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When Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon died in 1995, the band's guitarist Christopher Thorn was left to grieve and seek his musical future. He helped Live record The Distance to Here, and formed Luma with Melon bassist Brad Smith and Celia Green vocalist Chris Shinn. In 1999, the three abandoned Luma, renamed themselves Unified Theory, and committed themselves to pushing the boundaries of sound. For Thorn, that commitment often meant not strapping on a guitar.
"I used a Fender Rhodes and a Mellotrones orchestrate this record," explains Thorn of UT self titled debut. "Playing other instruments helps me think more creatively when I pick up the guitar again."
Thorn's creative inventions transform Unified Theory into a kaleidoscopic collection of noises. And when he did grab his Fender Telcaster Custom, '60s Supro lap steel, or Gibson J -30 flat top, Thorn typically layered and processed the instruments until the sound resembled a psychedelic wind tunnel. "On Cessna, I created this swirling bed of atmosphere he says. "Sometimes the effect is so loud you can't even tell I'm playing notes."
For his main contribution to the albums sonic stew, Shinn injected the song Whither with a howling lead line - courtesy of his Rickenbacker 360, Fender Bassman, VoxAC30, and series of effects that included an MXR Phase 90a Dunlop Crybaby, an Electro-Harmonix Memory Man, and an Ernie Ball volume pedal.
"I'm proud of my guitar part on that one," says Shinn. "The trick is not being afraid to take chances. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to make the song something special."