Bad Penny

[Sparky Kronkite]

Buckethead!!! Master of the Transmutated guitar experience.

http://www.lantel.com/~thu/images/pix/bhead.gif

What's he playing? What's he saying? Run for your lives!!!

Who is Buckethead? That question has been puzzling scientists, fans, conspiracy theorists, Scully & Mulder, and tabloid journalists for years. Some reports say that Buckethead is an android, possibly from another planet. Others say that he is just another alien. Conspiracy theorists have wondered if Buckethead is actually Steve Vai or Paul Gilbert in disguise.

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I can assure you that none of these theories are true. If you look and listen carefully you'll find the clues. In one of his Guitar Player articles it says that he is half man/half chicken! On "Welcome to Bucketheadland" you can hear a voice saying, "Buckethead was raised in a chicken coop by chickens." Another clue: he wears a chicken bucket on his head (as if I needed to tell you). If you look around you'll see countless references to chickens and coops.

http://www.users.qwest.net/~dsebba/toystore/shirt.gif

Now that we've put that question to rest, let's look at some background information. As a young Bucket, he was a part of the notorious Deli Creeps with Maximum Bob, Pinchface, and Tony (aka Gerald Chung Lo, aka Kid Quick). Although from the Los Angeles area, the Creeps picked up a following in the San Francisco Bay Area. From there Buckethead's amazing playing and totally unique style caught the attention of some heavy hitters. Bassist/producer Bill Laswell and P-Funk legend Bootsy Collins became aware of The Man With The Bucket through Limbomaniacs drummer Brain. This led to the formation of Praxis.

http://www.bucketheadland.com/museum/museum2.jpg

More on Buckethead -

Influences: Michael Jackson, Paul Gilbert, Louis Johnson, Joe Satriani, Shawn Lane, Jennifer Baten

Equipament: Modified Kramer guitar, Aria Pro bass, Peavey Renown amp, Alesis Midiverv II digital reverb

Personal Statement: I began playing guitar at age 12. however I didn't become serious until the following summer,when I moved to Claremont from Huntinton Beach C.A. My playing improved with lessons from various teachers, most notably, Paul Gilbert, with whom I studied for over a year. In recent months, I've been putting my efforts into masking demo recordings of my playing and writing styles. Comment: Contemporary Fussion Rock, played with punch, verve and all the chops you could ask for.

* earth years

With Bill Laswell in the producer's chair, Buckethead, Bootsy, Bernie Worrell, Brain, and Lord of the Paradox recorded Transmutation. This legendary CD mixed hard rock with funk with hip-hop with everything including the kitchen sink. With this disc behind him Buckethead went on to record a number of different projects including three more Praxis CDs: Sacrifist, Metatron, and the recently released Transmutation Live.

http://www.bucketheadland.com/museum/transmutation/tround.GIF

His first solo CDs, Bucketheadland and its follow-up Giant Robot, are available as imports only, but are well worth the search and money. His latest solo disc, Day of the Robot, was finally released in the US on Bill Laswell's SubMeta label.

The last couple of years have been busy for the Bucketed One. In addition to recording with the band Giant Robot (not to be confused with the solo CD Giant Robot), he has been recording and/or playing with Praxis, GR2 (Giant Robot 2), Arcana, and Brain, in addition to playing on several movie soundtracks. And in a complete surprise to everyone, the Deli Creeps rose from the dead from about October 1995 to the summer of 1996. Apparently the Deli Creeps have been put to rest, but I have a gut feeling that, like any good undead creature, the Creeps will somehow return to wreak havoc on humanity. See Pictures at an Exhibition for photos of one of the last Deli Creeps shows.

To attempt to describe Buckethead's playing and style is like trying to understand "2001: A Space Odyssey." Mix some shred à la Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai, or Yngwie Malmsteen with "computer sounds" with a horror soundtrack style with an amusement park attitude with various musical styles (hard rock/metal, funk, hip-hop, ambient, industrial, etc...) and some unidentifiable influences and you have a start. Yes, he can play a million notes a minute, but he does it like nobody else. What I am saying is that although he is a shredder, he keeps it fresh and original.

http://www.bucketheadland.com/faq/scarecrow.jpg

About the album/CD Praxis Metatron - Buy it! Live it! Be it!

