biographybiography
Trends have come and gone, but time has stood still for the Droogs, who have been pounding out their own form of eclectic, atmospheric rock n' roll since the mid-seventies. Their first single, a cover of the Sonic's "He's Waiting", was recorded in 1973. The next year they released two additional singles, one aptly entitled "Ahead of My Time", considering they predated the 60's garage rock revival by at least five years. Two more singles, with an ever-revolving rhythm section, followed before the band nearly called it quits, ironically, just at the onslaught of the 60's inspired bands.
In
1978, an original penned by vocalist Ric Albin and guitarist Roger Clay, "Set
My Love On You," was included on Rhino Records' Saturday
Night Pogo compilation, and 1979's
L.A.In featured 'Ahead Of My Time." Venues started
opening and bands like the Last, the Unclaimed, and the Plimsouls began performing.
When bassist Dave Provost, formerly with the Textones and Dream Syndicate, joined
in the early eighties, the Droogs became more active than ever, recording the
four song EP Heads Examined in 1983,
then their debut LP Stone Cold World
the following year.
The band then embarked on several successful
tours of the East Coast and Europe, where they played to packed houses and excellent
reviews. After years of releasing their own records, the Droogs were finally
signed by PVC/Jem in the eighties, only to have the label go under while the
band was on tour in support of the 1987 release of the Kingdom
Day 
LP/CD. They had just completed a ten-city midwestern
stint opening for guitar legend Robin Trower, before continuing on their own
from Boston to New Orleans.
Like many American bands, the Droogs found their greatest success in Europe. One of their most avid collectors, Hans Kesteloo of Germany's Music Maniac label, compiled the band's early singles on one album, Anthology. Music Maniac has also released their first two albums, produced by Earle Mankey, on one CD, as well as Mad Dog Dreams (1989) and Guerrilla Love-In (1991), produced by Paul B. Cutler, with guest guitar collaborations from Dean Chamberlain and Karl Precoda; and vocal duets with Steve Wynn and Carla Olson. Nationally, the early nineties saw the release of Want Something on Skyclad, a compilation of tunes from the previous European albums, plus bonus tracks.
Their seventh album, Atomic Garage (1995) marked a return to the Droogs' distinctive songwriting. The album was released in Europe by Spain's Impossible Records. Plug n Socket, the band's own label, oversaw American distribution including a partnership with CD Baby. In 2013 the Droogs contributed to Conspiracy A-Go-Go, a themed compilation on JFK's post mortem available on Bandcamp. The groups latest CD release is 2017's Young Gun featuring ten original songs and a cover of the Seeds tune Out of the Question. The line-up on the album is Ric Albin (vocals), Roger Clay (guitar), Dave Provost (bass), Dave Klein (drums) and as co-producer/engineer.
