- Steven Drozd
Infobox Musical artist
Name = Steven Drozd
Img_capt = Steven at La Zona Rosa in Austin 09/2007
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = Steven Gregory Drozd
Born = Birth date and age|1969|6|11|mf=y
Origin =Houston ,Texas , U.S.
Instrument =Guitar , drums, keyboard, vocals
Genre =Alternative rock
Occupation =Musician ,actor
Years_active = 1983-present
Label =Warner Bros. Records
Associated_acts =The Flaming Lips
URL = [http://www.flaminglips.com www.flaminglips.com]Steven Gregory Drozd (born
June 11 ,1969 ,Houston ,Texas ) is amulti-instrumentalist anddrummer forThe Flaming Lips . The son of musician Vernon Drozd, he grew up in Houston with three brothers and a sister. From the age of ten, he played drums and later keys with his father'spolka band. While attendingEisenhower High School inLawton ,Oklahoma , he played percussion in the school's marching and symphonic bands, and played keyboards in a quartet he formed with fellow students Michael Brown (tenor and soprano saxophones), Robert Archer (bass guitar), and Todd Boukum (drums), performingsmooth jazz andjazz-fusion . Besides his work with 'The Lips', he heads a side-project,The Paris Gun where he plays guitar and keyboards. He has also appeared on a number of recordings of other artists includingElliott Smith 's "From a Basement on the Hill ",Jay Farrar 's "Sebastopol" and "ThirdShiftGrottoSlack" andSteve Burns ' "Songs for Dustmites ". Steven is also featured on the current 2007 online release of
Cake's "B-sides and Rarities".He joined
The Flaming Lips in 1991 as a young up-and-coming drummer. While his style is deeply influenced by the big drum sounds of the 70's, his youth spent playing in his father's polka band developed a keen sense of taste and syncopation, allowing for seamless transitions through an articulate and dynamic touch. His thick grooves, with episodes of odd-time funk, are equally matched with heavily distorted straight ahead rock, mixing and jumping from various genres often marrying the virtues of his influences.Noted influences include: Czech Polka;
John Bonham ;Carl Palmer ;Bill Bruford andStevie Wonder .Drum gear (incomplete):70's Ludwig Supraphonic chrome snares; Remo Black dot batter and vintage Gretsch drums. His battle with
heroin , which he first tried in 1990, is portrayed in a very graphic and emotional scene in the 2005 Flaming Lips documentaryThe Fearless Freaks . Drozd is currently clean. He is married to Becky Stokesberry and they have a son, Daniel James Drozd (born September 22, 2005), and a daughter, Charlotte Michelle Drozd (born February 26, 2008).During live performances, he typically plays lead guitar (usually with a
Fender Jazzmaster ) and during a few songs he will play the keyboard.In Flaming Lips' upcoming film
Christmas on Mars , he plays Major Syrtis, the main character of the film.Steven has also appeared on Nickelodeon Networks_Noggin's - Jack’s Big Music Show, with Daily Show host Jon Stewart, and original Blue's Clues host Steve Burns of singer/songwriter fame.
External links
* [http://www.flaminglips.com/ Official Flaming Lips site]
* [http://www.nellmedia.com/drozd/ The Steven Drozd Appreciation Club]
* [http://www.discollective.com/guest/The-Flaming-Lips Steven Drozd's Maritime Mixtape]
* [http://nellmedia.com/pgun/ Official Paris Gun site] (not currently being updated)
*musicbrainz artist|id=2447560a-5c00-4b3f-9da0-f4d43f8cb12a|name=Steven DrozdPersondata
NAME=Drozd, Steven
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Steven Gregory Drozd
SHORT DESCRIPTION=multi-instrumentalist anddrummer forThe Flaming Lips
DATE OF BIRTH=June 11 ,1969
PLACE OF BIRTH=Houston ,Texas
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=
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