This album puts Bill Laswell, Brain, and Buckethead together once again to explore the edges of sanity. Way cool!.

Buckethead scratches like Adrian Belew and wails to put Eddie Van Halen and all other pretenders to shame. Combine that with rock solid (and frequently funky) back beat and see what happens.

Listen for the sub sonic Bass notes and the tight interplay between Bill and Brain.

Song of note: Bruce Lee's dark hour of chaos.

For Buckethead MP-3s? Go here -

http://www.bucketheadland.com/museum/audio/

Buckethead Tabs anyone????

http://www.bucketheadland.com/visitorcenter/pb7-91.JPG

So - just who is Buckethead????

Buckethead is the masked, inverted KFC bucket wearing, "mutant guitar virtuoso" that stunned audiences during Primus's set at OzzFest '99, toured the world with Praxis and GR2, and graced many a movie soundtrack/score. His major label debut as a member of the avant-funk outfit Praxis in 1992 opened ears and minds to his unique character and musical stylings. He has since released several solo albums (under his name and Death Cube K) and participated in many group settings (most notably the Deli Creeps, Praxis, Zillatron, Giant Robot, Giant Robot 2 and Cobra Strike) and performed/recorded numerous collaborations with other adventurous musicians and artists.

http://www.bucketheadland.com/unmasked/playhse.jpg

There has been much speculation as to the identity of Buckethead. We do know that he was raised in a chicken coop by chickens. And possibly due to the unusual circumstances surrounding his upbringing, he is a very private person. He doesn't grant many interviews, and shuns most conventional means of contact. The mask and bucket add an eerie air of mystery to his activities and serve as a harbinger for his otherworldly musical stylings and sensibilities. He would prefer that his fans accept his eccentricities, focus on his art and enjoy the wonderland of joy that is Bucketheadland.

He draws inspiration from science-fiction and horror movies, musicians, artists, writers, athletes and has bizarre fixation on Disneyland. His dream is to complete his own park--Bucketheadland, "Where all your dreams and nightmares can come true." This theme runs through many of his recordings and was first introduced to the public through his Psychobuddy columns in Guitar Player magazine back in 1991

This information provided to you via Sparky Kronkite.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

I respect all and everyall's opinion on what is funny and what is not......

However - everything can be funny. Even this, today's tragic moment.

Tomorrow, unfortunately - there will be another.

I find it all amusing. And heartbreaking at the same time.

Laughing through the tears helps satiate our fears - for when the unthinkable happens to "one of us" - in our front yard - the irony is unmasked and "the dreaded truth" is foretold.

Just the way it is - too bad huh?

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

PS to all............ nothing is taboo -

Children shooting children......

Prove that to be true.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Selective Perceptions..... hmmmmm?????

Sometimes people are so in love with their arguments that they can't see anything else.

Kinda like parents always thinking that "their kids are the brightest, smartest and best looking."

Hey? If so, they could miss something important - don't ya think? Not get it. Not get something cool.

If this is so and there are a lot of'em, these selective perceptions - there may be a problem.

With the person who is doing the perceiving.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Victor Wooten - my favorite Bass player....

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Bassist Victor Wooten began his musical career early. At age three, his brother Regi taught him to play bass, and at age five he made his stage debut with his four elder brothers in the Wootens, playing songs by R&B mainstays like James Brown, Sly & the Family Stone, War and Curtis Mayfield.

After playing regional tours and opening for acts like Mayfield and War, the Wootens recorded an album in 1985. However, the record received little commercial or critical response, and eventually the Wooten Brothers found other gigs.

http://www.victorwooten.com/pics/1.jpg

By 1988, Victor Wooten moved to Nashville to join a rock band, and met Bela Fleck, the banjo player for New Grass Revival, the following year. Fleck was forming a jazz group to appear on a TV show; he recruited Wooten, his brother Roy on drums and Howard Levy on keyboards and harmonica. As the Flecktones, the group earned numerous accolades, including four Grammy nominations and a number one album on the jazz charts.

As the '90s progressed, Wooten added a solo recording career and numerous collaborations to his duties in the Flecktones. Along with solo albums like 1996's A Show of Hands and the following year's What Did He Say? Wooten contributed to albums by friends like David Grier, Paul Brady and Branford Marsalis' Buckshot LeFonque. 1999 saw the release of his third solo album, Yin Yang, which featured appearances by Fleck, Bootsy Collins, and the Wooten Brothers.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

I'm off to play in the snow. Yes, it will come.

