WL//WH Premiere: SECRET FLOWERS Cover MAZZY STAR’s “Ghost Highway”

WL//WH Premiere SECRET FLOWERS

WL//WH is pleased to premiere the music video for the cover of Mazzy Star’s 1990 song, “Ghost Highway”, recorded live at Gold Diggers, Hollywood on October 25, 2022, by Secret Flowers, a four-piece Psychedelic Rock band out of Los Angeles, CA, formed in 2018 by Michael Hentz (guitar), Jacquelyn ‘Sky’ Thropay (vocals, drums), David Greening (lead guitar), and Ava Rodriguez-Smith (bass).

Against the vast wall of psych music, Secret Flowers craft their modern sound by weaving ethereal textures overlaid back grooves to create down-tempo, dreamlike soundscapes. Secret Flowers draws on the subtle ways in which music and art move through us. Minimalist in nature, their songs allow the audience to drift into and through them. Presenting flavors anywhere from Slowdive to Crazy Horse, Secret Flowers music blends into a lo-fi dream experience that will coax you into a hazy feel-good place.

Initially, it wasn’t a set plan to release the cover. It came together in an unexpectedly great way. During our residency at Gold Diggers, Hollywood, we thought, hey this room sounds amazing, let’s see if we can get a live recording. We asked for the board recordings and they were surprisingly good quality. Then Ava had the vision to make a video for “Ghost Highway”. So here we are now getting to share our appreciation for Mazzy Star and showcase our live sound with an animated video of us.Jacquelyn Sky

Secret Flowers’ tones down the straight rock feel with wall-of-sound reverberations, but the listener will immediately recognize the prowling obsession of the sharp piercing and angsty lead guitar melody of the original version, whilst heavy rumbling grungy riffs and steady, at times, rolling drum beats lift a powerful and stirring female vocal magnetism, declaring undying love and adoration, into epic tweaks and surges of uninhibited stringed desire.

The accompanying video was not only conceptualized by bassist Ava Q. Rodriguez-Smith based on inspiration from a recent road trip but also shot, directed, edited, and animated by her. Her depiction of the band floating over the road in a newsprint effect stays true to the ghostly spirit of the song and Secret Flowers’ haunting performance.

Eclectic atmospheric visuals set the stage for an immersive Psychedelic experience, where hypnotic overlays and thoughtful editing pull the viewer into the dry desert horizons of endless dreams. A symbolic black-clad performance, shot live at Gold Diggers in Hollywood, captures the high-energy vibes of Secret Flowers while deep illustrated contrasts and surreal flows of motion, push the boundaries of time and space into a parallel dimension of a heady Rock and Roll trip.

Upcoming Los Angeles shows:

04/01 – Hotel Ziggy, w/ Chromosome Tea
04/27 – Good Times At Davey Waynes

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