Buckethead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Buckethead
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Buckethead performing in 2006
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brian Patrick Carroll |
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| Born | May 13, 1969 Pomona, California, U.S. |
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| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1987–present |
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Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known as Buckethead, is an American guitarist. He is famous for his amazing and unique electric guitar playing.
Buckethead has released many solo albums. In 2011, he started a special series called "Pike" albums. These are like mini-albums, usually about 30 minutes long. Each one has a number, like a comic book. As of July 2025, Buckethead has released over 660 Pike albums. This includes many live recordings.
He has also released albums under another name, Death Cube K. This name is an anagram of Buckethead. He has worked with many other musicians and bands. These include Brain, Travis Dickerson, Bootsy Collins, and the band Praxis. From 2000 to 2004, Buckethead was the lead guitarist for the famous band Guns N' Roses. He played on their album Chinese Democracy and performed with them on tour.
Buckethead performs wearing a KFC bucket on his head. Sometimes, it has an orange sticker that says FUNERAL. He also wears a plain white mask. This mask was inspired by a movie called Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. During his shows, he uses nunchaku and does robot dancing. Buckethead always stays in character. He never shows his face without a mask during performances or interviews.
Guitar World magazine has praised Buckethead. They said his first album, Bucketheadland (1992), started a "new era of amazing guitar playing." The magazine also listed him as one of the "25 all-time weirdest guitarists." They also called him one of the "50 fastest guitarists of all time."
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Brian Patrick Carroll was born on May 13, 1969. His parents were Tom and Nancy Carroll. He was the youngest of five children. His father was a sports director at Damien High School in La Verne, California.
Brian grew up in Southern California, near Disneyland. When he was young, he was shy. He spent a lot of time in his room. He enjoyed books, games, martial arts movies, and toys. He also loved visiting Disneyland.
Brian started playing guitar when he was 12 years old. He learned from an older man who lived nearby. He became very serious about guitar a year later. This was after his family moved to Claremont. He took lessons from different teachers at a local music store. Some of his early teachers included Max McGuire and Paul Gilbert.
How the Buckethead Character Started
The idea for the Buckethead character came to Brian after he watched the movie Halloween 4 in 1988. He was inspired by the film. He bought a white mask like the one in the movie. The bucket idea came later that night while he was eating chicken.
I was eating it, and I put the mask on and then the bucket on my head. I went to the mirror. I just said, 'Buckethead. That's Buckethead right there.' It was just one of those things. After that, I wanted to be that thing all the time.
In October 2017, Brian gave a rare interview without his character. He talked about his life, his parents' deaths, and his health. He shared that he has a heart condition called heart arrhythmia. He had a procedure called a cardiac ablation and takes medicine to control it.
Music Career
Early Solo Work and Bands (1988–1994)
In 1988, Brian entered a guitar contest. His song "Brazos" was a runner-up. The magazine praised his skill and unique style. The editor, Jas Obrecht, was very impressed. He encouraged Brian to develop his talent. They became friends.
In 1991, Buckethead released his first two demo tapes. These were called Giant Robot and Bucketheadland Blueprints. In 1992, he released his first official album, Bucketheadland. It was released in Japan and got good reviews. Around this time, he met bassist and producer Bill Laswell. Buckethead became a key guitarist for Laswell.
In 1992, Buckethead, Bill Laswell, and other musicians formed the band supergroup Praxis. Their first album, Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis), was very popular. Buckethead played on almost all of Praxis's albums.
In 1993, Buckethead tried out for the band Red Hot Chili Peppers. He later released his 1994 album Dreamatorium under the name Death Cube K. He said Death Cube K is like a dark, negative version of Buckethead.
Buckethead released another album in 1994 called Giant Robot. It featured guest artists like Iggy Pop. The album's name came from a Japanese TV show he liked.
Collaborations and Movie Music (1995–1999)
In 1995, Buckethead worked with several artists. He also contributed music to movies like Johnny Mnemonic and Mortal Kombat.
In 1996, he released his solo album The Day of the Robot. He also made music for Sega Saturn TV ads.
Buckethead started working on an album called Buckethead Plays Disney in 1997. This album is very special to him and has not been released yet. He also continued to make music for movie soundtracks. These included Beverly Hills Ninja and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
In 1998, Buckethead released Colma. This album was dedicated to his mother, who was battling colon cancer at the time.
In 1999, Buckethead released Monsters and Robots with Les Claypool from the band Primus. This is his best-selling album. It includes the song "The Ballad of Buckethead", which had his first music video. He also started new projects like the band Cornbugs and worked with actor Viggo Mortensen.
