| Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal | |
|---|---|
Bumblefoot performing live with Guns N' Roses in Helsinki Finland on June 5th, 2010. |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ronald Jay Blumenthal |
| Also known as | Bumblefoot |
| Born | September 25, 1969 New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Hard Rock, heavy metal |
| Occupations | Musician, guitarist, producer, photographer |
| Instruments | Guitar, bass, vocals, drums |
| Years active | 1989 – Present |
| Labels | Bumblefoot Music, LLC |
| Associated acts | Guns N' Roses, Lita Ford |
| Website | Official website |
| Notable instruments | |
| Several Vigier custom models Gibson Les Paul |
|
Ronald Jay Blumenthal[1] (born September 25, 1969), better known by his stage name Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, is an American guitarist, songwriter, recording artist and producer. Thal adopted the name Bumblefoot from the bacterial infection of the same name, which he learned about while helping his wife review for her veterinary exams.[2] He is currently one of the two lead guitarists in the band Guns N' Roses and performs on their sixth studio album Chinese Democracy.[3] Since the early 90’s, Thal has released 9 CDs and a live DVD. His 1995 debut studio album, The Adventures of Bumblefoot, after being out of print for many years, was re-released in 2010 as a 15 Year Anniversary Edition CD. In commemoration of the Anniversary Edition release, a 200 page transcription book of the recording was also released which Thal himself transcribed.
Thal has appeared as a guest performer on other albums and on numerous compilation CD’s.[4][5] He’s been the cover feature of several International guitar magazines[6] as well as the subject of many print, radio and web interviews.[7][8] Over the past twenty years, Thal has also worked with numerous bands and artists as producer, engineer, writer, arranger and performer. He has also written, and continues to write, TV jingles, theme songs and background music.[9] From January through December 2011, Thal has recorded 9 singles which are available exclusively as digital downloads. As a humanitarian, Thal is on the Board of Directors of the MS Research Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) org that raises money for Multiple Sclerosis research.[10]
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Inspired by Kiss at age six, Thal says his earliest musical goal was to play "like Gene Simmons if someone decided to do a Kiss version of Beatlemania". At the time his hands were too small for bass, so he focused his attention on guitar, while his brother, Jeff, played drums instead. He began playing copy tunes in clubs just five years later, and then focused on creating original material on his home 8-track. He entered a Sam Ash Guitar Solo Contest, played a spontaneous solo, and walked off with first prize. After submitting a demo tape to Mike Varney at Shrapnel Records, Varney featured Thal in the Spotlight New Talent column in Guitar Player Magazine’s August 1989 issue. Upon hearing the material, Varney had this to say about Thal’s playing - "Ron sent us a tape with four songs on it...Thal's demo tape is amongst the most impressive I've ever received. With its clever melodies, contrapuntal lines, intricate rhythms, and ultra-complex ensemble sections, Ron's sheer musicality will surely gain him much acclaim (the demo featured "The Shuck Duffle", "Love Soup" and "Chopin Fantasie").[11]
After a recommendation by guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani,[12] Thal joined Guns N' Roses filling the position vacated by guitarist Buckethead.[13] Thal made his live debut with the band at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on May 12, 2006[14] and he also performs on the bands sixth studio album Chinese Democracy, released in 2008. Thal is currently on an international tour with Guns N' Roses.
Thal's song "Firebrand" was used as the opening theme for the TV show MXC (Most Extreme Elimination Challenge), the American adaptation of Takeshi's Castle. He has also written and performed the theme song to VH1 Classic's That Metal Show,[15] an edit of his song "Day To Remember" on his Forgotten Anthology album. Thal has licensed several of his recordings to television shows on MTV and VH1 such as Hogan Knows Best, The Real World, Made, The Osbournes, and others. Thal also wrote and recorded the music for the NY Islanders Hockey Team 2008–2009 season promos.[16]
In 2007, after 14 months of recording and touring with Guns N' Roses, Thal began recording his Abnormal CD. During this time, Thal also recorded and mixed the audio of live performances on the TV show Talking Metal On Fuse. Thal performed a cover of "Running Wild" by Judas Priest along with Frank Ferrer on the pilot episode. Thal also performed on the final episode of the show, accompanying Zakk Wylde in an original song "Til the End" written live on the show. In July 2008 Thal released the Abnormal CD. In November Chinese Democracy was released, with Thal hosting the listening party in NYC. In December 2008 Thal released Barefoot – The Acoustic EP, which consists of stripped-down acoustic versions of songs from his previous albums. Thal had fans choose one of the songs he would record.
