Buckethead started working at TDRS in 1996. While working on Viggo Mortensen's "One Less Thing To Worry About," Viggo invited Buckethead to the studio to contribute guitar to the CD. We all had a good time, and later Buckethead asked if I would produce the first "Cobra Strike" CD. "Cobra Strike II" followed.
While working on that CD, I played Buckethead a track I was working on and asked if he would like to play on it. He did, and that track was included on "CSII," and that was the beginning of more tracks that became the first Thanatopsis CD.
Over the years we made Death Cube K "Tunnel," "Funnel Weaver," "Somewhere Over The Slaughterhouse," Thanatopsis "Axiology" and "Anatomize," "The Dragons of Eden," "Population Override," the "Chicken Noodles" CDs and many others.
I have tried to maintain as many CDs in print that were put out on TDRS music as I can. Some CDs that we carried are on other labels, and some of those labels are gone, as are the CDs. Below is a list of the projects we worked on here and links to our store or other stores where you can get them.
TDRS also distributed other Buckethead CDs for a period when he had no other distribution. Most of those we no longer carry, but we do have a few, and they are listed in the TDRS music store. Others are no longer in print but still can be had as downloads from iTunes. The ones we do carry will be linked to our store. Others are, I'm afraid, just hard to find and have become collectors' items.
Recently, Buckethead has concentrated on producing and distributing his music on his own Pikes website. I get asked about this because there is some confusion when those CDs can't be found here. Go to the Buckethead Pikes website for those. Mostly I'm concentrating on music produced here, but whenever I can, I'll try to point you in the right direction for music we carried here at one time but no longer do. -- Travis

We have spent countless hours together in the studio under all kinds of circumstances. The photo at left is from the session we did for Viggo's "Pandemoniumfromamerica." When Viggo arrived at the studio, he told us we would be visited by three hobbits from "Lord of the Rings." Buckethead had arrived without a bucket and mask, and since pictures would be taken, a mask was needed. Fortunately, he had a box of alternatives, which he dumped on the floor (shown).
For most sessions, the floor would be covered in pedals, and between takes there would be a blitz of cables, loud buzzing, frustration, plugging, clicking, stomping, unplugging, tossing aside, walking over and recovering, more plugging, pops, sizzles and, finally, incredible sounds. I think anyone who has seen Buckethead live may have witnessed the incredible balancing act of keeping his chain of FX working. I don't know how many takes, while ripping away while the tape was rolling, he would just stop mid-note; then, plugging, unplugging, stomping and so on.

A lot of solos on the records we made were taken from multiple passes and cut together to create the perfect solo. But one of the great feats of musicianship I've witnessed was while doing the solo for the song "Jordan," which is several minutes long. The take ultimately used was played in one unbroken, unedited pass. Amazing.
Guitars have come and gone. We did the "Cobra Strike" records with Jackson customs. He used my 1968 Les Paul and my brother's black Telecaster. We used the flying V (left), and then he got his custom white Les Paul sometime in the mid-2000s.
Below is our setup for "Chicken Noodles." Note that the Tele is plugged into no pedals -- very rare. -- Travis

Buckethead and I had talked about doing a bit of a nod to some of the great vinyl records of the '60s and '70s for some time. Some of the records we were talking about included John Mayall's Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland," Traffic and some of the post-James Brown-inspired funk of the '70s. After finishing the sessions that became the Cornbugs' "Brain Circus," where the three of us -- Bucket, Pinchface and I -- jammed under Choptop's vocalizing, we thought the circumstances might be right. So, armed with his white Les Paul and my brother's old Tele, Bucket turned his amp up to 10, and I threw an analog synth on top of my suitcase Rhodes and pushed them next to my Hammond B3. Pinch played my studio Gretsch kit, and for two days we played for hours while the tape rolled. Over the next few weeks we culled the stuff we thought had the vibe we were looking for, adding bass and a few guitar and keyboard overdubs.
Thanks to Big D, who after listening to the tracks came up with the inspired concept and song titles, and Frankenseuss, who came up with the equally inspired marriage of images to the concept. -- Travis

Buckethead: guitar, bass
Travis Dickerson: keyboards
Cameron Stone: cello
Brain: drums

