Obscured By Clouds

Seattle-based art rock outfit Obscured by Clouds drew its moniker from Pink Floyd’s identically titled 1972 release, shaping an atmospheric style that channels the era’s spacious, synthesizer-driven psychedelia while updating it through contemporary production techniques and digital processing. At the group’s core stands founder William Weikart, whose vision crystallized after witnessing Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii; he absorbed the ethereal phrasing of David Gilmour alongside the economical lines of both Gilmour and bassist Roger Waters. Additional touchstones include the Doors, Tangerine Dream, King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, Morphine, and Soundgarden. Commanding guitars, Fender Rhodes electric piano, synthesizers, and oscillators, Weikart forged an original extension of Pink Floyd’s idiom rather than replicating it note for note. Early lineups featured bassists Phil Baker and Ben Brown; later arrivals brought pianist and synthesist Kevin Cozad, drummer Reinhardt Melz, bassist Ian Wengs, guitarist Matthew Bradley, and drummer Jeff Norton. The ensemble has performed across Canada and along both the eastern and western seaboards of the United States. In 2009 the band released the album Psycheclectic on Psycheclectic Records.