In the ’80s, shred guitar was all the rage. The popularity of such guitar players as Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, and Joe Satriani was undeniable, and fans fought over who was the fastest or most insane player. However, by the early ’90s, virtuosity was traded in for a straightforward grunge sound, leaving shred in the dust, only to be forgotten or placed in the bargain bin of used-CD outlets.

So how was an instrumental guitarist such as Buckethead supposed to make himself stand out in a dying genre already full of over-the-top guitarists? For him, the answer was to rebel. Instead of playing to the crowd, he did the opposite — hiding his face with a white Michael Myers knockoff mask and wearing a KFC bucket on his head.

“The mystique does a lot to both attract newcomers and detract the skeptics,” said UI senior and longtime Buckethead fan Carsten Froehlich. “He wants music lovers who are willing to take a chance with something unique, something avant-garde, and the costume and the isolation funnel that crowd.”

With such albums as Bucketheadland and Colma, the guitarist mixes elements of jazz, funk, metal, bluegrass, and electronica to create a sound all his own. Since his début in 1992, Buckethead has released 27 solo albums, performed with Guns ’n’ Roses, and recorded soundtracks to movies ranging from Saw II to Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie.

Buckethead will perform at the Picador, 330 E. Washington St., at 7 p.m. today. Admission is $25.

“Mostly, he just stands on stage, pretty motionless, and goes from wailing on the guitar to playing a gorgeous tune,” Froehlich said. “In Omaha, he actually came out on stage with a pair of nunchucks and showed off his kung-fu skills. The man’s a walking non sequitur.”

Buckethead rarely pauses during his live performance and never talks to fans.

Kevin Koppes, the vocalist for the Tanks, planned the June 2008 show in Iowa City.

“[Buckethead] didn’t say a word to me,” Koppes said. “You can’t look him in the eye because he’s got these little shields over his eyes and his mask and stuff. He would only talk to his manager and whisper in his ear. He basically rolled up in the van, played, and left.”

Despite his reluctance to take part in interviews, Buckethead’s underground popularity has steadily increased. In 2006, his song “Jordan” was featured in Guitar Hero II, attracting a new group of loyal followers. In 2008, he re-released the album Enter the Chicken on Serj Tankian’s [of System of a Down] label, Serjical Strike, and in 2009, he recorded a track on his website called “The Homing Beacon,” which was dedicated to Michael Jackson.

Tonight, it is likely that Buckethead will be seen sporting his plain white bucket in place of the KFC one, but fans think the music will still be as unpredictable as ever.

“The live show is ridiculous,” Koppes said. “He’s incredible.”

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