Buckethead | |
|---|---|
 Buckethead performing in 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brian Patrick Carroll |
| Also known as | |
| Born | May 13, 1969[3] Pomona, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels |
|
| Formerly of | Deli Creeps, Praxis, Cornbugs, El Stew, Guns N' Roses, Thanatopsis, Primus,Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, The Frankenstein Brothers, Science Faxtion |
| Website | bucketheadpikes |
Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative and virtuosic electric guitar playing.[4]
Buckethead's extensive solo discography currently includes 31 studio albums. In 2011, Buckethead began releasing albums in the "Pike" series, mini-albums usually around 30 minutes in length, each with a sequential number similar to a comic book. As of October 2024, Buckethead has released 662 Pike albums, including almost 300 live recordings.
Buckethead has also released seven studio albums under the alias Death Cube K (an anagram of Buckethead). He has released collaborative albums with Brain, Travis Dickerson, Melissa Reese, Viggo Mortensen, Shin Terai, DJ Disk, Bootsy Collins, That 1 Guy and albums with the bands Praxis, Cornbugs, Science Faxtion, Guns N' Roses, Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, and Deli Creeps, in addition to many other collaborations with bands and artists. From 2000-2004, Buckethead was a lead guitarist of Guns N’ Roses, recording on the long-delayed Chinese Democracy (2008) album and performing with the band on the first legs of the accompanying tour.
Buckethead performs wearing a KFC bucket on his head, sometimes emblazoned with an orange bumper sticker reading FUNERAL in block letters. This is accompanied by an expressionless plain white mask inspired by the 1988 slasher film Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.[5] He also incorporates nunchaku and robot dancing into his stage performances.[6][7][8] Buckethead stays in character in performances and interviews, and does not appear without some sort of mask.
Buckethead was credited by Guitar World as "ushering in [a] new era of virtuosity" while ranking the release of his 1992 debut album Bucketheadland the 45th greatest moment in electric guitar history.[9] The magazine has also listed him among the "25 all-time weirdest guitarists"[10] and the "50 fastest guitarists of all time".[11]
- ^ "A Beginner's Guide To Buckethead". sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "Virginia Beach takes a trip to Bucketheadland". commonwealthtimes.org. October 2, 2006. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "Wednesday, May 13: Happy Birthday Buckethead". Wpdh.com. May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ^ Cooper, Sean, Buckethead Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved January 6, 2009
- ^ "Beneath The Bucket, Behind The Mask: Kurt Loder Meets GN'R's Buckethead". MTV.com. November 21, 2002. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
- ^ Craziest Costumed Acts: No. 17 Archived February 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Spinner, Oct 19, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2009
- ^ Karevoll, Richard, A Closer Look at Buckethead Archived February 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine The Echo Times, March 3, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2009
- ^ Loder, Kurt (November 21, 2002). "Beneath The Bucket, Behind The Mask: Kurt Loder Meets GN'R's Buckethead". MTV. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
- ^ Tolinski, Brad (March 2, 2023). "The 50 greatest moments in electric guitar history". guitarworld.com. Guitar World. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ July 2016 (July 21, 2016). "High Strung: The 25 All-Time Weirdest Guitarists". Guitarworld.com. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "50 fastest guitarists of all time, Guitar World, September 2011". Guitarworld.com. September 18, 2011. Archived from the original on December 29, 2011. Retrieved February 29, 2012.