Formed 40 years ago, Oklahoma’s Flaming Lips have always embodied a strong experimental/psych approach to their music.
Given that they covered The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety in 2009, there is little doubt where their roots lie.
Frontman Wayne Coyne has been an ever-present member since founding the band, sharing guitar duties first with Ronald Jones, and now with guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, Steven Drozd, who originally joined the group as a drummer.
Jones was deeply into experimentation with signal processors, looking for ways to redefine the typical parameters of the guitar in a rock band.
And while Drozd was playing drums in the band, he was also laying down rhythm guitar tracks and collaborating on songwriting, so his shift into the guitar seat when Jones left in 1996 was a no-brainer.
Jones’ sound was built on the use of Eventide Harmonizers mixed with a plethora of sonic shapers to obtain otherworldly tones that provided a key component of the band’s signature sound.
Drozd quickly acquired a formidable arsenal of effects when he replaced Jones, and – influenced by Jimmy Page – worked in altered tunings, which added yet another line of attack to the band’s songwriting process.
A fan of single-coil guitars, Drozd favors vintage Jazzmasters and an old Fender XII. His use of the XII was inspired by Page, once he realized that it was Page’s 12-string of choice for Zep’s albums.
The last Flaming Lips album with Jones onboard, 1995’s Clouds Taste Metallic, was the band’s most fully realized encapsulation of their psych-meets-alt approach, but for many, the definitive Lips album is 1999’s The Soft Bulletin.
On it, Drozd carves out his own distinctive niche in the band’s sound and stamps his identity firmly on their music – no mean feat with the big shoes of Jones to fill.
Unlike many bands who have dabbled in psychedelia before returning to their original mission statement, the Flaming Lips have remained unwaveringly true to their original artistic vision.
Browse the Flaming Lips’ catalog here.
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