Page of the Robot Blog

Hellborg meets Bootsy

2010-08-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year bass monster Jonas Hellborg paid a visit to our hero Bootsy Collins. What does this have to do with Buckethead? Both uber talents have played with Buckethead: Hellborg on "Octave of the Holy Innocents" and Bootsy on Praxis, Zillatron, and so on. No, this isn't really news, but how cool would it be to be in the room with these two? Here's a link on Hellborg's site which has a little text and a few photos. I hope Bucket plays with either of these guys again soon!

Buckethead Signature Les Paul

2009-11-16T23:24:00.000-08:00

Gibson has release the Buckethead Signature Les Paul to the wild and it's a monster. I won't even try to describe all the details, so see what Gibson has to say. The price tag is a hefty $4300, so start saving today. If only it could make me play like Buckethead...

New Death Cube K release

2009-11-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

No sooner than I wrote that I haven't seen anything recent, RareNoiseRecords makes a liar out of me. Well, not a liar, just out of it. They have released the latest Death Cube K (it's an anagram, figure it out) CD/Download called Torn From Black Space. Our friends from Wikipedia have a write-up you should check out.

... and a new gig (for me, not Buckethead)

2009-11-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

I haven't seen much news in Bucketheadland since the last tour and CD release, but I just though I'd mention that I'm doing some work for a non-profit called 4D Network. Here's the fancy intro statement: The 4D Network is an interconnected group of internationally-minded people who are dedicated to working towards a common vision of a secure, peaceful, sustainable and just world, where all humans have universal rights and adequate quality of life, in which humanity is free to create, push back the boundaries of knowledge and understanding, and realize its full potential. One example of what we're working on is the Millennium Project development goals. Next entry will have something to do with Buckethead, I promise.

Nice Review of Buckethead's Governor’s Island Show

2009-10-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

Just want to turn your attention to a nice write-up of Buckethead's show at Governor’s Island. It's a good article by a guy who was clearly impressed: "The finger-tapping, string snapping master of the fretboard simply stands head and shoulders above any other player the rock world has produced." He also includes a video he took at the show. Damn, I wish I was there... I need a Bucketfix soon! Anyway, you should read the article.

New CD: Needle in a Slunk Stack

2009-09-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Looks like Buckethead has a new CD called "Needle in a Slunk Stack" for sale on Travis Dickerson's website. I haven't heard it yet and don't know much about it other than that it was produced by longtime Bucketbuddies Dan Monti and Albert. I noticed that it has a song called "Astral Traveler" - this couldn't be a Bucket version of the classic Yes song, could it? So far this release is only listed as a CD, not as a downloadable album. As always, you can buy it from Travis.

I expect to doing more posting for the time being. Once again, I killed myself working for a start-up over the last year and had no time to work on Buckety stuff. And I got screwed when my job was off-shored. Again. Hunter S. Thompson was right when he said "The dotcom business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Okay, he actually said that about the music business but it still fits.

Good review of Buckethead @ Summer Camp 2009

2009-05-27T22:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of attention here, but I'm neck deep in another startup and haven't had time for... just about anything. Yeah, some people never learn. Anyway, I thought I'd pass along a link to a positive review of Buckethead's appearance at Summer Camp 2009. Enjoy.

Relief. Elation! Cautious Optimism...

2009-01-20T14:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is somewhat, but not entirely, off topic. We have finally rid ourselves of the Worst President Ever. I suppose "worst ever" might be debatable, but I think I can safely say the worst President of the last half a century. In fact I don't think there is any argument possible. It's going to take Obama a long time to clean up this mess both home and abroad, but at least we have a chance. I mean how long will it take to close Guantanamo, get out of Iraq and Afghanistan, establish diplomacy with Iran and/or North Korea, regain the trust of the rest of the world, restore the First Amendment, fend off another Depression, build an almost decent healthcare system... and the list goes on and on and on...

I don't even want to think how much further we would sink with a McBush/Palin administration. More tax breaks for the rich? Even more reckless bailouts for the very people who got us in this mess? Staying in Iraq for a century? A worse healthcare system? A Palin Presidency? And you thought The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was horror.

This isn't as off-topic as you may think. Buckethead is clearly not a Bush supporter; just listen to "Junior" on the Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains album or anything on "Intelligence Failure" with Viggo Mortensen. So, I think it's a safe bet to say Buckethead is pretty happy today.