One of my favorite collaborations. With the contribution from Brain and particularly Cameron Stone on cello, we found a new sound from what we had done previously.
This one was inspired again by our mutual love of funk and, as in "Population Override," blues-based feel; Buckethead added his love of '80s power chords, and add Brain's drumming virtuosity and then the amazing Cameron Stone on top of that, and I think it got really interesting. Buckethead's bass playing is a standout, and one of my favorite piano solos is on this record.
"The Dragons of Eden" started out as a collaborative effort between Buckethead and me. The idea was to sit down together at the piano and guitar and work out chord changes. We managed to complete three songs this way, "The Abstractions of Beasts," "Tales of Dim Eden" and "Drako."
After that, time began to get away from us. Buckethead had laid down a bunch of riffs to a drum loop that I'd strung together and added keyboards to that became "The Cosmic Calendar" and "Knowledge is Destiny."
I had already started recording "The Brain and the Chariot," "Lovers and Madmen" and "Future Evolution" for what would become "Iconography"; and since we didn't have enough material for a CD, I added those to the mix.
We then asked Brain if he was interested in the project and he said yes. After drums were laid down, I asked Cameron Stone to come lay some tracks down. Since he was going to work on the tracks that came from the "Iconography" project anyway, I just had him play on a couple of the others. I worked on adding solos and little parts here and there, and Buckethead added a few more bits and solos, and it was mixed the summer of 2008 and released that fall. -- Travis

"Running After Deer" started out as an idea of Alix Lambert's.
I met Alix through Viggo Mortensen. She had consulted on Viggo's movie "Eastern Promises"; from writing her book "Russian Prison Tattoos," she is well versed in that culture.
Alix asked if I was interested in working on a CD, and I jumped at the chance -- I loved her idea. Alix had taken a portable recorder to Sammy Stewart's gym and recorded him speaking and working out. Sammy is a mesmerizing character and great storyteller. Alix ended up with snippets of dialogue and sounds from the gym. I took the gym sounds and looped them to create the rope-skipping and punching-bag rhythms. Alix particularly liked the super-booming body-bag sounds and had great ideas for placing those and the ring bell here and there.
I started playing keyboards to these loops. For the next month or so that I was left alone with the tracks, I just became totally absorbed in layering keys and sound onto the loops.
Once I had the CD's structure, we brought in DJ Bonebrake and Paul Eckmann. I set up the playback, and the three of us played along to what was already there. After quite a bit of editing, I asked Buckethead to come in and take a pass. All the guitar on this CD was recorded in one single take, front to back. Naturally, a lot of editing was done to the guitars, but the overall sound seems almost live.
Then Alix invited Sammy to the studio. We set up a mic in the lounge and were going to ask him questions. Well, it only took one question and he was off. He spun out the amazing story of his boxing career.
Alix and I went through the tape of the interview and used the most compelling parts. I then went through the record and edited in all those parts and snippets, moving music around to make it flow. The overall effect makes it one of my favorite CDs.
Also, the entire Sammy interview became an Alix CD project called "The African Toy." It's available as a download here: The African Toy
-- Travis

Over the years a lot of tracks got left behind, some finished but most not. These were leftovers, tracks that didn't make it onto the records they were started for or that never got finished. I have always been aware there were some good ones there, and eventually I asked Buckethead if he was interested in adding whatever was needed to finish them. So, he and I got togeher and did missing overdubs and fixes, and these are the tracks that resulted. Most are from the sessions for "Population Override," "Gorgone" and "Thanatopsis," and other odd sessions over the years.

"Continental Drift"
Buckethead, Travis Dickerson, Brain
This is an early track by the group that would become "The Dragons of Eden." The basic track was cut several years ago, and a few overdubs were done to flesh it out for this release. This track was never meant to be on the "Dragons" record, but it did inspire us to work again.

"Game Theory"
Buckethead, Travis Dickerson, Ramy Antoun
This Thanatopsis track was made sometime between the first "Thanatopsis" and "Axiology." Why this wasn’t used is beyond me. I was really surprised hearing it again after all this time. Great drum track by Ramy. It should have gone on "Axiology."