Guns N' Roses and Other Projects (2000–2004)
Buckethead became more well-known as the lead guitarist for Guns N' Roses from 2000 to 2004. He recorded on their album Chinese Democracy. He also performed live with them at big events like Rock in Rio 3. His guitar solo on "There Was a Time" was highly praised.
Even while in Guns N' Roses, Buckethead released his own music. He released his sixth album, Somewhere Over the Slaughterhouse, in 2001. He also released an EP called KFC Skin Piles. He joined new bands like Thanatopsis and worked with Japanese producer Shin Terai.
In 2002, Buckethead released three solo albums. These included Funnel Weaver, Bermuda Triangle, and Electric Tears. The last one was a calm, soothing album.
In 2002, Buckethead, Les Claypool, and other musicians formed a new supergroup called Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. They played together at festivals.
In 2003, Buckethead released Bucketheadland 2, a follow-up to his first album. He also continued to work with Viggo Mortensen.
Buckethead left Guns N' Roses in March 2004. His manager said it was because the band couldn't finish an album or tour. Since then, his fan base has grown. He often performs at festivals and clubs.
In 2004, he released three new albums. These included Island of Lost Minds, Population Override, and The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell. The last one was considered his heaviest album. He also recorded more albums with Cornbugs and Viggo Mortensen.
Buckethead & Friends (2005–2006)
In 2005, Buckethead released Enter the Chicken. This album featured other singers and musicians. It had more traditional song structures but still showed off his guitar skills. The song "We Are One" was used in the Masters of Horror soundtrack. "Three Fingers" was used in the movie Saw II. "Nottingham Lace" became a popular song at his concerts. He also released two more solo albums that year: Kaleidoscalp and Inbred Mountain.
In 2006, the video game Guitar Hero II featured Buckethead's song "Jordan". This version of the song was created just for the game.
That same year, Buckethead released two DVDs. They were called Young Buckethead Vol. 1 and Young Buckethead Vol. 2. These DVDs showed rare videos of him from 1990 and 1991. He also released the albums The Elephant Man's Alarm Clock and Crime Slunk Scene. The song "Soothsayer (Dedicated to Aunt Suzie)" from Crime Slunk Scene is one of his most popular songs.
Solo Work and Tributes (2007–2010)
In 2007, Buckethead released a lot of new music. He released a box set called In Search of The. It had 13 albums and over nine hours of music. He also released a solo album called Pepper's Ghost. An album of acoustic guitar music, Acoustic Shards, was also released. He reissued his old demo tape Bucketheadland Blueprints. Later that year, he released Decoding the Tomb of Bansheebot and Cyborg Slunks.
As Death Cube K, he released two albums in 2007. One was a 5-CD box set called Monolith.
Buckethead also worked with many other artists in 2007. He released a second album with Travis Dickerson called Chicken Noodles II. He also released albums with Shin Terai and Bryan Mantia.
In 2008, Buckethead released From the Coop. This album contained his very first demo recordings from 1988. It also included his first official biography. He later released the album Albino Slug. He also worked with That 1 Guy as The Frankenstein Brothers. They released an album called Bolt on Neck and toured together.
In December 2008, the long-awaited Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy was released. Buckethead played on most of the songs. He also helped write some of them. The album features eleven of his guitar solos.
In 2009, Buckethead released new songs to honor basketball player LeBron James's birthday. These songs were later on his album Slaughterhouse on the Prairie. He also released A Real Diamond in the Rough and Forensic Follies. He released a song called The Homing Beacon as a tribute to Michael Jackson. This song was later included on his 2012 album Electric Sea.
In 2010, Buckethead released Shadows Between the Sky. Gibson also released a special Buckethead Signature Les Paul guitar.
Later in 2010, Buckethead had some health issues. His website said he was getting "animatronic parts replaced." He also went to therapy for a few months. After recovering, he released more music. He released a 5-CD box set called Best Regards with Brain and Melissa Reese. He also released Spinal Clock, which showed his banjo skills.
Focus on Solo Pikes (2011–2015)
Buckethead stopped touring in 2012. After that, he started releasing solo albums much faster. He released a record 118 albums in 2015. This was about one new album every three days.
One special album, Pike 13, had a photo of Buckethead without his mask. It showed him as a teenager with his father.
| Year |
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| 2010 |
4
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| 2011 |
4
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| 2012 |
6
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| 2013 |
31
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| 2014 |
60
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| 2015 |
118
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| 2016 |
24
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| 2017 |
30
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| 2018 |
2
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| 2019 |
0
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| 2020 |
10
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| 2021 |
9
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| 2022 |
26
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| 2023 |
119
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| 2024 |
45
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| 2025 |
9
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In 2014, Buckethead released 60 albums. Pike 65, Hold Me Forever (In memory of my mom Nancy York Carroll), honored his mother, who had recently passed away.