In February 2009, Thal produced an all-instrumental metal guitar compilation CD entitled "Guitars That Ate My Brain." He oversaw the writing, recording and mixing for half the album (co- writing, engineering and mixing as well as guitar and bass playing by Jeremy Krull, drums by Dennis Leeflang), contributed his playing to the song "Disengaged" and mastered the album. Other artists on the album include Devin Townsend, Chris Poland, Shane Gibson, Dave Martone, Paul Waggoner, and James Murphy.
In June 2009, Thal began touring the U.S. and Europe playing guitar for Lita Ford.[17]
In December 2009, Thal began touring with Guns N' Roses on the Chinese Democracy World Tour.
In August 2010 his solo debut The Adventures of Bumblefoot, which had been out of print, was re-released as a 15 Year Anniversary Edition complete with additional bonus tracks. In October 2010, Thal took time out while on tour with Guns N' Roses to give advice and perform with students of The Witchwood School Of Rock in Witney, UK along with Guns N' Roses drummer Frank Ferrer. During the event they played several classic Guns N' Roses tracks, including "Paradise City" and "Sweet Child O' Mine."[18]
On December 3, 2010, Thal made an appearance in Sydney, Australia as guest guitarist with the heavy metal band Fozzy.[19]
His songs "Guitars Suck",[20] "Real"[21] and "Turn Around" are available as additional downloadable content for the videogame Rock Band 2 through the community-driven Rock Band Network.
Since January 2011, Thal has been releasing a series of singles available as digital downloads. Thal's first single was a cover of the 1967 Motown hit "Bernadette" by The Four Tops. His next single was another cover, this time The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever". He released his third single, an original song called "Invisible" in March 2011. In April 2011, Thal released a cover of Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," and an original song called "Father" was released in May 2011. Thal released his sixth single, an original song called "Cat Fight", in June 2011 featuring Mark Tornillo of the band Accept on vocals. "There's a Kind of Hush" (recorded by Herman's Hermits in 1967 and The Carpenters in 1976) is Thal's seventh single which was released in July 2011. Let Your Voice Be Heard is Thal's eighth single released in September 2011. In December 2011, Thal released a cover of The Pink Panther Theme by Henry Mancini. This is Thal's last single in the digital download series for 2011.
| Year | Album | |
|---|---|---|
| As Ron Thal[22] | ||
| 1995 | The Adventures of Bumblefoot | |
| 1997 | Hermit | |
| 2010 | The Adventures of Bumblefoot (15 Year Anniversary Edition) | |
| As Bumblefoot[23] | ||
| 1998 | Hands | |
| 2001 | 9.11 | |
| 2002 | Uncool | |
| 2003 | Forgotten Anthology | |
| 2004 | Live At the RMA (DVD Release) | |
| 2005 | Normal | |
| 2008 | Abnormal | |
| 2008 | Barefoot – The Acoustic EP | |
| 2011 | Bernadette (First song in a series of digitally released singles - Jan 2011) | |
| 2011 | Strawberry Fields Forever (Second song in a series of digitally released singles - Feb 2011) | |
| 2011 | Invisible (Third song in a series of digitally released singles - Mar 2011) | |
| 2011 | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Fourth song in a series of digitally released singles - Apr 2011) | |
| 2011 | Father (Fifth song in a series of digitally released singles - May 2011) | |