"Archetype"
Buckethead, Travis Dickerson, Brain
Another early try from "The Dragons Of Eden." Recorded around the same time as "Continental Drift," it is such a sparse track that it didn’t fit any other project. We liked the organ trio feel, and it really showcases Buckethead’s bass playing.

"Terra Firma"
Buckethead, Travis Dickerson, Pinchface
Recorded during the sessions that became "Population Override," this track could have been added to it. The bass was added recently, but it is -- as a lot of songs from that session were -- an improvised jam. Another pass was taken for the solo guitar and synth lead.

"Cosmogony"
Buckethead, Travis Dickerson, Ramy Antoun
This "Thanatopsis" track is also pre-"Axiology." It was never finished. We recently added the synth and some guitar. The use of the Roland synth instead of my Moog gives it a bit of a "Dragons" feel. However, it also shows how important Ramy is to the Thanatopsis sound.

"What The Hell Was That"
Buckethead, Travis Dickerson, Pinchface
Another from the "Population"/"Gorgone" sessions, this track shows the in-between nature of some of the jams that became those records. It wasn’t used because it didn’t fit either CD. However, this track does really show the influence of the "Electric Ladyland" jams that we wanted to get the vibe of.

"Box Beat Boom"
Buckethead, Travis Dickerson
Buckethead brought a beat box to the studio one day, and we plugged it in and hit play and jammed along. It was really just done for our own amusement ... and now yours. -- Travis

It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
-- William Shakespeare

While doing the recording for "Population Override," the three of us spent a lot of time just going off while the tape rolled. The stuff we put together here has nothing to do with "P.O.", or Thanatopsis, for that matter. This is just the three of us having a good time. The three pieces on this collection are the ones that cracked us up the most. None of it was worked out ahead of time; it's totally improvised. We added a few overdubs here and there just for fun, but mostly it's just as we played it. So if you're looking for pretty melodies, clever construction, slick production or anything of redeeming quality, look elsewhere. We're putting this out because it sounded "Gorgone." -- Travis

Sold Out

This set is a reproduction of the original limited-edition set. "In Search Of The" was created as a 13-CD box set, each cover hand-drawn and every disc hand-labeled by Buckethead.
This was to be an even more ambitious project, a series of 13-CD box sets that when completed and stacked would spell out "In Search Of The Disembodied Sounds." However, the first set took off and was so popular that it became an exhausting endeavor to produce.
I really to this day have no idea how many were produced. Mistakes were made in the numbering, and whole stretches of numbers were skipped. I would guess maybe 800 were produced, but it was ended at number 1000, the last personalized edition.
Just for this disc set we sell here, cover art was created by Buckethead and is reproduced as a sticker on the white digipak. The actual discs are CD-Rs, as was the original, and everything about this set attempts to be a reproduction of the original except that they are not signed or numbered by Buckethead. -- Travis

