Buckethead

This article is about the Avant-Garde composer and musician. For the DJ/producing team Bucketheads, see Kenny 'Dope' Gonzales.

Template:Guitarist infobox Buckethead (born Brian Carroll in 1969), is an American guitarist and composer. With his signature white plastic mask and Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket, Carroll created a persona in order to emphasize his music over his personal identity. He is a prolific composer, having released 18 solo albums and performed on 33 more. His music spans a wide variety of genres including thrash metal, funk, electronica and avant-garde.

Although a capable multi-instrumentalist (playing bass guitar, banjo, and piano), Buckethead is best known for his electric guitar playing, characterized by diverse playing styles spanning thrash guitar, fingerpicking, and slap guitar. Guitar One voted him number 8 on a list of the "Top 10 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time".

Although Buckethead now works primarily as a solo artist touring the country with a trio, he has had a wide variety of high profile collaborations with such artists as Les Claypool, Tony Williams, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, System of a Down's Serj Tankian, Guns N' Roses and with Bill Laswell on Praxis.

Identity

Buckethead's real name is Brian Carroll. Only one photograph of him unmasked is known. He is thought to stand about 6'6" and nearly 7' with his signature bucket.

Buckethead's official biography claims that he was raised by chickens in a coop (appropriately, several song titles, especially on early releases, refer to chicken, such as the song "Chicken" or the album titles "KFC Skin Piles" and "Enter the Chicken"). The more realistic biography states that he was a fan of horror movies. He then bought a Michael Myers mask, which he wears to this very day. He got the bucket idea from late night eating KFC. He went into the bathroom, put on the mask and bucket and said, "That's Buckethead. That's Buckethead right there".

The multi-talented Buckethead is known for his on-stage robotic dancing, pop and lock break dance skills and rapid demonstrations with nunchaku, sometimes while continuing to play the guitar. He gives away toys at many of his shows and concertgoers commonly give gifts to him as well.

According to a 1989 local music magazine he cites Michael Jackson, Yngwie Malmsteen, Louis Jordan, Shawn Lane, Joe Satriani and Jennifer Batten as his main influences. He has claimed Randy Rhoads as an influence as well . He has claimed to be influenced by the book "Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns" by Nicolas Slonimsky .

Career

In 1988, a teenage Buckethead entered a song called "Brazos" into a Guitar Player Magazine contest; it was a runner up. This is what was said about him:

An astonishingly skilled guitarist and bassist, he demonstrates post-Paul Gilbert speed and accuracy filtered through very kinky harmonic sensibilities. His psychotronic, demonic edge is very, very far removed from the clichés of classical metal and rock. A real talent to watch, he's still a teenager. Also known as "Buckethead".

This is also how Guitar Player Magazine editor Jas Obrecht came to know of Buckethead. Impressed with his demo recording he got in contact with Buckethead and they soon became friends. In 1991 Buckethead moved into Obrecht's basement (this is also where footage for the "Young Buckethead" DVD was filmed).

After a few self-released albums, Bucketheadland was released on John Zorn's Avant record label in 1992. Though available only as a pricey Japanese import, the record received positive reviews and earned some attention. At about this time, Buckethead fell into the orbit of prolific bassist/producer Bill Laswell (himself an occasional Zorn collaborator); as either a performer, producer or composer, Laswell was involved in many of the albums listed in the discography below, and Buckethead made many more appearances on albums by Laswell's collaborators.

One such Laswell project was Death Cube K (an anagram of "Buckethead" he created to circumvent legal complications with Sony Records, with which he was signed to in 1994 to release Giant Robot.). William Gibson later borrowed "Death Cube K" as the name of a bar in Idoru; quoting Gibson in an interview for Addicted To Noise:

Death Cube K is actually the title of an album. I'm sorry I can't remember the name of the group but Bill Laswell who I don't really know but out of the kindness of his heart occasionally sends me big hunks of his output, groups that come out on his label. And Death Cube K was the title of some vicious ambient group that he had produced. And when I saw it, I thought: a Franz Kafka theme bar in Tokyo.

According to Anthony Kiedis' autobiography, Scar Tissue, Buckethead once auditioned to play guitar for the Red Hot Chili Peppers shortly after John Frusciante left the band.