Until tomorrow then.

Da Spark.

 

[Ambrosious]

Sparky

Got the cd, gonna spin it now.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Read Vixen's speil on the shootings of yesterday, and....

My "sick joke" above - (Yes of course it was a sick joke but sickness doesn't make things any less humorous to me - so shoot me! See I even did it just then.) - came to me, popped in my mind because.......

I was thinking along the same lines as Vix on this.

The bottom line (to me) is "kids don't know." But what don't they know? A lot of stuff - right? But what could they know, what knowledge could they gain, early on in life that might combat or at least make them think twice about doing something like this? Even more specifically - what could they learn that would prevent them from "going out and trying to kill somebody?" What could they learn that would prevent them from "picking up a weapon - a gun?"

Sure there's a lot of stuff they can be taught. Social stuff. Spiritual stuff. Philosphical stuff. All with improved parenting and teaching. More "hands-on" communication with all children. But all that stuff seems to be debatable among nearly everybody.

But what "one thing" would teach them about - violence, violence inflicted by a gun, human garnage?"

You see it's my belief that yes - kids don't know this, they don't know what carnage is - they don't know what pain is - they don't know what death is. And when you essentially anestasize (sorry about the spelling but I'n not spell checking anymore) a person's, a child's thinking on this - with TV and video games the way they are presented today - you have many, many children who have not a clue as to "what it actually means to pick up a gun and shoot somebody."

I was eight when at the shooting range with my father - he put a 1911 .45 in my right hand, helped me aim and said, "go ahead." BOOM! The recoil of such a big pistol in such an inexperienced hand sent the pistol back into the side of my head - brushing my ear and causing it to bleed. My father, just like me today would do, grinned from ear to ear. He soon got somber and said, "okay, go down there and dig out the bullet." I went. I dug and dug - I was quite amazed at how deep the bullet was in the relatively clay like soil - but I found it and WOW! It burned my fingers - it was hot. And it was a twisted mass of metal - not the shape of a rounded bullet like I thought I'd find. When I came back to my dad - he said, "Did you learn anything? That's what would happen inside you if you got hit with a bullet. Guns are very, very dangerous." Leason learned - for life. No pun intended.

So you see, when I made that joke - relative to my rememberence and what I was taught at such a young age by my dad. And relative to what's going on in our society today with TV, movies and video games. Relative to the lack of communication and hands-on parenting of today.

Well it wasn't such a sick joke after all.

If you could have'em all fire a gun and dig the bullet out of the dirt - if you could have'em see a freshly killed deer or pheasant - beleive me, they would really think twice about lifting a weapon against anyone and pulling the trigger.

Now - I don't know how experienced this kid was - I'll find out today - or you can tell me here - but I wonder how knowledgeable he was about guns. I wonder how he got it, what kind it was, etc..

Now I'm for doing any and all we can to prevent this crap from happening but I know what I've done with my kids and will do with the new baby onece he gets old enought - teach'em to shoot like my old man did me.

 

[CreamyLady]

Thank you for putting it in context, Sparky.

 

[Expertise]

Is it just me or .....

.... are there others that think its a "bad thing" that Sparky has learned to post images?

I miss "Vibe" and its incredible speed.

 

[Purple Haze]

Good Morning, Spark.

LOVE what you've done to the place!

By the way, I was telling you about filling in on bass for my old band, well the lead guitar guy ended up blowing chunks and couldn't attend either, so we pretty much had to improv the whole night, so of course we ended up doing a lot of cliche' rock, the standards everybody knows. The running joke was that we were trying our best to pull off the illusion that we were an actual band, but we had never all played together before. Four hours of pulling songs out our asses. Someone asked us what we were called.

I said "White Toast Rhythm Kings."

I'm still hung over.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Ah, Purp sounds like my kind of gig......

You just make everything up - couch jamming at the pup.

Did you play with you fingers?

I am jealous though - I really know no songs - something about picking up the shit late in life (21 really) - my minicule attention span and late 60's burnt memory and creative ego - just added up to bor-doom. I can do it - learn and memorize stuff - but only if I'm forced - otherwise I'll learn a lick of a record and forget it that afternoon.

