Columnist Spencer Patterson: Worrell proud to be ‘ever funkin’ on’

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Oct. 22, 2004 | 8:43 a.m.

As a longtime member of Parliament-Funkadelic, Bernie Worrell has spent his life playing alongside some of music's zaniest figures.

Turns out, that collection of characters had nothing on Worrell's current bandmates in Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains.

The quartet's lineup: the 60-year-old Worrell on keyboards, bizarro Primus frontman Les Claypool on bass and vocals, former Primus drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia and guitarist Buckethead, famous for wearing a ceramic mask over his face and a KFC chicken bucket atop his head.

"This is taking it another step further completely," Worrell said with a chuckle during a recent phone interview from a New York City hotel room.

Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains -- or C2B3 for short -- made its live debut at the 2002 Bonnaroo Music Festival. The group has performed sporadically since, and is now making a full-time go at it with an album and tour this fall.

"From the reaction at Bonnaroo and three sold-out shows in San Diego, there was a big buzz," Worrell said. "So we talked and said, 'We might as well do a CD and see what happens.' "

That CD, September's "The Big Eyeball in the Sky," features an eclectic blend of funk, prog, metal and jazz, not unlike Claypool's best-known project, Primus.

Bucket of Bernie Brains' first full-fledged tour touches down at 7 p.m. Monday at the House of Blues at Mandalay. Tickets are $20.

Worrell described the band's live show this way: "It's a jam, but with structure but jam but free but with structure but jam -- ever funkin' on."

The New Jersey native first played with Brain and Buckethead in 1992, when the trio recorded "Transmutation," an album with metal outfit Praxis. Later, Worrell was turned on to the music of Primus, and set out to make Claypool's acquaintance.

"Les is brilliant," Worrell said. "His playing is awesome, he's comedic, and I love the pageantry and the costuming, the way he makes use of masks. He's a genius."

When talk turned to the mysterious Buckethead, a sometime member of Guns N' Roses earlier this decade and a man rumored to cluck like a chicken during rare interview sessions, Worrell painted a much different picture.

"Buckethead is reserved, shy and a sweetheart. He's very quiet," Worrell said. "He comes up to my house in Jersey and he and my son play video games all day."

Though his attention is primarily focused on the Claypool project for now, Worrell also continues to perform and record with a number of other outfits, including his own WOO Warriors and Mos Def's Black Jack Johnson.

The man who appeared on such classic P-Funk albums as "Mothership Connection," "One Nation Under a Groove" and "Uncle Jam Wants You" also continues to work with George Clinton.

"I went to Frisco to rehearse for this tour and then I flew back to meet George in (Washington) D.C. and Philadelphia to play with P-Funk," Worrell said.

Worrell, who spent part of the 1980s touring with Talking Heads, said he waits for the day when that band might reunite.

"I talked to David (Byrne) recently, but he's just not into it at the moment," Worrell said. "Just like everybody wants (former P-Funk bassist) Bootsy (Collins) and myself and George to get back together, but Booty's not into it either."

But the optimistic keyboardist remains hopeful he'll be able to participate in one, or even two, reunion tours someday.

"George (Clinton) is trying to get the whole thing together. Snoop Dogg wants to do it. I want to do it," Worrell said.

"It should be Talking Heads, P-Funk, Snoop, Bootsy, Claypool ... All our groups could get together and do a world tour. It would take a lot of coordination and paperwork, though (laughs)."

Quick hits

A look at a few of the shows scheduled to hit Southern Nevada in the next week:

Veteran metal outfit Megadeth plays The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel at 8 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $22.

With frontman Dave Mustaine reportedly fully recovered from nerve damage to his left arm, the band recently returned from a two-year hiatus, releasing comeback album "The System is Here" in September.

Emo-rockers Jimmy Eat World land at the House of Blues at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday with opening acts Recover and Emanuel. Tickets are $17.

The Arizona-based Jimmy Eat World followed up critically acclaimed 2001 album "Bleed American" with October's "Futures."

Minneapolis hip-hop duo Eyedea & Abilities headline the "Leave of Absence Tour," which touches down at Crossroads at the House of Blues at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Also on the bill: Ill Logic, DJ PRZM and Los Nativos. Tickets are $15.

Longtime psychobilly outfit the Cramps perform at the House of Blues at 6 p.m. Thursday with support from the Gore Gore Girls and the Deadbillys. Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door.

Last month the Cramps issued a two-disc set of demos and live recordings titled "How to Make a Monster," concentrating on their work from 1976 through 1978.

On sale

Tim McGraw plays the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Feb. 4. Tickets are $50-$90 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Mandalay Bay box office, at TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com.

Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic perform at Rain at the Palms on Nov. 14. Tickets are $25 and $45 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Palms box office and through TicketMaster.

Nas holds court at the House of Blues on Nov. 21. Tickets are $25-$30 and are on sale now at the House of Blues box office and through TicketMaster.

Tickets are also on sale now for Macy Gray's Nov. 18 performance at the House of Blues. Tickets are $22.50 and $30 and are available through the House of Blues box office and TicketMaster.