Cannabis is as influential to the sub-genre as the desert itself. 'Desert rock,' though used interchangeably with 'stoner rock,' is not necessarily the same thing. Desert rock was a localized phenomenon; stoner rock a psychedelic one. The birthplace of the two, however, is the same.
Marijuana was not widely known in the 1920’s, but for jazz musicians, it was part of their lifestyle. Marijuana sustained their energy in a way alcohol couldn't, and provoked experimental improvisation that captivated audiences...