Buckethead in Doonesbury

2008-12-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

Just an FYI: Buckethead is mentioned in today's Doonesbury strip. Strange that he's well-known enough to be mentioned in Doonesbury. I'd really like to see Gary Trudeau draw Buckethead, but I won't hold my breath.

Bucketbots protest Bush

2008-11-26T13:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, that's not true but look at this picture:

This is actually a group of protesters in Lima, Peru demanding the closure of Guantanamo. I'm sure Buckethead would approve as he made an entire anti-Bush/war album with Viggo. And don't forget "Junior" by Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains.

Some real news in the New York Times

2008-11-20T12:24:00.000-08:00

Buckethead is on the New York Times homepage today. How cool is that?

(I Can't Get No) Science Faxtion

2008-11-16T22:05:00.001-08:00

Sorry, I couldn't resist working Satisfaction in. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find the most eagerly awaited disc of the year in the shops around here, so I had to order online. Damn, it's hard to wait! I'll be seeing Buckethead & That One Guy this Thursday in Santa Cruz and Friday in Redwood City, so - if I get it together - I'll write a little about those shows this weekend.

More on Science Faxtion

2008-08-03T21:51:00.000-07:00

A new article about Science Faxtion - Buckethead, Bootsy, Brain, & Greg Hampton - on the Rolling Stone website (Rolling Stone is still around?) says that the debut album will be out in September. Check out the article for some good quotes from Bootzilla and more info. I can't wait!

No Dr. Pepper for Buckethead?!?!

2008-03-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

Strange news of the week: Dr. Pepper will give every U.S. resident a can of their soda if Guns N' Roses actually releases "Chinese Democracy" in 2008. Only two U.S. residents are excluded from the offer: Buckethead and Slash. I think KFC should one-up them and give everyone a bucket if the album comes out. You can check out Spin's article if you care.

Why I haven't posted in ages

2007-08-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted anything here in ages, but I have a reason. Sort of. I've been working like mad at a start-up all year, so my non-work tech projects have been minimal at best. Anyway, I've been working on a site with really cool angle on fund raising projects. Here's the site: PeerDreams.

Sorry for the non-Bucket entry, but I've been killing myself working on this!

Holy Bootzilla! New band with Bootsy and Brain

2007-06-13T18:10:00.000-07:00

Good news for Bucketbots: Buckethead is in a new band called Science Faction with Brain, Bootsy, DJ Botieus, and producer/guitarist Greg Hampton. I don't know anything about DJ Botikeus or Greg Hampton (see his MySpace page) yet, but anything with the three B's is going to be great. They're supposed to have an album out next year and follow it with a tour. Yes, a TOUR! Man, I hope that's true.

You should read the whole Billboard article, but here's a great Bootsy quote from it:

"We're looking at it like, 'What would happen if we wound up a situation down the line as we evolve, that our technology takes over and we are the ones that they're looking at as 'the scum of the earth'," Collins tells Billboard.com. "It's kind of like 'Planet of the Apes.' What would they be like? What would that feel like? We're just trying to warn the world that that's comin', and we're having fun with that."

Oh. My. God.

A good review of "Crime Slunk Scene"

2006-11-29T23:06:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd let you know about a good review of "Crime Slunk Scene" in the Univ. of Chicago student newspaper. The reviewer says that this is Bucket's best album since "Colma" - what do you think? Check out Buckethead impossibly good, unfathomably weird to read the review. Of course you should buy it from Travis Dickerson Recording Studios.

Bootsy for Christmas?!

2006-11-07T21:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm also annoyed at the stores who are already putting up Christmas decorations and the catalogs telling us to hurry up and spend, spend, spend. But a Christmas album from Bootsy gets a special diplomatic immunity from pre-holiday griping. Bootzilla Christmas album, called Christmas is 4 Ever, has some Bootsified versions of classic and some new X-mas tunes. How man albums - let alone Christmas albums - feature Snoop Dogg, Buckethead, and Charlie Daniels?

Check out this interview with Bootsy by Brian Baker. (The drawing is by Woodrow J. Hinton, by the way.)

That 1 Guy

2006-10-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've been slacking big time on this blog... Anyway, I ran across a decent article about That 1 Guy who's been touring with Buckethead. I've seen a couple little videos with him, but I really want to see him with Bucket. However, he isn't coming to the Bay Area this tour. I don't expect any simpathy since we've had more Bucket shows than the rest of the country combined, but I'm dying to see Bucket play with That 1 Guy!