In 2015, he released even more albums. Pike 150, Heaven is your Home (For my Father, Thomas Manley Carroll), was released for free on Father's Day. It was dedicated to his late father.
In October 2015, Buckethead started The Silver Shamrock Series. This was a Halloween-themed series. He released one dark, calm album each day leading up to Halloween.
Recent Years: More Pikes and Touring (2016–Present)
In 2016, Buckethead released fewer albums, with 24 in total. Pike 226, "Happy Birthday MJ 23", was released for basketball player Michael Jordan's birthday. 2016 also marked Buckethead's return to touring after four years.
In 2017, he released 30 albums. He also started re-releasing some of his older albums on vinyl. These reissues sometimes came with special items. Some albums, like Albino Slug, were even re-recorded with new covers.
In August 2017, Buckethead announced a fall tour in the US. He played with a live band. This included Bryan "Brain" Mantia on drums and Dan Monti on bass. This was different from his usual solo shows. His first live album, "Live from Bucketheadland", was released in January 2018. Buckethead continued to tour in 2018 and 2019, sometimes with a band and sometimes solo.
Musical Inspirations
Buckethead gets ideas from many different musicians. These include Michael Jackson, Shawn Lane, Paul Gilbert, Jimi Hendrix, and Eddie Van Halen. He also learns from the many artists he has worked with.
Besides music, Buckethead is inspired by other things. He often writes songs about these inspirations. He loves basketball players like Michael Jordan (songs "Jordan" and "Jump Man"). He also likes LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Other inspirations include martial artist Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee inspired Buckethead to use nunchakus on stage. He also likes author H. P. Lovecraft and many science fiction and horror TV shows and movies. These include Little House on the Prairie and Giant Robot. Disney and Disneyland are also big influences on his career.
Equipment
Guitars
Effects
Amplifiers
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Bands and Projects
- Solo career (1987–present)
- with Class-X (1987–1988)
- with Limbomaniacs (1990)
- with Deli Creeps (1990–2007)
- with Praxis (1992–2011, 2022)
- with Zillatron (1993)
- as Death Cube K (1994–1999, 2007–2009, 2022–present)
- with Jonas Hellborg and Michael Shrieve (1995)
- with Cornbugs (1995–2007)
- with Giant Robot & Giant Robot II (1996–1998, 2004–2006)
- with DJ Disk (1996–2001)
- with Brain (1997–2013)
- with El Stew (1999)
- with Cobra Strike (1999–2000)
- with Shin Terai (1999–2007)
- with Viggo Mortensen (1999, 2003–2005, 2008–2013)
- with Guns N' Roses (2000–2004)
- with Thanatopsis (2001–2006, 2016)
- with Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains (2002–2004)
- with Travis Dickerson (2004–2010)
- as The Frankenstein Brothers (with That 1 Guy) (2006–2012)
- with Science Faxtion (2007–2008)
- with Lawson Rollins (2011)
- with Brewer and Brain (2017)
- with Madeline Cyrille Miller (2024)
Discography
Buckethead has released 31 solo studio albums. He has also released over 650 albums in his "Pike Series."
- Solo studio albums
- Bucketheadland (1992)
- Giant Robot (1994)
- The Day of the Robot (1996)
- Colma (1998)
- Monsters and Robots (1999)
- Somewhere Over the ... (2001)
- Funnel Weaver (2002)
- Bermuda Triangle (2002)
- Electric Tears (2002)
- Bucketheadland 2 (2003)
- Island of Lost Minds (2004)
- Population Override (2004)
- The Cuckoo Clocks of ... (2004)
- Enter the Chicken (2005)
- Kaleidoscalp (2005)
- Inbred Mountain (2005)
- The Elephant Man's Alarm Clock (2006)
- Crime Slunk Scene (2006)
- Pepper's Ghost (2007)
- Decoding the Tomb of Bansheebot (2007)
- Cyborg Slunks (2007)
- Albino Slug (2008)
- Slaughterhouse on the Prairie (2009)
- A Real Diamond in the Rough (2009)
- Forensic Follies (2009)
- Needle in a Slunk Stack (2009)
- Shadows Between the Sky (2010)
- Spinal Clock (2010)
- Captain EO's Voyage (2010)
- Electric Sea (2012)
- Bucketheadland 5-13 10-31 (2017)
- Pike Series
Buckethead Pikes are mini-albums. Over 650 have been released since 2011. They usually last about 30 minutes.
See also
In Spanish: Buckethead para niños
- List of ambient music artists
- Lord Buckethead