| 2011 | Cat Fight (Sixth song in a series of digitally released singles Jun 2011) | |
| 2011 | There's A Kind Of Hush (Seventh song in a series of digitally released singles - Jul 2011) | |
| 2011 | Let Your Voice Be Heard (Eighth song in a series of digitally released singles - Sep 2011) | |
| 2011 | The Pink Panther Theme (Ninth song in a series of digitally released singles - Dec 2011) | |
| With Guns N' Roses[24] | ||
| 2008 | Chinese Democracy |
| Year | Artist | Album | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Jessica Simpson (Hex Hector club mix) | "Irresistible" – CD single | Guitarist and co-engineer |
| 2003 | Q*Ball | Q*Ball In Space | Guitar and backing vocals |
| 2004 | Various Artists | Shawn Lane Remembered Vol 2 | Guest fretless guitar solo on Richard Daude's song "From the Inside" |
| 2004 | Mistheria | Messenger Of the Gods | Guest guitar solo in the song "Dynasty Of Death" |
| 2005 | Phi Yann-Zek | Solar Flare | Guest guitar solo in the song "Psychometamorph" – (Thal on synth guitar – right channel) |
| 2005 | Q*Ball | Fortune Favors The Bald | Guitar and backing vocals |
| 2005 | Freak Kitchen | Organic | Guest vocals and fretless guitar on the song "Speak When Spoken To" |
| 2005 | Christophe Godin | Metal Kartoon | Guest fretless guitar solo on the song "Metal Kartoon" |
| 2005 | Julien Damotte & Fufux | Papa NoHell (unreleased) | Guest guitar solo on Christmas song 'Papa NoHell' by Julien Damotte & Fufux |
| 2006 | Mike Orlando | Sonic Stomp | Guest fretless guitar solos on the song "Game Over" |
| 2006 | 24-7 Spyz | Face The Day | Guest guitarist |
| 2006 | Guthrie Govan | Erotic Cakes | Guest fretless guitar solos on the song "Rhode Island Shred" |
| 2007 | Various Artists | The Alchemists II | Guest fretless guitar solo on Terry Syrek's song "Threehundredpointtwentyone" |
| 2007 | Q*Ball | This Is Serious Business | Guitar and backing vocals |
| 2007 | Jordan Rudess | The Road Home | Guitar solo on "Tarkus" (@19m10s) & fretless guitar solo on "Just The Same" (@3m22s) |
| 2009 | Orelsan | Perdu D'avance | Guest guitar solo on the song "La Peur De Lechec" |
| 2009 | Swashbuckle | Back To the Noose | Guest guitar solos on the songs "Cruise Ship Terror" and "Rounds Of Rum" |
| 2009 | Various Artists | OCC Rocks | Performed with Orange County Choppers Band – guest guitar solo on the song "Cold Sweat" |
| 2009 | Various Artists | We Wish You A Metal Christmas EP | Guest guitar solo on the song "Frosty the Snowman" |
| 2010 | Liberty N' Justice | Light It Up | Guest guitar solos on the song "Wrestling With God" |
| 2010 | Ty Tabor | Something's Coming | Guest guitar solo on the song "Free Yourself" |
| 2010 | Indestructible Noise Command | Bleed the Line | Guest guitar solo on the song "Rain" |
| 2011 | Scarlet Haze | Reach Down | Laid music tracks for the song "Reach Down" |
| 2011 | Fredrik Pihl | Silhouettes | Guest guitar solo on title track "Silhouettes" |
| 2011 | Rick Devin | Old School – 2 | Guest guitar solo on the track "Tush"[25][26] |
| 2011 | Various Artists | Embrace the Sun (Japan Tsunami Relief CD) | Guest guitar solo on Milan Polak's song "End Of Time" |
| Year | Artist | Album | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Various Artists | Ominous Guitarists From the Unknown | Includes "Chopin Fantasie." Co-produced "Story Teller" by Rich Kern | |
| 1992 | Various Artists | Guitar On the Edge No. 2 | Includes "The Shuck Duffle" (re-named "Blue Tongue" on The Adventures of Bumblefoot) | |
