Ronald Jones (musician)
Encyclopedia
Ronald Jones is an American musician, who was a guitarist in the Oklahoma
rock band The Flaming Lips
from 1991 to 1996.
He specialized in a unique, abstract style of playing, which involved using a plethora of effects pedals. This playing style was reportedly honed during the large amounts of time that Jones used to spend in his bedroom playing. According to the book Staring at Sound by Jim DeRogatis
, Ronald Jones is of African-American and Filipino
descent.
Jones left the band after confronting his bandmates and forcing them to choose between him and fellow member Steven Drozd
. The official website states that Jones had a "moral conflict" with Drozd, while the 2005 documentary film
The Fearless Freaks states that it was Jones' paranoia over Drozd's drug use that led to Jones' departure. Jones' departure is also said to be related to agoraphobia
.
Other than his work with the Flaming Lips, Jones produced, played guitar and percussion, and added his vocals on the Richard Davies
album Telegraph, and was involved to some extent with producing a Norman, Oklahoma band called The Tea Set Colony, though they have since changed their name to The Colonists and Jones' involvement is unclear.
. He used a Surf Green and Sunburst model (both vintage). Both were modified with Seymour Duncan Hotrails pickups in the bridge and middle positions. He also played a '70s Fender Telecaster
with a hotrails pickup in the bridge. For stage work, his primary amplification was a pair of Roland Jazz Chorus
amps, wired for stereo. Jones used a very large number of effects units for live and recorded work, many of which he built or modified himself. In addition to traditional distortion and fuzz units, he is known to have used multiple Eventide
Harmonizers, a customized reverse wah pedal, and a hand-held telephone receiver wired to his amp output which could be used to generate feedback
.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
rock band The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
from 1991 to 1996.
He specialized in a unique, abstract style of playing, which involved using a plethora of effects pedals. This playing style was reportedly honed during the large amounts of time that Jones used to spend in his bedroom playing. According to the book Staring at Sound by Jim DeRogatis
Jim DeRogatis
James "Jim" DeRogatis is an American music critic and co-host of Sound Opinions. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as Spin, Guitar World and Modern Drummer, and for fifteen years was the pop music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.He joined Columbia College Chicago as a full-time...
, Ronald Jones is of African-American and Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
descent.
Jones left the band after confronting his bandmates and forcing them to choose between him and fellow member Steven Drozd
Steven Drozd
Steven Gregory Drozd is an American musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist and lead guitarist for The Flaming Lips.-Early life:...
. The official website states that Jones had a "moral conflict" with Drozd, while the 2005 documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
The Fearless Freaks states that it was Jones' paranoia over Drozd's drug use that led to Jones' departure. Jones' departure is also said to be related to agoraphobia
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder defined as a morbid fear of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms in a situation from which it is perceived to be difficult to escape. These situations can include, but are not limited to, wide-open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions...
.
Other than his work with the Flaming Lips, Jones produced, played guitar and percussion, and added his vocals on the Richard Davies
Richard Davies (musician)
Richard Davies is an Australian-American musician. He first came to prominence in the Australian band the Moles. Upon moving to the United States, Davies joined with Eric Matthews to form Cardinal, whose debut , Cardinal, was released by Flydaddy in 1994...
album Telegraph, and was involved to some extent with producing a Norman, Oklahoma band called The Tea Set Colony, though they have since changed their name to The Colonists and Jones' involvement is unclear.
Musical Equipment
Jones' primary guitar of choice during his time in The Flaming Lips was a Fender JaguarFender Jaguar
The Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar introduced in 1962. A descendant of the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar quickly caught on in the emerging Surf music scene...
. He used a Surf Green and Sunburst model (both vintage). Both were modified with Seymour Duncan Hotrails pickups in the bridge and middle positions. He also played a '70s Fender Telecaster
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
with a hotrails pickup in the bridge. For stage work, his primary amplification was a pair of Roland Jazz Chorus
Roland Jazz Chorus
Roland Jazz Chorus is the name given to a series of solid-state instrument amplifiers produced by the Roland Corporation in Japan since 1975. Its name comes from its built-in analog chorus effect, and its "pristine, clean sound" was often used in 1980s music by, for instance, funk musicians.The...
amps, wired for stereo. Jones used a very large number of effects units for live and recorded work, many of which he built or modified himself. In addition to traditional distortion and fuzz units, he is known to have used multiple Eventide
Eventide, Inc
Eventide is an audio & broadcast, communications, and avionics company in the United States whose audio division manufactures digital audio processors and DSP software, and guitar effects...
Harmonizers, a customized reverse wah pedal, and a hand-held telephone receiver wired to his amp output which could be used to generate feedback
Audio feedback
Audio feedback is a special kind of positive feedback which occurs when a sound loop exists between an audio input and an audio output...
.