Many Americans consider illicit drugs a problem in society, but for Videodrone, a rock band that performs Saturday at Tingley Coliseum, drugs were the inspiration for its self-titled debut release. Lead singer Ty Elam said the 11-track album, which went on sale Feb. 23, is based on episodes of drug use and the personal feelings of some of the band members. (He) said drugs such as LSD helped to increase his creativity when composing and brainstorming for the album.

"Our album has many takes on drug use," he explained. "The song ‘LSD’ was an outtake of one of our acid trips. The bass player (Mavis) and I took some LSD from a chemist friend of ours and wrote songs for the next 15 hours." Elam also commented that drugs can be a problem for people who abuse or misuse them. "If (drug users) have to rob their neighbors to get more drugs, there’s a problem that goes way beyond the drug use itself," he said.

Another drug-related track on the album titled "Alone With 20 Bucks" is based on a period in Elam’s life when he was freebasing crack cocaine. "One time I had $20 in my pocket and had to decide whether I should get something to eat or buy some more (crack) for the high of the moment," he said.

The Bakersfield, Calif., band took its name from a movie by writer/director David Cronenberg. The movie suggests that prolonged television viewing can be addictive and have serious psychological consequences. The quintet called itself Cradle of Thorns when it formed in 1988. It signed to Triple X Records, which also managed Social Distortion and Jane’s Addiction, in the early ’90s. Beginning in 1994, Cradle of Thorns opened for Social Distortion, Offspring, and Sugar Ray. The band changed its name after signing to the Elementree label late last year.

Elam said Videodrone’s debut album serves as a soundtrack to his life at times, but the music follows no specific musical genre. "We take the music to whatever direction we feel comfortable with, depending on our mood at the time, which is always changing," he said. "We all come from different (musical) backgrounds and respect different styles of music. To choose just one style and use it on the whole album would have been boring." Elam said his main influence is the punk/ska band Skinny Puppy but he likes all music with an atmospheric feel, including that of the Beastie Boys and Depeche Mode.

Videodrone is touring in support of Korn and Rob Zombie. "It’s nice to have a ticket to see them every night," Elam said. "We grew up with Korn and are on the same label — Elementree. We get to hang out with our compadres (Korn) and meet Rob Zombie, who has pretty much the same taste in music that I do."

"We like playing live, and that’s the main reason we’re doing (the tour)," he said. "We’ve played Albuquerque many times as Cradle of Thorns, and are looking forward to the show there." Elam said the band hopes to headline gigs at smaller venues in the future and wants to incorporate parts of the movie "Videodrome" into its live show. "We definitely want to have visuals, like lighting effects and video segments," he said. Videodrone opens for Korn and Rob Zombie Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Tingley Coliseum. Tickets are available for $26, $29 on the day of the show, from Ticketmaster.