| 1993 | Various Artists | Guitar On the Edge No. 3 | Includes "Love Soup" | |
| 1994 | Various Artists | Guitar On the Edge No. 4 | Includes "Bumblefoot" from The Adventures Of Bumblefoot | |
| 1996 | Various Artists | SEGA Power Cuts 1 | Includes songs from the Sega CD video game Wild Woody soundtrack | |
| 1996 | Various Artists | Super Guitar Heroes Vol. 1, 2, & 3 | Includes "Chopin Fantasie" (OGFTU), "Blue Tongue" & "Rinderpest" (The Adventures of Bumblefoot) | |
| 1997 | Various Artists | Ondes De Choc | Includes "Hermit" and "Freak" from Hermit | |
| 1997 | Various Artists | Hard Beats From Hell | Includes the title track from Hermit | |
| 1998 | Various Artists | Guitar & Bass No. 50 | Includes "Chair Ass" from Hands | |
| 2000 | Various Artists | Rock Sound, Volume 45 | Includes "T-Jonez" from Uncool | |
| 2001 | Various Artists | Fretless Guitar Masters | Includes "Lost" and "RayGun" from 9.11 | |
| 2002 | Various Artists | The Alchemists | Includes "Mafalda" from Forgotten Anthology | |
| 2003 | Soundtrack | Outlaw Volleyball: Music From The Game | Includes "Meat" from Forgotten Anthology | |
| 2005 | Various Artists | Village Of the Unfretted | Includes "Mafalda" from Forgotten Anthology | |
| 2006 | Various Artists | CMJ - On Air, Vol. 12 | Includes "Rockstar For A Day" from Normal | |
| 2008 | Various Artists | FMQB - SubModern #021 Specialty Show Sampler | Includes title track from Abnormal. Also mixed and co-produced | |
| 2009 | Various Artists | Guitars That Ate My Brain | Includes the song "Disengaged." Also mixed, co-produced and mastered | |
| 2009 | Various Artists | This Is Shredding, Vol. 1 | Includes "Blue Tongue" from The Adventures Of Bumblefoot. Also mixed and co-produced |
| Year | Artist | Album | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Various Artists | Crushing Days - A Tribute To Joe Satriani | Tribute to Joe Satriani CD. Covered "Always With You, Always With Me” | |
| 2001 | Various Artists | Warmth in the Wilderness - A Tribute to Jason Becker | Performed a duet solo with guitarist Mike Chlasciak for the song "Out Jam" | |
| 2002 | Lounge Brigade | Sabbath in the Suburbs: The Lounge Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne & Black Sabbath | Thal, as balladeer crooner "Herbert 'Ruffles' Lovecraft", sings Iron Man, Paranoid and Bark At The Moon | |
| 2002 | Lounge Brigade | The Sweet Sounds of Slim Shady: The Lounge Tribute to Eminem | Thal, once again, as crooner "Herbert 'Ruffles' Lovecraft" and also as "Checkers Goldstein". Songs include "Without Me”, "Cleaning Out My Closet" “My Name Is” and “Soldier” | |
| 2003 | Lounge Brigade | The Lounge Below: The Lounge Tribute to Outkast | A lounge-style tribute to Outkast. Produced by Thal and featuring "Herbert 'Ruffles' Lovecraft" on vocals | |
| 2004 | Various Artists | The Spirit Lives On - The Music of Jimi Hendrix Revisited, Volume 1 | Covered "Fire". (With Dennis Leeflang on drums) |
| Year | Artist | Album | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | AWOL | AWOL – EP | Thal’s six-song EP of his band Awol |
| 1996 | Soundtrack | Wild Woody SEGA CD video game | Performed entire video game soundtrack |
| 2002 | Carlin Music Publishing | Library CD #331 Alternative: Punk vs. Nu-Metal | Songs written by Thal exclusively for Carlin Publishing |
| 2003 | Soundtrack | Outlaw Volleyball Xbox video game | Music includes "Meat" from Thal’s Forgotten Anthology CD |
| 2004 | Soundtrack | Test Drive – Eve Of Destruction PLAYSTATION2 video game | Music includes Thal’s "American Rock-n-Roll” from Carlin Music Publishing’s Alternative: Punk vs. Nu-Metal CD |