Cool Buckethead paintings

2006-06-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

You should check out a couple of really cool Buckethead paintings by a guy named Mark T. Zeilman. Not of this World makes me think of a cross between Buckethead and Jack Skellington. This would be a great CD cover. Buckethead Goes to the Drive In is a nice mix of Disney and horror imagery. Check out the "about this commission" link next to the paintings for the background story. Two thumbs up!

New Guns N' Roses album due out this fall

2006-05-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, Axl Rose has stated that the new Guns N' Roses album will come out this fall. Buckethead spent several years on this album, but the question I have is how much Buckethead stuff will still be on the album. I guess the other question is how much us old-time Bucketbots will care...

A couple of recent articles

2006-03-29T10:15:00.000-08:00

Nothing major here, just a couple recent articles on the web. The Boston Herald has an article called "Buckethead to pluck 'Chicken'" that has a couple good quotes (allegedly) from Buckethead. An article from the Easter Michigan University paper called "Buckethead, guitar virtuoso" says a lot of nice things, but has nothing really new to long-time Bucketbots.

Bucketbuddy Dan Monti in the news

2006-03-22T13:14:00.000-08:00

Looks like Buckethead's buddy Dan Monti is lending his bass and production talent to a young (very young) artist. I've never heard of this kid, but you might want to check out the story: The Rock Violinist, 14 year old Singer/Songwriter, Antonio Pontarelli, wins prestigious songwriting competition.

Thoughts about the Petaluma show

2006-03-02T19:10:00.000-08:00

In short, this was yet another great Bucket show. A few random thoughts:

The show was packed with medley's. For instance, I really liked the way he folded all of "Post Office Buddy" into one of the medleys. Of course he did some of the things that only Buckethead would do like smash a little "row, row, row your boat..." into a Hendrix medley.

I managed to get video of the first hour and fifteen minutes until the battery ran out. I want to clarify Buckethead's policy on sharing/trading videos, but I do plan on making this available to Bucketbots eventually (trading DVDs, downloads, BitTorrent, Google Video, whatever...).

Pinchface was great as always and I like Del Rey Brewer's playing. Some people on the Bucketboard complained that he played the bass with a pick. Excuse me, Chris Squire - one of the best and most influential bass players ever - plays with a pick. One of the great things about Bucketbuddies is that they do things differently than others, like play the bass with a pick rather than fingers - shocking. Get over it.

I'll have to watch the video to find where they do this, but I swear that Pinchy and Brewer evoked the spirit on John Bonham and John Paul Jones on "Jordan".

Bucket came out and played with some tapes instead of with Pinch and Brewer and I'm not sure why. I've seen him play "Jowls" and "Nottingham Lace" with a band, but instead played with a tape this time. I've seen him do a whole show with prerecorded music, but not during a show with a band. However, it was still great hearing those pieces.

I've been to over 40 Bucket shows and I'm still not tired of them. In fact I can't wait for the next one!

Good review of Kaleidoscalp

2006-01-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

I found a good review of Kaleidoscalp by the Kentucky Kernel (no, not the Colonel, but I like the way you think). A couple of quotes I liked: "Few guitarists, living or dead, can boast of a technical prowess as impressive as Buckethead's", "...all of the songs are inventive and fierce, equally capable of making guitar junkies think they're in heaven at first listen." It's a good little read, so check it out.

New Thanatopsis!

2006-01-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

I noticed that a new Thanatopsis CD, Anatomize, is coming out in late January on our pal Travis Dickerson's label. You can get more Thanatopsis info on Travis' site. Thanatopsis is Buckethead, Travis Dickerson, and Ramy Antoun on drums. Their track record is great, so I expect this to be worth ordering without hearing a note.

The Holy Grail

2006-01-01T18:07:00.000-08:00

Great news: Buckethead's DVD, Secret Recipe, will finally be released in 2006! It's been done for a while and was sold at a few shows, but has only recently been slated for major release. Amazon has the release date listed as March 14, 2006. This leaves Giant Robot (NTT) as the sole Holy Grail of Buckethead recordings. Now this is how you start off a new year.