Sometime I wish I were more normal - make sure you read Ambro's review of my CD - he is too kind.

 

[Guest]

 

[TN_Vixen]

uber-spark & his little kingdom ;-)

sparky, the school shooting previous to this one involved a young man who knew quite a bit about guns. His father (or grandfather even, I can't remember) had taken him to the shooting range from an early age, and as a matter of fact.. the reason he was SUCH a good shot from outside on the playground was the very type of knowledge you seem to be advocating.

I'm not saying children shouldn't be knowledgeable about guns, but I am saying that knowledge alone isn't going to keep them from picking up that weapon. Sometimes the knowledge can assist in their intent to wreak havoc.

So, my question centered around two things.
#1 Why were the victims here.. and witnesses so un-responsive in light of such a horrible tragedy?

#2 Should we begin to define what type of morals/values/teachings are common to our society and advocate a elementary or intermediate class based on such issues?

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

I'm sure it will turn out that.......

All the victims had some sort of relationship with the gunman - or harbored/protected those who did. That relationship was not healthy of course - for either the victims (it turns out) or the shooter (he was obviously mentall disturbed) - and that relationship developed into rage on the shooter's part.

Why? No body deserves to die. (Well I can thing of a few exceptions but for the most part......) Nobody deserves to be maimed (Well again, but you get my point) but these kids that took the hit - were probably your normal, everyday, fun loving - let's drive the "different kid" nuts sort of pricks.

I'm certain the shooter didn't shoot anyone he liked. I'm certain too that "good kids" taughnted(?)-(jeesh, how the hell do you spell that?)the poor kid for years.

I know that the issue must be looked at from both sides -
1) Why did the shooted go nuts and feel he had no recourse but to pick up a gun and kill? 2) Why did such "normal kids" the ones that eventually entrench themselves in your state legilature and police force, feel they could torture this kid until he went nuts?

In my mind - all kids that take part in anti-social behavior of "any kind" - on either side of the social scales - seemingly normal or not so normal - are sick kids who need help.

Who knows? The kids teasing this kid could have been "good Christians."

 

[TN_Vixen]

'taunted' was the correct spelling

you were looking for there sparks. And, yes I did get the message that the shooter was consistantly and (most likely) cruelly taunted. This isn't unlike the analogy of a husband who constantly verbally and emotionally abuses his wife until she one day picks up a knife and whacks off his peter. hehe -- ok, that was a stretch... but conceptually correct on the taunting.

Fact is, you don't know that he only aimed the gun at those who taunted him, and even if he did.. so what?

Give me feedback to the question on whether or not we should begin to instiutionalize morals and values? Who decides which values should be the ones to promote? Where is the line drawn, and should we expect our teachers to once again (sex ed being one way) to pick up the slack for parental failings?

Hell.. soon people will just spit out the babies and hand them over to the schools to raise. So many already allow children to grow up on auto-pilot.

 

[Dillinger]

Re: James Blood Ulmer

Damn... Sparkmeister - anyone who knows who James Blood Ulmer is... well you're righteous in my book!

And Ornette... yeah! I've seen him a couple over the years... Ornette played violin too, you know - I have some early records... As a matter of fact I've seen Ulmer and Ornette together...

Don't suppose you're familiar with the Art Ensemble of Chicago? If not - you've gotta hear 'em! Free Jazz! Some good info at http://aacmchicago.org/groups/AECO.html and http://www.downbeat.com/sections/ar...1=4732&addsuggestions=Art Ensemble Of Chicago - Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, Malachi Favors, Joseph Barman, Phillip Wilson

"What we feel about free jazz is we feel free to play anything we feel like," Bowie explained to DB writer Aaron Cohen. "We can play a tempo, we cannot play a tempo. We consider that sort of free-fall as a color. We consider bebop as a color. Dixieland is a color. Rap is a color. It's like a style of music that can be used in the context of a much larger picture. If you're free enough to go in and out of all these styles and combine them, you can send a whole other message."

And if you like Ornette - you'll like Oliver Lake... and the World Saxophone Quartet! http://www.downbeat.com/sections/artists/text/main.asp?from=fans&id1=7999


[/B][/QUOTE]

 

[Dillinger]

Been a Laswell fan since is "Material" days... and love Praxis! They used to play at the Knitting Factory... I played there once... not with Praxis though, unfortunately...