| 2005 | Carlin Music Publishing | Library CD #356 Rap & Hip Hop | Songs written by Thal exclusively for Carlin Publishing |
| Year | Artist | Album | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Boiler Room | Low Society | Engineered / Produced. Self-released debut CD of NYC nu-metal band |
| 1996 | Various Artists | God Shave the Queen | Engineered / Produced, Co-wrote, Performed bass, guitar, keys |
| 1996 | Indecision | Unorthodox | Engineered / Co-produced |
| 1997 | Inhuman | Evolver | Engineered / Co-produced. NYC band's first full-length CD |
| 1998 | Indecision | Most Precious Blood | Engineered / Co-produced |
| 1998 | Evoken | Embrace the Emptiness | Engineered / Co-produced |
| 1998 | Various Artists | Lost Voices | Engineered / Produced. Tribute album to Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin. Produced the group Tyris performing the Doors' song "Love Her Madly" |
| 1999 | Future Chicken Farmers | Future Chicken Farmers | Engineered / Co-produced |
| 1999 | Pat O'May | Breizh / Amerika | Co-engineered / Produced |
| 1999 | Inhuman | Rebellion | Engineered / Co-produced |
| 2000 | Various Artists | Hell Rules 2 - A Tribute To Black Sabbath | Engineered / Co-produced |
| 2000 | Anomos/Stealth | From Here On... | Engineered / Co-produced, mixed and mastered. Performed guitar, choir arrangements |
| 2000 | Various Artists | Crushing Days - A Tribute To Joe Satriani | Engineered / Produced |
| 2000 | Evoken | Quietus | Engineered / Co-produced |
| 2002 | The Wage Of Sin | Product Of Deceit And Loneliness | Engineered / Co-produced |
| 2001 | Most Precious Blood | Nothing In Vein | Engineered / Produced |
| 2001 | One Second Thought | Self Inflicted | Engineered / Co-produced |
| 2002 | Troy Kurtis (former of Menudo) | Demo | Engineered / Produced. Co-writing, performed all music |
| 2002 | Q*Ball | In Space | Engineered / Co-produced / Performed guitar, backing vocals |
| 2003 | Cathy-Ann | Honey Wagon | Engineered / Produced, Performed all music except acoustic guitar/vocals |
| 2004 | Q*Ball | Fortune Favors the Bald | Engineered / Produced, some Co-writing, Performed guitars, backing vocals |
| 2004 | Various Artists | Bring You To Your Knees: A Tribute To Guns N' Roses | Engineered, Produced |
| 2004 | The Nerve! | The Nerve! | Engineered / Produced |
| 2004 | Nikki Sorrentino | Demo | Engineered, Produced. Wrote and performed music |
| 2005 | Evoken | Antithesis Of Light | Engineered / Produced |
| 2005 | Zachary Fischer Band | On Borrowed Time | Engineered / Produced |
| 2006 | 24-7 Spyz | Face the Day | Engineered, co-produced, guest guitar solos |
| 2007 | Q*Ball | This Is Serious Business | Engineered, produced, some co-writing, performed guitars, backing vocals |
| 2007 | Hurricane | Abaybay (Rock Re-mix) | Engineered, produced, performed |
| 2007 | Return To Earth | Captains Of Industry | Co-engineered, co-produced, performed some backing vocals |
| 2007 | Talking Metal on Fuse | FuseTV (November 2007 – March 2008) | Engineered, produced, performed |
| 2010 | Return To Earth | Automata | Mixed, co-produced |
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| unknown | "T. Jonez"[27] | unknown |
| 2006 | "Real" | William Knight |
| 2010 | "Better"(Guns N' Roses teaser) | Dale Resteghini |
Thal is an endorser of Vigier Guitars. The company produces a signature Excalibur model for Thal named "Bfoot".[28]