several international film festivals. Described as a sound experience, the 4-minute 35mm short-film Lullaby for Lost Souls showcases him in "a free-form Stereo Dolby drum explosion".

Ågren is also highly recognized by fans of extreme and heavy music for his studio performance on Fredrik Thordendal's solo album, Sol Niger Within, released in 1997.

He is the subject of a 2013 two-hour documentary directed by Carl King a.k.a. Sir Millard Mulch, called Morgan Ågren's Conundrum: A Percussive Misadventure. It also features Devin Townsend, Dweezil Zappa, and Brendon Small of Metalocalypse.^[2]

Ågren was also featured on the eponymous album by Casualties of Cool.^[3]

Discography (and others)

Solo

• 2015 - Batterie Deluxe

Mats/Morgan Band

• 1996 - Trends and Other Diseases
• 1997 - The Music or the Money
• 1998 - Radio DaDa
• 1998 - The Teenage Tapes
• 2001 - Live
• 2002 - On Air With Guests
• 2005 - Thanks for Flying With Us
• 2008 - Heat Beats Live (+ Tourbook 1991-2007) (DVD+CD)
• 2014 - Schack Tati

With other artists

• 1987 - Chinese Garden — Cabazz
• 1990 - Far Away — Cabazz
• 1988 - What's Your Pleasure? - Fläskkvartetten
• 1990 - Goodbye Sweden — Fläskkvartetten
• 1993 - Open Your Eyes — Agamon
• 1993 - Zappa's Universe — various artists
• 1993 - Flow — Fläskkvartetten
• 1994 - Shampoohorn — Dweezil & Ahmet Zappa
• 1995 - The Zombie Hunter (APM) — Simon Steensland
• 1996 - The Music of Captain Beefheart - Live — various artists
• 1997 - Spare Parts — Denny Walley
• 1997 - Sol Niger Within — Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects
• 1999 - Led Circus — Simon Steensland
• 2000 - Automatic — Dweezil Zappa
• 2001 - Glass Finger Ghost — Jimmy Ågren
• 2003 - Close Enough for Jazz — Jimmy Ågren
• 2011 - BLIXT — Morgan Ågren, Raoul Björkenheim and Bill Laswell
• 2013 - Freak Guitar: The Smorgasbord – Mattias IA Eklundh
• 2013 - Into the Void of Fear" - Octopus
• 2014 - Casualties of Cool - Devin Townsend

References