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Hey Dill? Vix too.

So you must have gotten into some Thelonious.

How'bout SunRa?

Vix? Morals and values "have been" institutionalized - for centuries upon centuries. But the adherence to them by "your normal, everyday, average, knuckle draggin' human," is yet another thing altogether.

And lines are "not truly, not actually" ever necessary. I don't believe that lines, fences, damn, forts - whatever - are ever necessary. In fact they represent what is contrary to morals and values. Now, that is in the ideal world for sure - but ideal is what we all want - right?

It's unfortunate that "all of us, every last one of us" knuckle draggin' humans - can't "always" be of the highest moral character and promote societal value - all the time.

If even one nut case gets loose? Build a wall and keep the fucker out - right? Well, that is right, sort of. But it's much more wrong than it is initially right. Segregation is "drawing lines" and like the fishnet that catches the innocent, protected species not meant to be caught - segregation alienates some of those who do not deserve it.

You, me, all of us - simply must know, must feel - what is good and right - and what is wrong. We must feel it. And that - is the institution of humanity and a unifying common social structure in our intellectual world.

Walls, lines, categories, rules - are a step back.

Too bad everyone doesn't think like me.

 

[Dillinger]

Re: Hey Dill? Vix too.

So you must have gotten into some Thelonious.

How'bout SunRa?

You mean Monk I assumme or the band named after him? Big Monk fan - not all that familiar with the band.

And yes... SunRa too - I was lucking to see SunRa and his band back in the late 70's

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Dill? You must be at least as old as I......

What do you play? Still active?

Yes Monk.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Good Evening folks.....

Uber latta......

Maybe on da lap-top from the crib of cribs...

If'n not tamallie....

Fore now I walk in the snow of NYC and try to hop over the big ass puddles that block the way to my baby and Shaingrala.

Kiss, kiss.

 

[Dillinger]

Re: Dill? You must be at least as old as I......

What do you play? Still active?

Yes Monk.

Maybe older... I'm 43.

I play sythesizers and a number of wind instruments. Active only in the sense that I still record as a hobby. Music was my career for many years... Composing and performing. I've played in everything from rock bands to classical orchestras to jazz bands to swing bands to noise bands to... well you get the idea.

My studio now is all in the computer... I can record direct to hard disk, mix on the PC and write to CD... or MP3 - have my work on a few sites on the net...

You?

 

[Dillinger]

By the way... Sparky... cool name... Makes me wonder how you came up with it? Sparky sounds like a "cub reporter" kind of name. Kronkite from Walter kind of adds to the reporter image... and...

Sparky... well somehow I keep picturing a Snapper Carr kind of person... for those of you who remember the original Justice League of America's mascot...

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Back at ya Dill......

My interest is semi-pro and major hobby - though it doesn't sound like I have quite the investment in time, knowledge or money as you currently have.

I've got a Fostex FD-8, a few pretty good mics, a couple of processors (old Korg Digiverb, BBE, dbx163) a bunch of guitars and a bass, working all off cans at home. Oh Acid on the lap-top here. I run the guitars direct through a new Pod Line-6.

Got , Vegas/Acid and Tascam CD copier at work.

Down in our VA condo I keep all the old stuff set-up - old (but still amazingly good) Tascam 246, Yamaha piano, a bass amp etc..

I'm a couch muscian but did pro-sound work, including studio work, club work and road work, on the side - for years in DC. Almost made it my life but the lure of Corporate beneies was too strong - a good thing too. In the end that road is way rough for most who choose it.

I'm only 47 right now - and Sparky was/is a conjunction of my first two names, both of which my grandmother hated, so she refused to call me either and came up with that. Kronkite is just as you have suspected - don't know him well but have enjoyed morning coffee and conversation with him "at gigs" (TV shows I'm involved with) a number of times - he's a very nice old man.

Due to my schedule - my learning curve regarding my audio eneavors is never where I'd like it to be. I just recently ripped my first MP3's. I would like to build a joke-like, Sparky Kronkite website and have my MP3's on it - you got any good advise or places to visit on the web for such info?

Anything ya got - or don't - cool. Thanks.