Favorite Avant-garde/Experimental Guitarist(s)

OccultHawk · 01-30-2011, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Isn't Buckethead automatically reigning champ?

No.

Quote:

Karel Jandek

Jandek has a first name?

Howard the Duck · 01-30-2011, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

Jandek has a first name?

Yeah

TockTockTock · 01-30-2011, 08:57 AM

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Originally Posted by Mrd00d

I know.

I understand you.

I wasn't setting up a best guitarist ever discussion in your thread, I was entering my opinion that Buckethead is very avant-garde/experimental and I hold him as best of the type.

What I was noting was that he doesn't fare as well in general best guitarist ever discussions against more conventional players, for he is too complex and ... avant-garde. So this is his bread and butter right here...

And if you would like, I could post some examples of how he is the best, in the avant-garde/experimental context at least... I just didn't want to spam a bunch of Buck videos right off the bat...

I'll get some up in a bit, then.

But off the top of my head (top of my bookmarks), here's an example (NSFW):

Yes, I find that very soothing. Not the graphic torture imagery, but the music, mind you. The graphic torture imagery is just kind of

but nothing we desensitized humans can't handle, eh?

That song doesn't seem all that avant-garde. It just seems like some thrash metal type. The video was strange, though... reminded me of a show called Metalacolypse or something like that.

OccultHawk · 01-30-2011, 09:05 AM

Quote:

That song doesn't seem all that avant-garde.

It's not at all. It's thrashy prog rock.

Pushing the boundaries is something like Lee Renaldo's locked grooves.

BTW, that imagery is Hieronymus Bosch.

Mrd00d · 01-30-2011, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

It's not at all. It's thrashy prog rock.

Pushing the boundaries is something like Lee Renaldo's locked grooves.

BTW, that imagery is Hieronymus Bosch.

I'm a tad bit discouraged. Maybe I made a poor choice of an example.
Maybe I'm completely off base on the whole concept of experimental music, or avant-garde music.

I must hear more of your opinions about Buckethead. He has a broad discography to talk about, spanning many different sounds. Some albums, such as Funnel Weaver, I found to be definitively experimental. So I suppose I'm just curious if you find him to be not experimental in the least, or if you were just referring to that particular song or wha?

Thanks

TockTockTock · 01-30-2011, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrd00d

I'm a tad bit discouraged. Maybe I made a poor choice of an example.
Maybe I'm completely off base on the whole concept of experimental music, or avant-garde music.

I must hear more of your opinions about Buckethead. He has a broad discography to talk about, spanning many different sounds. Some albums, such as Funnel Weaver, I found to be definitively experimental. So I suppose I'm just curious if you find him to be not experimental in the least, or if you were just referring to that particular song or wha?

Thanks

Well, I don't know about OccultHawk, but I was just talking about the song in particular. Buckethead's overall discography definitely has some experimental elements. I'm not entirely sure that he is avant-garde, though. I've only really been looking into the genre for about three or four months, so maybe OccultHawk or someone else could shed a little light on this.

Ska Lagos Jew Sun Ra · 01-30-2011, 10:33 AM

His first couple albums seemed composed entirely off of samples. They were somewhat Avant-Garde, and he does utilize a lot of strange devices such as midi guitar.

A lot of his albums are straight guitar-work, though.

btw, this song is amazing:

OccultHawk · 01-30-2011, 10:43 AM

I haven't heard everything Buckethead has done. When I think of experimental guitar work I'm thinking along these lines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb-GPdnfbyI (Keith Rowe)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWCbPuU-i4k (Lee Renaldo)

It's not like metal or prog or folk (nods to Fahey though) done weirder. It's totally in its own domain. From what I see from Buckethead, it's a hodgepodge of ideas thrown together with a lot of technical skill but even if it's short/ blended/ mixed and so on- show me something of his that is really in a different universe the way my picks are. But still there's another intangible, his music doesn't flip out my subconscience. Most of the 'experimental' stuff I like fills me with a deep sense of doom like seeing into my death. And I don't hate Buckethead, I get a kick out of him. But he doesn't have the power to leave me distorted and wrung out like Lee Renaldo and upset like I've been tripping too long and can't seem to shake it.

clutnuckle · 01-30-2011, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrd00d

Isn't Buckethead automatically reigning champ?

He gets shot down in best guitarist (in general) discussions all the time for being ... too off the wall, too experimental.

Not from what I've heard. I've heard 4-5 of his solo albums, all of the ones people tote as his most 'expansive' and they're not really experimental. Just quick, clean albeit enjoyable instrumental rock/metal. His use of pedals and whatnot isn't very avant-anything, and his solos are still very encroached in safe territory, regardless of how fast they are. Plus his compositions themselves are still often simple and poppy... Nothing wrong with that in the slightest, but it's not experimental.

clutnuckle · 01-30-2011, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Il Duce

Yeah

Oh, so you meant the guy who records under the name Jandek? RYM says his full name is "Sterling Richard Smith", so I figured there wouldn't be a first name for it. I've heard one of his albums and it's really cool, albeit taxing as hell...

01-30-2011, 10:43 AM	#18 (permalink)
OccultHawk one-balled nipple jockey Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Dirty Souf Biatch Posts: 22,033	I haven't heard everything Buckethead has done. When I think of experimental guitar work I'm thinking along these lines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb-GPdnfbyI (Keith Rowe) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWCbPuU-i4k (Lee Renaldo) It's not like metal or prog or folk (nods to Fahey though) done weirder. It's totally in its own domain. From what I see from Buckethead, it's a hodgepodge of ideas thrown together with a lot of technical skill but even if it's short/ blended/ mixed and so on- show me something of his that is really in a different universe the way my picks are. But still there's another intangible, his music doesn't flip out my subconscience. Most of the 'experimental' stuff I like fills me with a deep sense of doom like seeing into my death. And I don't hate Buckethead, I get a kick out of him. But he doesn't have the power to leave me distorted and wrung out like Lee Renaldo and upset like I've been tripping too long and can't seem to shake it.