Travis Dickerson is the greatest

2005-12-08T23:52:00.000-08:00

I just thought I'd take a minute to say how cool Travis Dickerson is. First of all, he records with Buckethead which gives him instant cred (sorry Axl, it doesn't always work). He adds some great keys that you don't usually hear with Bucket. I hear an old school influence on Travis' playing - specifically the great Rick Wakeman. Has anyone else noticed this? Just listen to Population Override or Thanatopsis and tell me you don't hear a little Wakeman in there. You also have to give some points for releasing Buckethead albums. Not only that, you can download out-of-print CDs! Big deal, you may say? If you can find "Day of the Robot" anywhere you'll pay at least $50 for it, but you can download it from Travis' site for $9. Also, you can order Buckethead's latest, Inbred Mountain, on his site. I was just listening to Population Override and felt like praising Travis - he didn't pay me say any of this!

'Tis the season to be scalped

2005-11-22T22:12:00.000-08:00

Three Buckethead CDs in less than a month? As Maximum Bob would say "oh, jeez!" First we got "Enter the Chicken" then "Dawn of the Deli Creeps" and now we're going to get "Kaleidoscalp" this week. Unbelievable. I just got my copy of the Deli Creeps CD and will do a little write up here soon (it's awesome, by the way). Remember waiting what seemed like a long time between CD releases when Buckethead was working with Guns N' Roses? I'm so glad that's over!

Interview with Buckethead and Serj

2005-11-17T22:28:00.000-08:00

KNAC.com published an interview with Buckethead and Serj Tankian yesterday. Actually, Serj did most of the interview and Bucket mostly wrote notes and nodded his head. Turns out that Buckethead has four albums coming out before long. It's a pretty good interview, so check it out.

CD covers coming soon

2005-11-15T21:25:00.000-08:00

Just an FYI: I made CD covers for three of the shows that were on Buckethead's Live Wedges. They consist of front and back covers with track listings. I'll make them available here within the next few days.

Enter the Chicken

2005-11-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

I've listened to Enter the Chicken twice, so it's time to babble about it little. I had trouble understanding most of what Serj and Efrem Schulz were singing (yelling) in "We Are One." Are my ears getting old? I don't think so as I can still translate some of what Robert Plant sings into something resembling English. "Three Fingers" with Saul Williams is cool, very cool. EmptyV's website has an article about Saul Williams where he says that he just came into the studio and added the vocals, but never actually met Buckethead. "Running from the Light" is pretty good - a mix of mellow & big (louder and dramatic, a bit power-balladish). Fingers & Light both have some nice smooth guitar bits.

"Coma" is mellow; I liked the vocals by Gigi and Maura Davis. "Waiting Here" is nice and Serj does a good job of singing, not yelling; I think it's the best vocal track on the album. I can't figure out why this is, but somehow Bucket is channeling Jimi on this track. I can't put my finger on it, but it works. As for "Funbus," I just don't like singers who usually growl, it really wrecks the track. It has some excellent guitar bits, though.

"The Hand" should be on a horror movie/TV show soundtrack like "We Are One". I always like hearing Maximum Bob, especially when he's laughing like a lunatic. I also like the insane operatic touch from Ani Maldjian. I'm all fired up for the Deli Creeps CD. I've loved "Nottingham Lace" since it was available as a download a while back. This is the best track on the album, if not the best track by anyone this year. The crazy part is that it's even better live.

Dawn of the Deli Creeps

2005-11-10T16:36:00.000-08:00

I just found out that the Dawn of the Deli Creeps CD has been released! So far, I've only seen it for sale on DeliCreeps.com.I'll be ordering that right away. YES! I've heard most of the songs, but I don't recognize a few of them. Of course, I may have heard them live. Shockingly, it doesn't have "Family of Freaks" (unless it's been renamed). I can't wait to get my hands on this.

Let's get this thing rolling

2005-11-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

Welcome to BucketBlog land. I'm just starting this thing now, so I'll make the first cliche posting you expect. I guess I should tell you that this blog is primarily my ranting, raving, and praising all things Buckethead. This blog will also follow, to a some degree, the progress in recreating my Buckethead page called Page of the Robot. It was either the 4th or 5th Buckethead site in existence and became a part of bucketheadland.com way back when. It's been down for several years, but I'm actively rebuilding it from the ground up and over-engineering it to death. So, as Bela Lugosi would say, "I bid you welcome."