Buckethead achieved a greater public profile as a member of Guns N' Roses from 2000 to 2004; however, the band was rarely active in this era. Guns N' Roses response to Buckethead's departure was;

During his tenure with the band, Buckethead has been inconsistent and erratic in both his behavior and his commitment, despite being under contract, creating uncertainty and confusion and making it virtually impossible to move forward with recording, rehearsals, and live plans with confidence. His transient lifestyle has made it near impossible for even his closest friends to have nearly any form of communications with him whatsoever.

Despite this, Buckethead's guitar parts were found intact on leaked Chinese Democracy tracks 'IRS', 'There Was A Time', 'Better' & 'Madagascar'. However, it is uncertain if Buckethead's guitar parts will be present on the final product.

Since that time, his cult following in the underground music communities has steadily increased. He frequently performs at festivals and in clubs nationwide, and often tours as the feature performer. [2] [3] [4]

In an interview with Revolver, Ozzy Osbourne stated that he had offered to have Buckethead play guitar in his band at Ozzfest. Ozzy quickly changed his mind after meeting with him when Buckethead refused to go on stage without his disguise:

I tried out that Buckethead guy. I met with him and asked him to work with me but only if he got rid of the fucking bucket. So I came back a bit later and he's wearing this green fucking Martian's-hat thing! I said, 'Look, just be yourself'. He told me his name was Brian, so I said that's what I'd call him. He says, 'No one calls me Brian except my mother'. So I said, 'Pretend I'm your mum then!'. I haven't even got out of the room and I'm already playing fucking mind games with the guy. What happens if one day he's gone and there's a note saying, 'I've been beamed up'? Don't get me wrong, he's a great player. He plays like a motherfucker!

In 2005, Buckethead released an album as Buckethead & Friends called Enter The Chicken. Released by Serj Tankian's label Serjical Strike, the album features Tankian, Maximum Bob, Death By Stereo singer Efrem Shulz, and others. The album is marked by its leaning towards more traditional song structure, while still featuring Buckethead's guitar skills.

In 2005 Buckethead finally released his first DVD "Secret Recipe", originally sold only on tour; the only places for other fans (those who either didn't go to a show or live abroad) to get hold of the DVD were auction sites such as eBay. Bootleg copies were also sold on eBay for a short period of time. Eventually Travis Dickerson held a raffle for copies of the DVD on his website. Those who wanted to "win" a copy had to enter their name and email address. When entries were closed he picked 200 names at random from those who entered and they were allowed to buy a copy of the DVD from his website. In March 2006 the DVD was finally made widely available.

Released in November 2006, the PlayStation 2 video game Guitar Hero II features Buckethead's song “Jordan” as an unlockable bonus track. Though the game states Buckethead wrote the song "Jordan" for the game, the song has been played live for years (It was played on the 2004 tour, and possibly earlier than that, though the earlier recordings were far different and far easier played), prior to even the release of the first Guitar Hero game (Released in 2005). The game merely marks the first studio recording of the song to be released. However, the version of “Jordan” in Guitar Hero II is different than the one Buckethead plays at most live shows.

In late 2006 Buckethead released a two volume DVD entitled "Young Buckethead" featuring rare footage from 1990 and 1991. The DVD also contains three complete Deli Creeps shows, a sound check, backstage footage and solo footage of just Buckethead. All the artwork was drawn by Buckethead himself.

In February 2007, tdrsmusic.com announced the release of a new Buckethead CD, entitled Pepper's Ghost. The album was released on the 1st of March.

Also in February 2007, tdrsmusic.com began shipping "In Search Of The", a 13 CD set of original music that is said to be handcrafted, numbered, and monogrammed by the artist.

According to IMDB, Buckethead will appear as himself in an upcoming movie entitled American Music: Off The Record, due out in 2007.

Discography

Main article: Buckethead discography

Guest appearances

Multiple appearances with artists

Anton Fier

• (1993) - Dreamspeed
• (2003) - Blindlight 1992-1994

Axiom Funk

• (1995) - Funkcronomicon
• (1995) - If 6 was 9 (Single)

Bernie Worrell

• (1993) - Pieces of Woo: The Other Side
• (1997) - Free Agent: A Spaced Odyssey
• (2004) - Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains

Company 91

• (1991) - Company 91 Volume 1
• (1991) - Company 91 Volume 2
• (1991) - Company 91 Volume 3

Icehouse

• (1993) - Big Wheel
• (1993) - Full Circle

Mike Patton with Buckethead and DJ Flare forming Moonraker

• (2000) - Live @ The Knitting Factory (bootleg only)

Phonopsychograph Disk

• (1998) - Ancient Termites
• (1999) - Live @ Slim's/Turbulence Chest
• (1999) - Unreleased (Cassette Only)

