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Jeremy Ward (musician)

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Jeremy Ward
Ward with De Facto
Ward with De Facto
Background information
Birth nameJeremy Michael Ward
Born(1976-05-05)May 5, 1976
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
DiedMay 25, 2003(2003-05-25) (aged 27)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresExperimental music, dub, noise, reggae, salsa, ambient
Occupation(s)Sound technician, vocal operator, musician
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals, effects
Years active1994–2003

Jeremy Michael Ward (May 5, 1976 – May 25, 2003) was an American musician, best known as the sound technician and vocal operator for The Mars Volta and De Facto.

Biography

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Jeremy Ward was born in Fort Worth, Texas and later moved to El Paso.[1] He was a cousin of Jim Ward and was loosely associated with Jim's band At the Drive-In since its formation in 1994.[2] After that band split for the first time in 2001, members Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López invited Ward to contribute vocals and electronic effects to their interim project De Facto, and then their more permanent band The Mars Volta.[3] He contributed to that group's debut album De-Loused in the Comatorium,[4] and his experimental sound manipulations have been cited as integral to that album's sound.[3]

Less than a month before the album was released, Ward was found dead of an apparent heroin overdose on May 25, 2003, aged 27.[3] Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López have stated that Ward's death inspired them to kick their own addictions.[5] Ward had also worked as a repo man, and an anonymous diary that he had found while repossessing a car became the basis for the lyrics in the next Mars Volta album, Frances the Mute.[6] Some of Ward's experimental recordings were used posthumously on later albums by The Mars Volta and Omar Rodríguez-López, and Lopez created the full-length album Omar Rodriguez Lopez & Jeremy Michael Ward from such compositions in 2008.[7]

Discography

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With At the Drive-In

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With De Facto

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With The Mars Volta

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With Omar Rodríguez-López

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Equipment

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With De Facto

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  • Yamaha QY100
  • Electro-Harmonix Frequency Analyzer
  • Digitech Multi chorus
  • Guyatone MD-3 Digital delay
  • Ibanez DE-7 delay/Echo
  • Boss DD-6 delay
  • Boss HR-2 Harmonist
  • Maxon Rotary phaser
  • Korg KP2 Kaoss pad
  • Voodoo Lab Pedal Power

References

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  1. ^ "THE MARS VOLTA PAY TRIBUTE TO DEAD FRIEND". NME. June 25, 2003. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  2. ^ Dansby, Andrew (May 28, 2003). "Mars Volta's Ward Dies". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Mars Volta Keyboardist Found Dead". Billboard. May 28, 2003. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  4. ^ "The Mars Volta: De-Loused in the Comatorium". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  5. ^ "The Mars Volta: Spaced Out". Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved July 6, 2007.
  6. ^ "DecompositionMagazine.com". decompmagazine.com. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  7. ^ Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & Jeremy Michael Ward – Omar Rodríguez-López, Jeremy Michael Ward | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved November 24, 2021