I started “Iconography” in 2008 as a solo CD.
Like so many attempts to record with a collection of friends as my own CD, many of the early songs got turned into other efforts, in this case “The Dragons Of Eden.” However, once "Eden" was done, I tried not to become distracted so I could finish this.
I have worked with all the people on this CD many times over the years; they are people I admire as musicians as well as for being good people.
I started early in 2009 by building up tracks and getting the arrangements the way I wanted. Next I brought in the drummer for each song. I had a pretty good idea which drummer would work best with each song.
“Legerdemain” was the first track that drums were added to. I had worked with Doane Perry for many years, with Vince DiCola and Jethro Tull and many others, so I was really excited to have him on a few tracks. He's a powerful and precise drummer with great ideas and the perfect feel for “Legerdemain.”
Next I asked Buckethead to come in and take a pass or two. Normally with stuff we do, that’s what he does and I work with the tracks after the fact. Mostly it's solos and riffs, very few chords because it's improvised. In this case he took a lot of time to learn the chord changes and came up with some great parts. I'm a big fan of parts.
Next, Cameron Stone came in. What can I say? Everything Cameron does is magic. He always adds more than you could ever imagine for the song. His feel and melodic and lyrical playing are always perfect.
I then asked Paul Ill to play bass. Paul is an amazing player with great ideas and one of the best work ethics of anyone I have ever worked with. He studies the track and writes out the arrangement and works everything out perfectly.
I did “Commemoration” next, with the same lineup. This is one of my favorite tracks on the record. Again, superb playing by everyone involved; all stayed completely attuned to the mood I was trying to achieve.
Next were “Hue and Cry” and “Horology.” I asked Ramy to play drums on the tracks I had already started. I am always most fortunate when Ramy plays on anything I do, as he is one of the most gifted drummers I know, and I know a few. He stayed on to play “Pi” as well.
After the first session, there was no question I was going to have Paul play bass on all the tracks. I also asked my brother, Lindy, to play guitar on these. He's a superb player with a great touch, feeling and tone. He brought an aesthetic I wasn't going to get with any other guitar player.
Also, I had worked with violinist Scarlet Rivera on several projects and was thrilled when she said yes after I asked her to play on my record. Of course, I was a fan from her playing with Dylan, but I don't think most people realize what a deep and accomplished player she is. Her sense of melody and effortless articulation were the perfect match for what I was trying to do.
Next I did “Wheedle.” I asked my good friend DJ Bonebrake to play on this. We have been playing together for years but, oddly, hadn't recorded together in a while. DJ is a powerful drummer, as anyone who's a fan of X knows. But what many don't know is that he is also an accomplished and technical drummer in all different styles. Doing this session rekindled the love I have of playing with him, and now we have several projects in the pipeline.
The next set, I asked Brain to play on “Amaranthine,” “Principa” and “Scansion.” Brain brings a wild, kinetic energy to the mix. I am so lucky to have the pleasure of working with all these great drummers.
The last tracks, “Pi” and “The Children of Nyx,” I wanted to be a bit different. For “The Children of Nyx,” I thought just Cameron and I would be all that was needed to present the melody, and the space around the playing was more important than a full band. It’s another of my favorite tracks.
Last, I wanted to involve Vince DiCola in the record. Vince and I couldn't be more different as keyboard players. He's scary prodigy-type talented, and I'm a hunter-pecker. But we had so much fun doing this that we continued after this CD was done and now have a whole disc we hope to put out.
“Iconography” represents the end of what I had hoped to accomplish with instrumental records that I started recording in the early '90s. Before these, I was always involved in singer-songwriter records. The instrumental record is a very different form from vocal music. In a way it's a lot harder because whenever a vocal is added to music, it immediately trumps whatever was going on. The power of the human voice and the message it's conveying are so great and immediate that the chord movements and melody lines of instruments seem subtle in comparison. Here, I enjoyed the challenge of trying to keep everything interesting and let the players be the voice that wasn't there.
I have loved doing these records and have in fact done several others since, but I am looking forward to again trying the grand form that is songwriting. -- Travis

Spinal Clock is a banjo freak-out as only Buckethead can do.

We recorded the Deli Creeps here over a period of a few weeks. The band played live in the studio, and some guitar and vocal overdubs were done.

These CDs were recorded here for other labels. Some have been sold here but no longer are. I've listed where you can look for them if I know.

Cobra Strike

Cobra Strike II

Funnel Weaver

Somewhere Over
The Slaughterhouse

"Cobra Strike" CDs and "Funnel Weaver" can be found at ION records; "SOTSH" is out of print.

Good ol' Choptop has dropped by on more than a few occasions. Two of the Cornbugs CDs are the result.

Brain Circus

Donkey Town

Over the years, Viggo and I have recorded many records; most of them include work with Buckethead. Check the "buy" button below and look through all the available titles.

At All

Intelligence Failure

pandemonium
fromamerica

Please
Tomorrow

This That
and the Other

Reunion

ACA

Brain and Buckethead go back forever and have recorded together on countless sessions and records. My Favorite is "The Dragons Of Eden," of course, but there are so many more. Here at TDRS we carry a few.

Best Regards

Kind Regards

Kevin's Noodle House

Over the years we have carried many Buckethead titles not recorded here, including a number from Bucketheadland, Buckethead's own label. We still have a few, but these are leftover stock and are selling out fast. Most will be gone soon. It's best to hit the "buy" button taking you to the storefront, where you can browse the titles we have in stock. If it's not listed there, we don't have it.