Buckethead

Sunday, March 5, Meridian, 1503 Chartres, 713-629-3700.

A A A Comments By David A. Cobb Thursday, Mar 2 2006

Obscurity seems the standard for avant-garde guitarist Buckethead (who actually does wear a KFC bucket and a Michael Myers-style mask when he plays). While he may occasionally enjoy brief snatches of the limelight – most recently as guitarist for whatever passes for Guns N' Roses these days – his career mostly has been spent playing with other mysterious and talented musicians. He's played in Praxis with producer/bassist/experimentalist Bill Laswell and drummer extraordinaire Brain, as well as with his fellow odd, larger-than-life figure Bootsy Collins and Primus bassist Les Claypool, while somehow finding time to release solo projects as varied and unpredictable as his musical cohorts.

Buckethead

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Buckethead's mellower discs, such as Colma and Electric Tears, arguably contain his most mature music, both being distinct departures from the guitarist's trademark "shredding." Indeed, those two albums sound positively New Age when compared to such aural oddities as the Bucketheadlandseries, Monsters & Robots, Bermuda Triangleand the trash-metal variations that comprise The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell. His latest release, Enter The Chicken, is a set of collaborations produced by System of a Down's Serj Tankian that reflects the same take-it-to-another-level mentality as all Buckethead projects, while offering a newfound listenability. Fans and curious onlookers at the Meridian can expect an evening of intense, loud guitar work, and plenty of silly onstage antics.