Refrigerator

• (1997) - Refrigerator
• (1997) - Somehow

Single appearance with artist(s)

• (1991) - Henry Kaiser - Hope You Like Our New Direction
• (1992) - Will Ackerman - The Opening of Doors
• (1993) - Divination - Ambient Dub Volume 1
• (1993) - MCM and the Monster - Collective Emotional Problems
• (1993) - Psyber Pop - What? So What?
• (1994) - Axiom Ambient - Lost in the Translation
• (1994) - Jon Hassell and Blue Screen - Dressing for Pleasure
• (1994) - Hakim Bey - T.A.Z. (Temporary Autonomous Zone)
• (1995) - Buckshot LeFonque - No Pain No Gain (Single with Remixes)
• (1995) - Julian Schnabel - Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud
• (1996) - Myth - Dreams of the World
• (1997) - Arcana - Arc of the Testimony
• (1997) - Valis II - Everything Must Go
• (1998) - Bastard Noise - Split W/Spastic Colon
• (1998) - DJ Q-Bert - Wave Twisters
• (1999) - Banyan - Anytime at All
• (1999) - Ben Wa - Devil Dub
• (2000) - Double E - Audio Men
• (2000) - Shin Terai - Unison
• (2000) - Tony Furtado Band - Tony Furtado Band
• (2001) - Bill Laswell - Points of Order
• (2001) - Gonervill - Gonervill
• (2001) - The Freak Brothers - The Freak Brothers
• (2002) - Fishbone's Family Nexperienc - The Botliest Psychosis...
• (2003) - Freekbass - The Air is Fresher Underground
• (2003) - Gemini - Product of Pain
• (2004) - Weston Broske - Greatest Shreds
• (2004) - Meridem - A Pleasant Fiction
• (2005) - Bassnectar - Mesmerizing The Ultra

Appearances with various artists

• (1993) - Last Action Hero (Soundtrack)
• (1993) - Last Action Hero (Score)
• (1995) - Johnny Mnemonic (Soundtrack)
• (1995) - Mortal Kombat (Soundtrack)
• (1995) - Mortal Kombat (Score)
• (1996) - Alien Ambient Galaxy
• (1996) - Stealing Beauty (Soundtrack)
• (1997) - Beverly Hills Ninja (Soundtrack)
• (1997) - Guitar Zone
• (1997) - Mortal Kombat 2: Annihilation (Soundtrack)
• (1997) - Guitars on Mars
• (1998) - Night and Day
• (1998) - Guitarisma 2
• (1998) - Great Jewish Music: A Tribute to Marc Bolan
• (1998) - New Yorker Out Loud: Volume 2
• (1999) - Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Soundtrack)
• (1999) - Crash Course in Music
• (1999) - Horizons
• (1999) - Music for the New Millennium
• (2001) - Innerhythmic Sound System
• (2001) - Ghosts of Mars (Soundtrack)
• (2001) - Dragon Ball Z: "The History of Trunks" (Soundtrack)
• (2001) - Bomb Anniversary Collection
• (2002) - Guitars for Freedom
• (2002) - The Meta Collection
• (2002) - Scratch: The Film (Score)
• (2002) - Urban Revolutions
• (2005) - Blue Suenos
• (2005) - Masters of Horror (Soundtrack)
• (2005) - Saw 2 (Soundtrack)
• (2006) - Guitar Hero II

Videography

• Axiom Funk - If 6 Was 9
• Bootsy Collins - Funk Express Card
• Bryan Mantia - Brain's Lessons
• Buckethead - The Ballad of Buckethead
• Buckethead - Binge Clips Vol. 1 - 7
• Buckethead - Killer Grabbag of Shards Vol. 1 (CD-ROM featuring footage of live shows)
• Buckethead - Spokes For The Wheel of Torment
• Buckethead - We Are One
• DJ Q-Bert - Inner Space Dental Commander
• DJ Q-Bert - Wave Twisters
• Freekbass - Always Here
• Praxis - Animal Behaviour
• Praxis - Inferno / Heat Seeker / Exploded Heart
• Primus - Videoplasty
• Primus - Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People (DVD hidden)
• Snoop Dogg - Undacova Funk
• Thanatopsis - Pyrrhic Victory

External links

• Bucketheadland – Official website
• Young Buckethead - Official website to the "Young Buckethead" DVD
• Travis Dickerson Recording Studio website
• Ozzy Osbourne Interview
• Buckethead at IMDb